Cheerleading

Cheerleading is the organized use of song, dance and/or gymnastics to encourage crowds to cheer on sports teams at games and matches. It is also undertaken as a recreational activity and as a competitive sport involving organized routines; this form is most popular in the United States and Canada. A cheerleading performer is a cheerleader.

All-Star Competitive Cheerleading

In the early 1990s, cheerleading teams not associated with schools, whose main objective is competition, started to emerge. All-star cheerleading involves a squad of anywhere between 2-40+ females and/or males. The squad prepares year-round, but they only actually perform for 2 1/2 minutes in their competitions. During those few minutes on the floor, a squad covers everything from stunting to tumbling to dancing. There is custom music for the entire routine and it is broken down into counts so the team members know how long stunts need to be held, when they are supposed to do their tumbling, the order the pyramid is assembled, and when specific dance moves are to be performed.

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Competitive cheerleaders are placed into divisions which are grouped based upon age and ability level. Judges at the competition watch for illegal moves from the group or any of its members. Here, an illegal move is something that is not allowed in that division, due to difficulty and safety restrictions. More generally, judges look at the difficulty and execution of stunts and tumbling, synchronization, the sharpness of the dance and cheer, and overall routine execution.

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There are dozens of different competitions per season. All-star cheerleading is a relatively young sport and the US All Star Federation (USASF) has emerged as the preeminent organization for all star teams and gyms. Companies that run competitions include AmeriCheer, U.S. Spirit, Universal Cheerleading Association (UCA), National Cheerleading Association (NCA, the very first), Cheer Ltd. Inc, American Cheer Power, Cheerleaders of America (COA), World Spirit Federation (WSF), US All Star Federation (USASF), JAMfest Cheer and Dance, FCC (Fellowship of Christian Cheerleaders), Rosemount Invitational U.S. Spirit, and many more.

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Competitive cheerleading is a major time and financial commitment, yet it is a rapidly growing sport and industry. Experience in all-star cheerleading is also highly sought by high level college cheerleading teams such as the University of Louisville, the University of Kentucky, the University of Houston, Hawaii Pacific University, and the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Related Topics:
University of Louisville - University of Kentucky - University of Houston - Hawaii Pacific University - University of Hawaii at Manoa

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