Cheer Competitions Explained

Quick answer: a cheer competition is an event where many teams each perform a short routine - up to 2 minutes 30 seconds in All Star cheer - in front of a panel of judges, who score it on difficulty and execution and subtract any deductions. Teams compete only against others in the same division, and awards are given division by division.

The Competition Season

For All Star teams, the season usually looks something like this:

1. Tryouts and team placement in late spring or summer, followed by learning the new routine.
2. Early-season competitions through the late autumn and winter, often local or regional, where teams debut and refine their routines.
3. Qualifiers - events where teams can earn bids to bigger championships.
4. End-of-season championships in spring, such as The Cheerleading Worlds for top Level 6 and 7 teams, The Summit for Levels 1 to 5, and various nationals events.

Exact dates and how many events a team attends vary from gym to gym.

Who Runs Competitions

Two kinds of organisation are involved. Governing bodies such as the U.S. All Star Federation set the rules - which skills are allowed at each level, age divisions and safety rules. Event producers (competition providers) run the actual events and set their own scoring systems, schedules and awards. See Governing Body vs Competition Provider.

Competition Day in Brief

Athletes arrive in uniform with hair and makeup done, check in, go through a timed warm-up backstage, perform once (or once per day at a two-day event), and then wait for awards. Start with What Happens at a Cheer Competition? for the full walk-through, and use our Competition Day Checklist to pack.

How Routines Are Judged

Routines are scored on difficulty and execution in each section - stunts, pyramids, tosses, tumbling, jumps and dance - with deductions for falls and rule violations. See How Is Competitive Cheer Scored?, or try the interactive score sheet.

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