What Is a Qualifier in Cheerleading?

Quick answer: a qualifier is a competition at which teams can earn a bid - an invitation to a bigger end-of-season championship such as The Cheerleading Worlds or The Summit. Not every competition is a qualifier, and each qualifier only offers bids to particular championships.

What the Term Means

An All Star season usually includes several competitions. Some are standalone events: teams compete for placements and trophies, and that's it. Others have been designated by the championship's organisers as qualifiers, where the top teams in eligible divisions can also be offered a bid. For example, bids to The Summit are given out at designated Varsity events, and bids to Worlds at events approved by the organisers of Worlds.

How Bids Are Awarded at a Qualifier

Each qualifier announces in advance how many bids it offers, to which championships, for which divisions, and of which type (such as paid, partial-paid or at-large). Bids normally go to the highest-scoring or highest-placing eligible teams, but the exact rules belong to each event, and in some divisions a team may need to reach a minimum standard as well as place well. Bids are usually announced at awards.

How It Affects a Team's Season

Coaches choose their competition schedule carefully. Teams aiming for an end-of-season championship plan to peak at the qualifiers that offer the right bids, and a team that earns a bid early in the season may treat later events as practice. A team that misses out can try again at another qualifier.

One-Day and Two-Day Events

Many large qualifiers run over two days, with teams performing once each day. Prep and Novice teams, however, perform or are evaluated only once at two-day events under USASF rules. Check how your event uses each day's scores - this is set by the event, not the rulebook.

What to Expect as a Parent

A qualifier looks like any other competition day - see What Happens at a Cheer Competition? - but the atmosphere can be more intense, since bids are on the line. Ask your coach before the event which bid, if any, the team is aiming for; it helps to know what a good result looks like.

Event Differences

Which events are qualifiers, and what they qualify for, is set by each championship's organisers and the event producers, and changes every season. Always check your team's competition schedule for details.

Related Terms

See Bid for what's being competed for, and Worlds and Summit for the best-known bid-only championships.