USA Cheer - STUNT Questions & Answers

A: STUNT is a new sport for competition-only cheer squads that are seeking to meet the requirements of an NCAA emerging sport. It is called “STUNT” because it is descriptive of the athletic skills pulled from traditional cheerleading. STUNT has also been tailored to meet Title IX requirements for intercollegiate sport by demonstrating clear differences from traditional cheerleading to offer exciting new opportunities for a wider range of participants.

2. Who developed STUNT?

A: STUNT was developed by USA Cheer with collaboration from groups of Title IX experts as well as well known coaches and experts in the All-Star and traditional cheerleading community.

3. What is the basis of STUNT competition?

A: STUNT is comprised of four quarters: 1) Partner Stunts, 2) Team Tumbling/Jumps, 3) Pyramids/Basket Tosses, and 4) Team Performance. Within each quarter, teams perform skill sequences of varying levels of difficulty, technical execution and synchronization. The fourth quarter is the “Team Performance” which allows teams to incorporate their entire team and arsenal into a 2 minute and 30 second routine. Two or four teams compete at time in head-to-head competition.

4. W hat steps are USA Cheer taking to ensure that STUNT becomes a sport?

A: Our first step in the process is securing STUNT as an NCAA Emerging Sport. Meeting that threshold will put STUNT closer to meeting the Office of Civil Rights requirements for Title IX. To ensure we address all of the specific criteria for sport OCR has established, we are working closely with Title IX experts and seeking assistance with OCR to ensure STUNT can count as viable Title IX sport as soon as possible.

5. How is the STUNT new format different than traditional cheerleading competitions?

A: In order to truly meet Title IX requirements, a new format was developed under the leadership of USA CHEER. The STUNT format meets several criteria.

o The new format required a new name, and a new different format from the 2.5 minute format to help make the necessary distinctions between traditional school cheerleading squads and new competition-only teams.

o USA CHEER and industry partners have worked together to further define and build an emerging sport that provides even more opportunities for young athletes around the world.

6. What will a typical STUNT game look like?

A: STUNT has taken all the athletic skill elements that have developed in cheerleading and put them into an objective, head-to-head competitive format that can be easily understood and followed by the coaches, athletes and spectators. The role of the coach and the coaching strategy has been integrated into the game format in order to allow each team to maximize their ability to be successful. The STUNT format is designed to be fast, entertaining, exciting, unpredictable, and understandable while still incorporating the traditional elements of a cheer competition. The 4th quarter of a STUNT competition consists of a more traditional performance commonly recognized as cheer. The competition format and scoring is more simplified than that of a traditional cheer competition.

7. What does the STUNT competitive season look like?

A. STUNT is a Spring sport, with a required eight regulation games per season and a final tournament in Daytona Beach in April, which is recognized as one of college cheerleading’s most prestigious competition and championship event.

8. Do you think that STUNT/competitive cheer could ever become an Olympic sport?

A. We are hopeful that at least one discipline of cheer will ultimately become an Olympic sport. The creation of USA Cheer as a governing body and seeking NCAA emerging sport status for STUNT are additional steps to get there.

9. Can there be crossovers for all-star and college cheerleaders?

A. Yes. STUNT is a spring season sport, so if it doesn’t conflict with a traditional team’s season, they can participate. Once it achieves Emerging Sport Status, athletes would have to choose the type of team they wish to try out for.

10. Are STUNT teams made up of different athletes than the teams that compete at Nationals? And if not, is there a problem with cheerleaders being considered STUNT athletes part of the time and non-STUNT athletes when they're on the sidelines?

A. Once STUNT becomes an NCAA Emerging Sport, teams will have to choose which discipline they compete in.

11. What safety precautions have been taken for STUNT?
A. Safety is a central focus for USA Cheer and the new sport of STUNT. STUNT was created in partnership with the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators (AACCA) and USA Cheer Safety Council which is the leading source for cheerleading safety education and guidelines. It is our goal to create a safe environment for all involved in the sport.

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