USA Cheer - News

USA Cheer Announces an NCAA Emerging Sport Initiative

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Cheerleading’s governing body will seek NCAA emerging sport status for “Stunt” format.

Memphis, Tenn. (September 2010) – USA Cheer, the national governing body (NGB) for all forms of cheerleading, has released a new competition sport designed to be considered for NCAA Emerging Sport status. “Stunt,” which is descriptive of the athletic skills pulled from traditional cheerleading, has also been tailored to follow Title IX’s requirements for intercollegiate sport. Stunt demonstrates clear differences from traditional cheerleading and offers exciting new opportunities for a wider range of participants. It will be a spring sport, with a required eight regulation games during its inaugural season with a final tournament in Daytona Beach in April of 2011.

“One of our top priorities is that Stunt develops on its own merits and not at the expense of traditional cheerleading or other female sports,” said USA Cheer executive director Bill Seely. “While Stunt has roots in traditional cheerleading, this new sport is completely fresh and has an entirely new structure.”

The Women’s Sports Foundation, long a proponent for female athletes, supports the efforts of USA Cheer. “The Women’s Sports Foundation applauds USA Cheer and the cheerleading community for taking steps to create and launch Stunt, a new competitive team sport which provides increased athletic and educational opportunities for young women,” says Nancy Hogshead-Makar, Senior Director of Advocacy for the Women’s Sports Foundation. “This new sport is derived from the skills and techniques of traditional cheerleading. The Foundation supports the establishment of Stunt as an NCAA Emerging Sport and looks forward to its successful implementation at colleges and universities across the country.”

Fifteen collegiate teams have committed to the new sport for the 2011 season, and several more have it under consideration. “Many of the exciting athletic elements that are typically part of traditional cheerleading competitions have been included in this emerging sport”, said Linda Gooch, head coach of the University of Central Florida Spirit Program. “I am in favor of any change that will expand or enhance educational and athletic opportunities for young people.”

“Stunt is a tremendous opportunity for young athletes to apply the athletic skills derived from cheerleading in a pure and exciting competition format, and for schools across the country to offer this new varsity sport," added Todd Sharp, spirit coordinator of the University of Louisville cheerleading program. “The University of Louisville takes great pride in our spirit programs and the valuable service they provide to our athletic teams, university family and community and, we also take pride in the athleticism of our team members.”

Stunt provides additional opportunities for the more than 800,000 cheerleaders in the United States. “This new collegiate sport that USA Cheer has created will be a great opportunity for college scholarships for our athletes,” says Jim Chadwick, President of the United States All Star Federation, the governing body for club cheerleading. “We believe this will be an exciting new outlet for those who have grown up in the cheer disciplines."

Description of Stunt

Each Stunt game will comprise four quarters in the following categories: Partner Stunts, Jumps and Group Tumbling, Tosses and Pyramids, and Team Routine. Within each quarter, teams will perform skill sequences of varying levels of difficulty, technical execution and synchronization. Anyone who follows sports will be able to follow Stunt. Teams compete simultaneously, and the head-to-head format simplifies the scoring process, allowing fans to track the results of the competition as each round is completed. Because of the new format, teams will have records and national rankings, which will determine their post season play, much like other sports. In addition, post season play can be tracked by the fans, much like “March Madness.”

Download the Stunt Handbook.pdf

University Teams Participating in Stunt

University of Louisville
Virginia Commonwealth University
University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth
California Polytechnic State University
Morgan State University
Fredonia State University
University of Memphis
Valdosta State University
Bridgewater State University
University of Georgia Club Team
Ohio State University Club Team
West Virginia University Club Team
Michigan State University Club Team
University of Illinois Club Team
University of North Carolina Club Team

About USA Cheer
The USA Federation for Sport Cheering is a not-for profit organization and is the national governing body for all disciplines of cheerleading. USA Cheer exists to serve the entire cheer community, including club cheering (All Star), traditional school based cheer programs and the new sport of “Stunt.” USA Cheer has three primary objectives: help grow and develop interest and participation in Cheer throughout the United States; promote safety and safety education for cheer in the United States; and represent the United States of America in international cheer competitions.

About NCAA Emerging Sport Status
NCAA Emerging Sport Status requires a sport to provide additional athletic opportunities for female students, involve physical exertion with the purpose of competition, have standardized rules with a scoring system ratified by a governing body and have regularly scheduled competitions.

About Title IX
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits sex discrimination in educational institutions where the federal government provides financial assistance. Title IX prohibits sex discrimination in athletics in the offering of participation opportunities, athletic benefits and resources, and scholarships.

For more information, contact Sheila Noone at 901-251-5959.

2011 Team USA Cheer Tryouts

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The USA Federation for Sport Cheering would like to announce the selection of three national teams to represent the United States of America in the 2011 International Cheer Union World Championship April 29, 2011. We will be conducting a national search for Americas top cheerleaders and dancers over the next several months to put together one all girl and one coed cheer team as well as one dance team. There were over 60 countries represented at the 2010 World Cup and there are an anticipated 60+ countries coming in 2011.

The US teams dominated the 2010 World Cup with 5 Gold Medals. Do you think you have what it takes to make one of the “Dream Teams?" If so, USA Cheer would like to invite you to try out for a spot and an opportunity to represent your country in the ICU World Championship.

Application Requirements For Cheer

- Applicants must be at least 18 years of age at the time of the Tryout December 4th.
- Online application must be posted online by November 1st.
- Applicants selected to go through the tryout phase must attend a tryout (tryout date and location will be released by October 29th).
- Applicants must be able to attend all mandatory Team USA meetings, if selected for Team USA. Mandatory team practices are scheduled for April 17-30, 2011.

Selection Process

Coed Tryout: The coed team will be selected from the best individuals. Members must be 18 years of age or older by December 4th, 2010.

All-Girl Tryout: This year we will be selecting the top seven stunt groups who audition (groups of 4) and 2 alternates to fill the All Girl team. Individuals are allowed to tryout, but most of the team will be filled by the stunt groups.

- Phase I: Application Process- Applications will be evaluated by the USA Cheer Selection Committee in October. Applicants will be notified via email if they will advance to the second phase of the tryout process.
- Phase II: Tryout Process- Applicants invited to the tryout process will attend the live tryout. Date and location will be announced October 29th, 2010.
- Phase III: Team USA- Team USA will be announced January 15th, 2011.

How To Apply Online For Cheer

APPLICATION COMING SOON!!!

Be prepared to upload the following when turning in application:
- Recent head shot photo
- A video should be no longer than 1 minute and 30 seconds, no background music or special effects, should be shot straight on and should include the following:
   - 30 seconds of partner stunting skills (these should be your most advanced skills)
   - 20 seconds of tumbling skills
   - 10 seconds of basket toss skills (tops only for coed and All Girl stunt groups)

2011 Team USA Dance Application

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The USA Federation for Sport Cheerleading would like to announce the selection of the National team to represent the United States of America in the 2011 International Cheer Union World Cheerleading Championship April 28-29, 2011. There were over 80 countries represented at the 2010 World Cup.

The US teams earned 5 Gold Medals at the 2010 competition. Do you think your team has what it takes to be the next “Dream Team?" Then USA Cheer would like to invite your team to try out for the opportunity to represent your country in the ICU World Cheerleading Championship! Look for the online application starting November 1^st at www.usacheer.net.

Application Requirements for Dance

- All team members must be at least 18 years of age by January 1, 2011.
- Online applications must be posted by January 26, 2011.
- All team applicants must be willing and able to have additional practices from January-April 2011.
- Teams must be able to travel to Orlando on or around April 25-30, 2011.

Selection Process

- Phase I: Teams must submit their video audition no later than January 26, 2011.
- Phase II: Teams will be evaluated by the USA Cheer Selection Committee in January
- Phase III: The team or teams chosen to represent the US will be announced on January 31, 2011.

For more information or if you have any questions please contact Dani Rein – Director of Dance for USA Cheer at 800-859-9912 or danirein@usacheer.net.

How to Apply For Dance

Applicants must be officially recognized by the athletic program of a College/University or affiliated with an All-Star Program.

The following must be received by January 26, 2011:
- Completed Team USA Dance application with team roster -
*APPLICATION COMING SOON
- A $50.00 per team application processing fee. Checks should be made payable to USA Federation for Sport Cheering.
- DVD/Video audition

DVD/Video Requirements:
- Teams may consist of a minimum of 12 dancers to a maximum of 24.
- All dancers participating in the video submission must be official team members, however not all
members listed on the roster must be shown on the video.
- Males and females are allowed to participate on the team.
- Teams will submit a routine or routines of their strongest style or styles. (selected styles are   jazz, pom, hip hop)
- Teams can submit 1, 2 or 3 routines.
Example: Teams excelling in jazz and pom should submit both a jazz and pom routine.
- Routines must be done to music and be a minimum of 1:50 seconds in length.

Note: It is recommended that teams submit their strongest style or styles of dance. The team or teams chosen to represent the US will be announced on the USA Cheer website (www.usacheer.net) by January 31, 2011.

*For more information or if you have any questions please contact Dani Rein – Director of Dance for USA Cheer at 800-859-9912 or danirein@usacheer.net.

Understanding Title IX

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0500

I wanted to share some additional information to help further clarify some of the questions that have been raised related to the Quinnipiac cheerleading team and the recent court decision. It is important to realize this case was not questioning the athleticism of cheerleading. There is no question that cheerleading is a sport in the general sense. This case was to decide if a university could use a competitive cheerleading team to meet Title IX requirements. The Court’s decision does not speak to high school or All-Star cheerleading teams.

While I’m not a Title IX expert, I wanted to share some basic information which I hope will be helpful to better understand the discussion of developing cheerleading as an intercollegiate sport.

So, what exactly is Title IX? It’s a federal law put in place to ensure equal opportunities for men and women in educational programs and activities at schools.

There are several requirements schools must meet to comply with Title IX. Here are just a few regulations I think are most relevant as it relates to cheerleading:

- Schools must provide a proportionally equal amount of male and female athletic opportunities.

- Schools must show they are continually committed to creating more athletic opportunities for women.

- Schools must provide proportionally equal athletic scholarship opportunities for male and female students.

- There are many other requirements schools must meet, including providing men and women equal access to equipment, game times, coaching and practice facilities, among others.

The Women’s Sports Foundation has published a lot of information explaining Title IX. I’ve found their resources to be very useful, and would encourage you to visit some of the following websites if you’re interested in learning more about Title IX requirements for schools:

- Understanding Title IX and Athletics 101
http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/Content/Articles/Issues/Title-IX/U/Understanding-Title-IX-and-Athletics-101.aspx

- What is Title IX?
http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/Issues-And-Research/Title-IX/What-is-Title-IX.aspx

As we continue collaborating with our colleagues in the cheerleading community to develop a new format that would allow a form of competition cheerleading to be recognized as an intercollegiate sport, USA Cheer will be working closely with Title IX experts to ensure the new format meets the requirements of Title IX. And as always, we’ll continue our work to promote and grow other forms of cheerleading at every level, including high school and All-Star.

Best,

Bill Seely
Executive Director, USA Cheer

Response from USA Cheer Executive Director to the Decision that Cheerleading is Not a Sport

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0500

I want to share some thoughts on today’s ruling by the judge in the Quinnipiac trial that stated the current competition-only cheerleading team at the school did not meet Title IX requirements to be classified as an intercollegiate sport. As you know, we believe cheerleading is highly athletic and is a sport in the general sense. We respect the decision of the Court in this case, and agree that steps need to be taken to build the organizational structure. We believe that we are close to establishing an intercollegiate sport with a distinctive new name and competition format.

As I noted in my last letter, we’ve been working with colleagues within the entire cheerleading community to develop a new competitive format that we believe will not only allow it to be recognized as an intercollegiate sport, but will also help clearly differentiate it from traditional cheerleading. We feel this is critical to ensure differences between traditional school cheerleading squads and new, collegiate “competition-only” teams so that bothcan exist and prosper.

The new format we are developing involves a new name and a change from the current 2.5 minute competition structure, to help make the necessary distinctions between traditional school cheerleading squads and the new sport.

We believe our plans will meet the requirements of Title IX, work within the college calendar, and will be structured so that it can have strong participation from schools across the country. We will announce more details in the near future.

This is a critical moment in the evolution of cheerleading at the collegiate level, and we are eager to drive this forward to the benefit of the entire cheer community.

Best,

Bill Seely
Executive Director, USA Cheer

A Letter from the Executive Director

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Many of you may be following the recent news coverage on a trial involving Quinnipiac and Title IX. As the national governing body for cheerleading, we have been following this case closely.
As you may already know, USA Cheer was launched in 2008 to serve the entire cheer community, from All Star to traditional school-based cheerleading programs. As stated in our mission statement, USA Cheer is focused on three primary objectives: help grow and develop interest and participation in Cheer throughout the United States; promote safety and safety education for cheer in the United States; and, represent the United States of America in international cheer competitions.

In order to help cheerleading grow and thrive, it is of primary importance to us to protect cheerleading in its current forms, as well as work with the cheerleading community to create new and exciting opportunities for cheerleaders at all levels. Further, we believe that a form of cheerleading can evolve to intercollegiate sport status in compliance with Title IX, in addition to the traditional collegiate form of cheerleading. We also believe this new format should have a new name and distinctive competition format in order to differentiate it from traditional cheerleading programs.

Cheerleading has come a long way since its inception, and we are excited to lead the development of Cheer into the future. USA Cheer will continue to pursue initiatives to support our mission and you, the cheerleader, coach, or cheer enthusiast. We promise to keep you updated on any developments as they may arise.

Best,

Bill Seely
Executive Director, USA Cheer

Related Articles:
Inside Cheerleading: The 411 on Team USA & USA Cheer from USA Cheer Executive Director Bill Seely
http://www.insidecheerleading.com/content/show/article.aspx?articleid=251&zoneid=1

Spirit Post: Bill Seely’s Response to Is Cheerleading a Sport?
http://spiritpost.com/blog/2010/07/dear-spirit-post-is-cheerleading-a-sport-iii/

Dani Rein Announced as the Director of Dance for USA Cheer

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0500

USA Cheer would like to announce Dani Rein as the Director of Dance for USA Cheer. Dani is a former member and captain of the Orange Coast College dance team, and danced with them when they won the 2001 and 2002 UDA National College Dance Team Championships. She is a graduate of Hawai’i Pacific University where she was a member of the dance team and earned the national title at the National Dance Alliance College Championship in 2004. After graduation, Dani became the coach of the dance team at Hawaii Pacific where she coached them to 2 NDA National titles.

Dani is a well known choreographer throughout the United States for high school and collegiate teams. She has choreographed hip hop, jazz, and pom routines for many nationally ranked dance teams. She is a 10 year UDA Head Instructor who has taught throughout the US as well as internationally in France, Germany and England.

In addition to being involved with the dance team industry she has also done work as a dancer in Los Angeles, CA. In 2001 Dani danced in an Usher music video and also was involved with the major motion picture The Hot Chick.

Dani is also a former member of the Pace All-Stars from Orange County, CA. As a Pace dancer she earned over 10 national titles from competitions including USA, UDA, NDA, AmeriCheer, and COA. She was also a member of the Pace cheerleading team from 1997-2000.

Dani will be the director for dance for USA Cheer. USA Cheer will be putting together the US National team to compete at the ICU World Cup in 2010. Team USA Dance swept 3 gold medals at the 2009 ICU World Championship.