Author: Andre

At USASF and IASF, nothing is more important to us than the safety of the athletes, coaches, friends and families that attend our Worlds events. We are closely monitoring the potential impact the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), may have on upcoming Cheerleading and Dance Worlds events and will continue to make decisions based on recommendations…

February came and brought some major events including both NCA and UCA High School Nationals, Cheersport, and the beginning of NCA All Star. USA Cheer also announced the 2020 National Team representative for Hip Hop (University of Nevada Las Vegas), Jazz (Brigham Young University), and Pom (University of Tennessee). How Cheerleading Evolved From One Man…

When I started cheering, at least once I moved to the summer camp instructor and coaching side, “Perfection before progression” was a phrase I consistently heard. Although I heard it I don’t remember seeing it consistently on the competition floor. Fast forward about 20 years and I still hear coaches preaching it. I also feel…

January came and brought significant events like UCA & UDA College Nationals, Majors, NDA All-Star Nationals, and JAMfest Cheer Super Nationals. UConn Cheerleading Returns To National Competition via UConn Today. REVIEW: ‘Cheer’ Shows How Grueling Cheerleading Can be & Plenty to ‘Cheer’: New Netflix Series Goes Behind the Scenes via Madison.com. ‘Cheer’ Is An Incisive Look…

It’s time for another random idea. I’d like to see an event that already eliminates teams each round, like college nationals, which advances about half the teams, or Worlds, which advances 10 teams, give priority to teams that don’t drop. First guarantee advancement to any team without a fall. This means you and your fans…

Valorie Kondos Field presented Why Winning Doesn’t Always Equal Success as a TED Talk.

Welcome to 2020. Here’s some of the news to close out 2019. Kennesaw State Pays Former Cheerleader Tommia Dean $145K to Settle Anthem Lawsuit via ESPN. Netflix Orders College Cheerleading Docuseries From ‘Last Chance U’ Creator via Deadline. USA Cheer Announces 2020 US National Junior All Girl & Junior Coed Coaching Staffs and Regions via USA…

Happy New Year! As one year ends and another begins many of us think of the changes we’re going to make to our lives. Sometimes it’s adding something and other times it’s removing something. For those of you in the cheer and dance community I’d like to suggest changing points of view. For the next…

As a coach do you realize how significant your role can be in a child’s life? If you name the adults a child spends the most time with in a year the list will probably start with Mom & Dad, then move to their teacher. The person after that may very well be a coach.…

This weekend is the busiest weekend of the year per USASF sanctioned events. Former Cheerleaders Warn of Concussion Risks in the Sport via Inside Edition. Cheering from Japan to Kentucky via The Trail Blazer. USA Cheer Recognized by Sports Destination Management via USA Cheer. Column: Male Cheerleaders, Take Off Your Clothes! via The Daily Tar…

I spoke with some parents that were disappointed their daughter was removed from a team mid season. The team was the type of marquee team that could win any event they attended, including Worlds. Their daughter had been a member of the program for several years, finally making her dream team and deservedly so. The…

Here are your October articles as you enjoy your Halloween candy: Texas Cheerleader Saves Choking Toddler During Homecoming Parade via ABC News Former UC Berkeley Cheerleader Says She was Forced to Perform Despite Concussions via San Francisco Chronicle Men Return to Husker Cheer Squad, Add More Stunts, Tumbling via The Eagle. New Study Shows High…

Here are some more random ideas I’ve had. I don’t anticipate any getting implemented, but think they’d be interesting to try. Benefit of the Doubt I’d like to try not giving teams the benefit of the doubt about what skills were performed. Instead of a team with 5 groups performing 2 true double ups, 2…

Dear USASF Coaches and Program Owners, Competition season is upon us. Are you competition ready? Join Regional Directors Glenda Broderick and Robin Galik as they walk you through the steps to ensure you are prepared for your 2019-2020 events and fully understand compliance, eligibility, rostering, and more! SELECT THE TIME THAT WORKS BEST FOR YOU…

Learn about the USASF Dance Score Sheet for the Senior Divisions at The Dance Worlds used by Worlds judges by watching the NEW Scoring Webinar, hosted by the Worlds Senior Panel Directors. To learn about the Rules, Divisions, and Scoring System for the Open & Junior divisions, visit iasfworlds.com.

Everything in your routine should either be beautiful or Invisible. Many apply the beautiful part to the major skills in their routine, stunts, pyramids, tumbling, etc., but sometime skip the details, motions in the air, landing the tumbling, and timing of skills. There are a few options for making something invisible, taking it out, hiding…

September has come and gone, bringing back school and football. Here’s some of the news that came along with it. Squad Goals | Cheerleader with Down Syndrome is the Inspiration, Heart and Soul of the Cheer Squad via WFMY. Cowboys Settle Cheerleader Pay Dispute, Entire Squad Gets Pay Boost via WFAA. Cheerleader Movies Are Big…

All Level 6 and 7 teams entering one or more of the following USASF Sanctioned Events will receive points based on the size of their division and placement rankings. At the end of the season, the Level 6 and/or Level 7 teams with the highest point totals will win 3 Paid Bids and 3 At…

What do you focus on when trying to make your team elite? You can’t do everything, at least not all at once, so you need to decide where to spend your time first. There are 15-16 scores on the major scoring systems I looked at. Some scores separated difficulty from execution, stunts and tumbling for…

Summer is ending. It’s not cheerleading or dance specific, but ESPN published Study: On Average Child Quits Sports at Age 11. I Made $3,400 As An NFL Cheerleader — & Spent It ALL On Looking The Part via MSN. Cheerleader With Down Syndrome Makes All-American Team via CBS Local. 20 Unsettling Rules Professional Cheerleaders Must…

Several of my past ideas centered around trying to increase the average number of teams within a division. First is making the standard team size 24. Forget XS, Small, Medium, and Large divisions and make a single sized-based division with a maximum of 24 athletes. Second is reducing the number of mainstream levels from 5 (last…

The 2019-20 USA Cheer College Cheerleading Rules have been posted at USA Cheer. The college rules process uses an “odd year/even year” rotation between addressing major and minor changes. 2019-20 is a “minor changes” year, with the addition of a sign rule in which top person and middle layers may not release hard signs to…

The 2019-20 high school rules were published to the USA Cheer site on May 1 and are available here. An update has been made to the new rule regarding signs for high school teams and younger. Bases are not allowed to hold props that are made of hard material or have sharp corners or edges.…

One of USA Cheer’s primary objectives is to “promote safety and safety education for cheer in the United States.” It is a responsibility that is central to everything we do, including growing cheer participation and representing the USA in cheerleading internationally. This safety update includes information on updated high school rules and the new rules…

From the U.S. All Star Federation and the International All Star Federation regarding The Cheerleading and Dance World Championship The Road to Worlds is an exciting one for All Star teams around the globe, and we share in the excitement and anticipation each year! The growth and momentum of All Star brings together incredible athleticism,…