Click on a question below to see the answer.
All Star Cheerleading is cheerleading with the focus on competition. Anyone can get involved in All Star Cheerleading. There are different difficulty levels so that people compete with others at their skill level. There are different age groups, skill sets, and even teams for people with special needs.
In the U.S., All Star Cheerleading is governed by the United States All Star Federation, or USASF. The USASF provides a set of rules and leveling guidelines by which All Star cheerleaders are judged at competitions. They also certify gyms and coaches for safety. By looking for coaches and gyms with USASF certification, you can confirm a certain baseline of training and experience.
The levels of All Star Cheerleading are graded based on a few criteria. The primary factors are age and skill level, but there are other considerations, like the number of males on a team, the total number of team members, and whether team members have special needs. You can find the USASF age grid on their website. Levels are defined by USASF rules and can be found on their cheer rules website.
USASF has a member gym search page. Using this page you can search for gyms by state or city. Another approach is to attend a local competition in you area to see some of the local gyms. Depending on your location, you may find destination competitions where teams will travel great distances to compete in your area. The largest list of All Star competitions can be found on the USASF competition list page. The largest cheerleading company, Varsity, also has list of competitions on its website.
Once you find an All Star program in your area, it is best to watch a few practices of their different teams to learn about their programs. The more programs you can investigate, the better chance you have of finding a program that works best for you. Different programs have different coaching styles and team levels. Different programs will also compete at different venues, and there may be different costs associated with each program for travel, entrance fees, and other factors. Teams will have information on how much they expect each participant to pay throughout the year.
The best time to join a program is late in April or early May, when most teams are having their tryouts. Most teams will start practicing immediately after tryouts are over.
Different teams will practice with differing frequency. Some open teams practice once a week, while some senior teams practice four days a week or more. In cheerleading, it is important that each team member attend as many practices as possible. As in other sports, the more you practice, the better you will become. Unlike other position-based sports, each individual has a unique role and responsibility throughout a routine. This is especially important in competitive cheerleading, where members have specific locations in formations, dances, and stunts throughout their routine.
Usually, All Star gyms will build vacation time into their season. If you join a program at the beginning of the season it is best to plan family vacations around the scheduled breaks in practice.