Submitted by: Jon Bennett

 

All Star cheerleading is a fairly recently invented sport. The US All Star Cheerleading Federation was founded in 2003, although squads calling themselves all stars had been performing in competitions since the early 1980's. There are certain basic features of All Star cheer that differentiate it from cheerleading as practiced in schools, colleges and sports leagues.

1 All Star cheerleaders need not have any affiliation with a school, college or, indeed, any organization. Indeed, this is the essence of All Star cheerleading. It created a home for a sport that young people with good gymnastic, athletic and dance ability can practice without any educational or athletic club affiliation.

2 All Star cheerleading competitions take place under the auspices of the US All Star Federation (USASF) and all the rules and regulations of the USASF apply. The harmonization of rules, regulations and safety standards is one of the main tasks of the USASF and the association National All Star Cheerleading Coaches Congress (NACCC).

3 All Star cheerleading divisions apply to competitions. At present the nine divisions are Tiny, Mini, Youth, Junior, Junior International, Junior Coed, Senior, Senior coed, Open International and Open. These divisions are recognized by the USASF and the International All Star Federation (IASF).

4 All Star cheerleading is an end in itself. The world "cheerleading" does not imply that the cheerleaders are doing their routines in order to support a sports team. The cheerleaders practice in dedicated gyms that are geared for cheerleading, including large practice areas and spring floors.

5 All Star cheerleading competitions are run by individual cheer companies who recognize the USASF as their governing body. The competitions are in turn USASF-underwritten. Thus cheerleading coaches know that any competition sanctioned by the USASF will have USAF rules, regulations and safety standards that apply.

6 The ultimate All Star Cheerleading competition is Cheerleading Worlds. This takes place annually at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. It is, of course, a USASF sanctioned competition. The first Cheerleading Worlds was held in 2004. Any squad in the US, or the world, can qualify to compete and Cheerleading World for prestige, trophies and huge prizes.