74-545: The Cheerleading Worlds, or Cheerleading World Championships, colloquially known as " Worlds ", is an annual international championship event for competitive cheerleading held in the United States hosted by the U.S. All Star Federation in partnership with the International All Star Federation (the global organization of professionals and athletes involved in a club or All Star Cheer ). Teams from around
148-487: A bid-winning team for a team's registration package, lodging, and/or transportation to Orlando to participate in the event. Partial-paid bids are the only form of paid bid offered for dance teams for the Worlds event, also covering the cost of their registration packaging, accommodation and/or transportation to Orlando at a rate of $ 325 per athlete and up to two coaches, with a maximum of $ 5000 awarded per team. At-large bids are
222-610: A cheerleading team. Cheerleading originated as an all-male activity in the United States, and is popular predominantly in America, with an estimated 3.85 million participants as of 2017. The global presentation of cheerleading was led by the 1997 broadcast of ESPN 's International cheerleading competition, and the worldwide release of the 2000 film Bring It On . The International Cheer Union (ICU) now claims 116 member nations with an estimated 7.5 million participants worldwide. Around
296-417: A competition routine and not on leading cheers for other sports teams. All-star cheerleaders are members of a privately owned gym or club which they typically pay dues or tuition to, similar to a gymnastics gym. During the early 1980s, cheerleading squads not associated with a school or sports league, whose main objective was competition, began to emerge. The first organization to call themselves all-stars were
370-513: A day sometimes. The school spirit aspect of cheerleading involves cheering, supporting, and "hyping up" the crowd at football games, basketball games, and even at wrestling meets. Along with this, cheerleaders usually perform at pep rallies, and bring school spirit to other students. In May 2009, the National Federation of State High School Associations released the results of their first true high school participation study. They estimated that
444-599: A level 4 or 5 Summit team at their gym. The levels and divisions that are offered have changed significantly since the first event in 2004, with the event seeing a large growth and expansion over the years. In 2025, the event will offer divisions in levels 5, 6 and 7 for international teams competing in IASF worlds divisions, while only offering level 6 divisions in USASF worlds divisions. USASF teams will not be eligible to compete in any IASF level 5 division but will be allowed to enter in
518-439: A matted surface and are prohibited during game play or time-outs. Most American elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, and colleges have organized cheerleading squads. Some colleges even offer cheerleading scholarships for students. A school cheerleading team may compete locally, regionally, or nationally, but their main purpose is typically to cheer for sporting events and encourage audience participation. Cheerleading
592-473: A modified set of rules from high school squads with possible additional rules. Squads can cheer for basketball teams, football teams, and other sports teams in their school. Squads may also perform at pep rallies and compete against other local schools from the area. Cheerleading in middle school sometimes can be a two-season activity: fall and winter. However, many middle school cheer squads will go year-round like high school squads. Middle school cheerleaders use
666-415: A nationally recognized safety-training program. Even with its athletic and competitive development, cheerleading at the school level has retained its ties to its spirit leading traditions. Cheerleaders are quite often seen as ambassadors for their schools, and leaders among the student body. At the college level, cheerleaders are often invited to help at university fundraisers and events. Debuting in 2003,
740-481: A new perspective on American cheerleading. Women were exclusively chosen for dancing ability as well as to conform to the male gaze , as heterosexual men were the targeted marketing group. By the 1960s, college cheerleaders employed by the NCA were hosting workshops across the nation, teaching fundamental cheer skills to tens of thousands of high-school-age girls. Herkimer also contributed many notable firsts to cheerleading:
814-444: A professional choreographer that choreographs their routine in order to ensure they are not breaking rules or regulations and to give the squad creative elements. Most American universities have a cheerleading squad to cheer for football, basketball, volleyball, wrestling, and soccer. Most college squads tend to be larger coed teams, although in recent years; all-girl squads and smaller college squads have increased rapidly. Cheerleading
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#1732837953097888-761: A recommendation by the NCAA that conferences and tournaments do not allow pyramids two and one half levels high or higher, and a stunt known as basket tosses, during the rest of the men's and women's basketball season. On July 11, 2006, the bans were made permanent by the AACCA rules committee: The committee unanimously voted for sweeping revisions to cheerleading safety rules, the most major of which restricts specific upper-level skills during basketball games. Basket tosses, 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 high pyramids, one-arm stunts, stunts that involve twisting or flipping, and twisting tumbling skills may be performed only during halftime and post-game on
962-424: A review of video submissions. For US teams, any junior team was welcomed to submit a video to be reviewed, however only six teams were selected to receive at-large bids to compete in this division. A team awarded a bid must compete at the Worlds event in the same division and team-makeup in which they performed in at the qualifying event where their bid was awarded. The only exception to this is teams competing within
1036-606: A standard set of rules and judging criteria to be followed by all competitions sanctioned by the Federation. Eager to grow the sport and create more opportunities for high-level teams, The USASF hosted the first Cheerleading Worlds on April 24, 2004. At the same time, cheerleading coaches from all over the country organized themselves for the same rule making purpose, calling themselves the National All Star Cheerleading Coaches Congress (NACCC). In 2005,
1110-532: A team is found to have a crossover, the team was disqualified, responsible for repaying the total cost of any funds received through a paid or partial paid bid, and was ineligible for any type of bid for The Cheerleading or Dance Worlds for the following years. This year was also marked the first year that championship rings were introduced for each athlete who was a member of a world championship-winning team. Desoto Dreamz Elite - Desoto Dance All Stars & Planet Dance - Planet Dance All Stars The 2008 Worlds event
1184-442: A total of 6 divisions. This also marked the first time that one gym program took home multiple titles within one year, with Cheer Athletics being the world champion across three divisions and GymTyme All Stars being the world champion across two divisions. The Cheerleading Worlds 2007 was held on April 20 to 23, 2007 at Walt Disney World, Florida. This year's event introduced junior divisions in cheerleading, as well as introducing
1258-588: A year. These competitions include locals or regionals, which normally take place in school gymnasiums or local venues, nationals, hosted in large venues all around the U.S., and the Cheerleading Worlds, which takes place at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida . During a competition routine, a squad performs carefully choreographed stunting, tumbling, jumping, and dancing to their own custom music. Teams create their routines to an eight-count system and apply that to
1332-411: Is a great way to get younger children introduced to the sport and used to being crowd leaders. Also, with young children learning so much so quickly, tumbling can come very easy to a child in elementary school. Middle school cheerleading evolved shortly after high school squads were created and is set at the district level. In middle school, cheerleading squads serve the same purpose, but often follow
1406-484: Is designed to cover all competition expenses, including lodging, transportation and registration fees to compete, up to a maximum of $ 650 per athlete, and for up to two coaches. Paid bids for cheer teams are only awarded to the highest scoring teams at the largest and most prestigious competitions throughout the season leading up to the Cheerleading Worlds event. Partial-paid bids are also offered for cheerleading teams, awarding up to $ 325 per athlete and up to two coaches on
1480-588: Is not recognized by NCAA, NAIA, and NJCAA as athletics; therefore, there are few to no scholarships offered to athletes wanting to pursue cheerleading at the collegiate level. However, some community colleges and universities offer scholarships directly from the program or sponsorship funds. Some colleges offer scholarships for an athlete's talents, academic excellence, and/or involvement in community events. College squads perform more difficult stunts which include multi-level pyramids, as well as flipping and twisting basket tosses. Not only do college cheerleaders cheer on
1554-565: Is now referred to as the "Locomotive". Princeton class of 1882 graduate Thomas Peebles moved to Minnesota in 1884. He transplanted the idea of organized crowds cheering at football games to the University of Minnesota . The term "Cheer Leader" had been used as early as 1897, with Princeton's football officials having named three students as Cheer Leaders: Thomas, Easton, and Guerin from Princeton's classes of 1897, 1898, and 1899, respectively, on October 26, 1897. These students would cheer for
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#17328379530971628-534: Is quickly becoming a year-round activity, starting with tryouts during the spring semester of the preceding school year. Teams may attend organized summer cheerleading camps and practices to improve skills and create routines for competition. In addition to supporting their schools' football or other sports teams, student cheerleaders may compete with recreational-style routine at competitions year-round. In far more recent years, it has become more common for elementary schools to have an organized cheerleading team. This
1702-434: Is seen as another national title for most schools. Organizations that sponsor youth cheer teams usually sponsor either youth league football or basketball teams as well. This allows for the two, under the same sponsor, to be intermingled. Both teams have the same mascot name and the cheerleaders will perform at their football or basketball games. Examples of such sponsors include Pop Warner , American Youth Football , and
1776-476: Is the official birth date of organized cheerleading. Soon after, the University of Minnesota organized a "yell leader" squad of six male students, who still use Campbell's original cheer today. In 1903, the first cheerleading fraternity , Gamma Sigma, was founded. In 1923, at the University of Minnesota , women were permitted to participate in cheerleading. However, it took time for other schools to follow. In
1850-469: Is very closely associated with American football and basketball . Sports such as association football (soccer), ice hockey , volleyball , baseball , and wrestling will sometimes sponsor cheerleading squads. The ICC Twenty20 Cricket World Cup in South Africa in 2007 was the first international cricket event to have cheerleaders. The Florida Marlins were the first Major League Baseball team to have
1924-485: The National Cheerleading Association to help grow the activity and provide cheerleading education to schools around the country. During the 1950s, female participation in cheerleading continued to grow. An overview written on behalf of cheerleading in 1955 explained that in larger schools, "occasionally boys as well as girls are included", and in smaller schools, "boys can usually find their place in
1998-629: The Savvis Center in St. Louis on March 5, 2006. The fall gained "national attention", because Yamaoka continued to perform from a stretcher as she was moved away from the game. The accident caused the Missouri Valley Conference to ban its member schools from allowing cheerleaders to be "launched or tossed and from taking part in formations higher than two levels" for one week during a women's basketball conference tournament, and also resulted in
2072-465: The YMCA . The purpose of these squads is primarily to support their associated football or basketball players, but some teams do compete at local or regional competitions. The Pop Warner Association even hosts a national championship each December for teams in their program who qualify. "All-star" or club cheerleading differs from school or sideline cheerleading because all-star teams focus solely on performing
2146-600: The "Marlin Mermaids" gained national exposure, and have influenced other MLB teams to develop their own cheer/dance squads. As of 2005, overall statistics show around 97% of all modern cheerleading participants are female, although at the collegiate level, cheerleading is co-ed with about 50% of participants being male. Modern male cheerleaders' stunts focus less on flexibility and more on tumbling, flips, pikes, and handstands. These depend on strong legs and strong core strength. In 2019, Napoleon Jinnies and Quinton Peron became
2220-400: The 1860s, students from Great Britain began to cheer and chant in unison for their favorite athletes at sporting events. Soon, that gesture of support crossed overseas to America. On November 6, 1869, the United States witnessed its first intercollegiate football game. It took place between Princeton University and Rutgers University , and marked the day the original "Sis Boom Rah!" cheer
2294-536: The 1970s established cheerleaders as "American icons of wholesome sex appeal ." In 1975, Randy Neil estimated that over 500,000 students actively participated in American cheerleading from elementary school to the collegiate level. Neil also approximated that ninety-five percent of cheerleaders within America were female. In 1978, America was introduced to competitive cheerleading by the first broadcast of Collegiate Cheerleading Championships on CBS . The 1980s saw
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2368-626: The American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Advisors (AACCA), founded in 1987, started applying universal safety standards to decrease the number of injuries and prevent dangerous stunts, pyramids, and tumbling passes from being included in the cheerleading routines. In 2003, the National Council for Spirit Safety and Education (NCSSE) was formed to offer safety training for youth, school, all-star, and college coaches. The NCAA now requires college cheer coaches to successfully complete
2442-493: The Cheerleading and Dance Worlds events. In 2024, 378 dance teams made of 2,912 dancers from 19 countries and 563 cheerleading teams made of 12,838 athletes from 21 countries participated in the Cheerleading and Dance Worlds events. A newly opened (2023) cheerleading gym from Queensland Australia became the first team in history to globe at Worlds in their first cheer season. (23/24). Cheerleading has been officially recognised by
2516-581: The Disney Wild World of Sport's Milkhouse arena and Disney's Hollywood Studios' Indiana Jones Theatre, while the Dance Worlds divisions were held at the World Showplace Pavilion inside Disney's EPCOT, both at Walt Disney World. Preliminaries were held for all senior level 5 cheerleading divisions as well as all senior dance teams, with only 50% of teams progressing to the finals to compete for
2590-442: The IASF categories above." The first USASF World Cheerleading Championship was held on April 24, 2004. This event was an invite-only competition, with only two divisions - Senior All Girl Level 5 and Senior Coed Level 5 - and only 14 teams competing. This first event was held at a backstage sound stage at Disney MGM Studios (now Disney Hollywood Studios) at Walt Disney World that held a maximum of 500 spectators. At this point in time,
2664-469: The IASF level 6 and 7 divisions. It is known that for the 2024 event, the age grids will shift once again, with the minimum age for IASF open divisions levels 5 and 6 increasing to a minimum of 16 years old. Teams competing at the Cheerleading Worlds from the USA must follow the USASF age grid, eligibility, substitutions and alternate guidelines, which will have a known impact on the 2024 Cheerleading Worlds event as
2738-813: The IOC ( International Olympic Committee ) recognized the ICU (International Cheer Union) as part of the sports federations; in practice this means that the modality is considered a sport by the IOC, and in the future, depending on negotiations and international popularization, it could become part of the Olympic Games . Scientific studies of cheerleading show that it carries the highest rate of catastrophic injuries to female athletes in sports, with most injuries associated with stunting , also known as pyramids. One 2011 study of American female athletes showed that cheerleading resulted in 65% of all catastrophic injuries in female sports. In
2812-589: The NACCC was absorbed by the USASF to become their rule making body. In late 2006, the USASF facilitated the creation of the International All-Star Federation (IASF), which now governs club cheerleading worldwide. As of 2020 , all-star cheerleading, as sanctioned by the USASF, involves a squad of 5–36 females and males. All-star cheerleaders are placed into divisions, which are grouped based upon age, size of
2886-457: The Olympic foundation and continues to grow at an exponential rate. Both The Cheerleading Worlds and The Dance Worlds are invite-only events, with teams required to win bids in order to qualify to compete. Three types of bids are available: "paid" and "at-large". Paid bids are only offered to cheerleading teams for the Cheerleading Worlds portion of the event. For cheerleading teams, a paid bid
2960-634: The Q94 Rockers from Richmond, Virginia , founded in 1982. All-star teams competing prior to 1987 were placed into the same divisions as teams that represented schools and sports leagues. In 1986, the National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) addressed this situation by creating a separate division for teams lacking a sponsoring school or athletic association, calling it the All-Star Division and debuting it at their 1987 competitions. As
3034-470: The United States, as well as event producers within 32 international countries, have the right to host bid qualifying events for both cheer and dance teams. For the 2023–2024 season, there are 35 bid-qualifying events within the United States at which a team can win a bid to the 2024 Dance Worlds. In 2010, the Dance Worlds introduced a junior division, in which the bid process functioned differently. Junior teams did not win their bids at events, but rather via
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3108-631: The World Cheerleading Association, or WCA). Organized cheerleading competitions began to pop up with the first ranking of the "Top Ten College Cheerleading Squads" and "Cheerleader All America" awards given out by the ICF in 1967. The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders soon gained the spotlight with their revealing outfits and sophisticated dance moves, debuting in the 1972–1973 season, but were first widely seen in Super Bowl X (1976). These pro squads of
3182-532: The athletic program, and cheerleading is likely to remain solely a feminine occupation". Cheerleading could be found at almost every school level across the country; even pee wee and youth leagues began to appear. In the 1950s, professional cheerleading also began. The first recorded cheer squad in National Football League (NFL) history was for the Baltimore Colts . Professional cheerleaders put
3256-423: The audience, or for competition. Cheerleading routines typically range anywhere from one to three minutes, and contain components of tumbling , dance , jumps , cheers , and stunting . Cheerleading originated in the United States , where it has become a tradition. It is less prevalent in the rest of the world, except via its association with American sports or organized cheerleading contests. Modern cheerleading
3330-800: The beginning of modern cheerleading, adding difficult stunt sequences and gymnastics into routines. All-star teams, or those not affiliated with a school, popped up, and eventually led to the creation of the U.S. All Star Federation (USASF). ESPN first broadcast the National High School Cheerleading Competition nationwide in 1983. By 1981, a total of seventeen Nation Football League teams had their own cheerleaders. The only teams without NFL cheerleaders at this time were New Orleans, New York, Detroit, Cleveland, Denver, Minnesota, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and San Diego. Professional cheerleading eventually spread to soccer and basketball teams as well. Cheerleading organizations such as
3404-450: The best teams in one or more of the worlds divisions at a worlds qualifying event. Companies offering partial paid bids offered a specific dollar amount towards a team's travel package, however USASF/IASF did not yet specify the amount of a partial paid bid. Athletes were not allowed to cross over between cheer and dance teams from the same or other gyms, compete in more than one team, or perform in more than two categories with their team. If
3478-426: The championship. Preliminaries were also held for international division cheerleading and dance teams, with a maximum of three of the highest scoring teams per country advancing to finals. International division cheerleading score sheets were adjusted to reflect the predominant international skill capabilities at the time. IASF's Nation Cup was awarded at this event to the highest-scoring team from each country within
3552-555: The end of the 2000s the sport had gained traction outside of the United States in countries like Australia, Canada, Mexico, China, Colombia, Finland, France, Germany, Japan , the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. However, the sport does not have the international popularity of other American sports, such as baseball or basketball , despite efforts being made to popularize the sport at an international level. In 2016,
3626-408: The first international teams competing at worlds with New Zealand All Stars, however, there was not yet a split of international divisions from regular divisions. The Cheerleading Worlds' third event occurred on April 21–24, 2006. This year's event introduced the split of international divisions, offering international open all-girl level 5 and international open coed level 5 divisions, making
3700-491: The first male cheerleaders in the history of the NFL to perform at the Super Bowl . Kristi Yamaoka, a cheerleader for Southern Illinois University, suffered a fractured vertebra when she hit her head after falling from a human pyramid . She also suffered from a concussion, and a bruised lung. The fall occurred when Yamaoka lost her balance during a basketball game between Southern Illinois University and Bradley University at
3774-459: The first time." In 1949, Lawrence Herkimer , a former cheerleader at Southern Methodist University and inventor of the herkie jump, founded his first cheerleading camp in Huntsville, Texas. 52 girls were in attendance. The clinic was so popular that Herkimer was asked to hold a second, where 350 young women were in attendance. Herkimer also patented the pom-pom . In 1951, Herkimer created
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#17328379530973848-488: The founding of a cheerleading uniform supply company, inventing the herkie jump (where one leg is bent towards the ground as if kneeling and the other is out to the side as high as it will stretch in toe-touch position), and creating the "Spirit Stick". In 1965, Fred Gastoff invented the vinyl pom-pom , which was introduced into competitions by the International Cheerleading Foundation (ICF, now
3922-476: The late 1920s, many school manuals and newspapers that were published still referred to cheerleaders as "chap", "fellow", and "man". Women cheerleaders were overlooked until the 1940s when collegiate men were drafted for World War II , creating the opportunity for more women to make their way onto sporting event sidelines. As noted by Kieran Scott in Ultimate Cheerleading : "Girls really took over for
3996-426: The limited division, which is set aside for gyms that only field one Worlds-eligible team. The number of athletes that compete on any Worlds team is not allowed to exceed the number of athletes that took the floor with the team at their bid-qualifying event. Cheer athletes within the same club are also limited to the number of teams in which they are eligible to compete and earn paid bids, with an athlete being bound to
4070-414: The minimum age for open teams saw a rise to a minimum of 18 years on the USASF age grid for the 2023–2024 season. The categories/styles that have been offered across the competition include hip hop, jazz, pom, contemporary/lyrical, kick, open and junior. USASF divisions offered the opportunity for teams with a target age of 13 to 19 years from within the United States to compete, with IASF divisions offering
4144-576: The number of high school cheerleaders from public high schools is around 394,700. There are different cheerleading organizations that put on competitions; some of the major ones include state and regional competitions. Many high schools will often host cheerleading competitions, bringing in IHSA judges. The regional competitions are qualifiers for national competitions, such as the UCA (Universal Cheerleaders Association) in Orlando , Florida , every year. Many teams have
4218-427: The opportunity for junior teams aged between 11 and 16 years old and open teams aged 15+ years old to compete. USASF and IASF provide slightly differing descriptions of these styles, describing their expectations of routines entered within these categories: and skills. Costuming should reflect the category style." division. A routine in this division may incorporate any one style or combination of styles outlined in
4292-410: The other sports at their university, many teams at universities compete with other schools at either UCA College Nationals or NCA College Nationals. This requires the teams to choreograph a 2-minute and 30 second routine that includes elements of jumps, tumbling, stunting, basket tosses, pyramids, and a crowd involvement section. Winning one of these competitions is a very prestigious accomplishment, and
4366-424: The other type of bid available, working the same for both cheer and dance teams for these events. These bids are typically awarded to the teams who are eligible to compete at the Worlds events who are runners-up at bid-qualifying events, functioning as an invitation but requiring teams to pay for 100% of their own costs related to their participation at the event. More than 120 USASF/IASF member event producers across
4440-517: The popularity of this type of team grew, more and more of them were formed, attending competitions sponsored by many different organizations and companies, each using its own set of rules, regulations, and divisions. This situation became a concern to coaches and gym owners, as the inconsistencies caused coaches to keep their routines in a constant state of flux, detracting from time that could be better utilized for developing skills and providing personal attention to their athletes. More importantly, because
4514-414: The same cheerleading movements as their older counterparts, yet may perform less extreme stunts and tumbling elements, depending on the rules in their area. . In high school, there are usually two squads per school: varsity and a junior varsity . High school cheerleading contains aspects of school spirit as well as competition. These squads have become part of a year-round cycle. Starting with tryouts in
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#17328379530974588-496: The same or different clubs. In other words, an athlete is only allowed to represent one team in either cheer or one club in dance when competing at Worlds. Also, there is a limit on the number of athletes per team that can compete at both the Summit (an end of year competition for levels 1-5) and The Cheerleading Worlds during the same competition season. This can be complicated for gyms as many level 6 worlds athletes also cross-compete with
4662-468: The second team they compete with that receives a paid bid. Teams are also limited in the number of athletes who previously earned paid bids who are allowed to compete for and be awarded paid bids on a second team. Substitutes and wild-card alternates are also limited, with the number varying by division and global location. Crossovers of athletes are not permitted between teams from the same club, between different clubs, or between cheer and dance teams from
4736-458: The spring, year-round practice, cheering on teams in the fall and winter , and participating in cheerleading competitions. Most squads practice at least three days a week for about two hours each practice during the summer. Many teams also attend separate tumbling sessions outside of practice. During the school year, cheerleading is usually practiced five- to six-days-a-week. During competition season, it often becomes seven days with practice twice
4810-430: The sub-event to run concurrently, the Dance Worlds. The first Dance Worlds was held on April 21–22, 2007 at Disney's MGM Studios, Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida. At this event, limited categories were offered, with senior dance offered in jazz, pom and hiphop for athletes 18 years and younger, and international open dance offered for dancers 14 years and older. Partial paid bids were offered to this event, awarded to
4884-421: The team also at football practices, and special cheering sections were designated in the stands for the games themselves for both the home and visiting teams. It was not until 1898 that University of Minnesota student Johnny Campbell directed a crowd in cheering "Rah, Rah, Rah! Ski-u-mah, Hoo-Rah! Hoo-Rah! Varsity! Varsity! Varsity, Minn-e-So-Tah!", making Campbell the very first cheerleader. November 2, 1898,
4958-444: The team, gender of participants, and ability level. The age groups vary from under 4 years of age to 18 years and over. The squad prepares year-round for many different competition appearances, but they actually perform only for up to 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 minutes during their team's routine. The numbers of competitions a team participates in varies from team to team, but generally, most teams tend to participate in six to ten competitions
5032-403: The top 10 in international divisions, ranked by the average of all scores from all teams per country within a division. Cheerleading Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders ) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity . It can be performed to motivate sports teams, to entertain
5106-429: The various companies were constantly vying for a competitive edge, safety standards had become more and more lax. In some cases, unqualified coaches and inexperienced squads were attempting dangerous stunts as a result of these expanded sets of rules. The United States All Star Federation (USASF) was formed in 2003 by the competition companies to act as the national governing body for all star cheerleading and to create
5180-645: The winners in each of the 22 divisions receiving championship rings. From 2007 onwards, The Dance Worlds began concurrently as a sub-event of The Cheerleading Worlds. Like the Cheerleading Worlds, this event is also an invite-only event hosted by the USASF in collaboration with the IASF, showcasing elite dancers from around the world in styles such as hip hop, jazz, pom, kick, contemporary and lyrical. The Dance Worlds currently attracts over 3500 teams made up of over 9000 athletes. In 2023, 308 dance teams made of 4219 athletes from 15 countries and 539 cheerleading teams made of 11,590 athletes from 18 countries participated in
5254-407: The winners of each category received jackets, similar to NCA and UCA, instead of the rings currently received. The second Cheerleading Worlds event happened April 23–25, 2005. This year, the competition expanded to include both small and large divisions within the senior all-girl level 5 and senior coed level 5 categories, for a total of four divisions teams could be eligible within. This year saw
5328-784: The world annual to receive a bid to go on and compete in Orlando, Florida , at the ESPN Wide World of Sports . The event is typically held across a three-day span in April or May, featuring preliminary competitions, semi-finals and finals. Only level 5, 6 and 7 cheerleading teams with bids from regional and national competitions are eligible to participate, being offered a "paid" bid covering all expenses up to $ 25,000, or an "at-large" bid which does not cover any costs. Around 9,000 athletes from around 40 countries compete annually, with routines being judged on difficulty, execution, creativity and overall composition. The top teams from each round advance, with
5402-587: Was on April 26–28, 2008. This year marked the introduction of level 6 into the cheerleading divisions, being introduced in the international open category. This year also marked the beginning of limited/unlimited splits in divisions. The Dance Worlds divisions returned for a second year, being held at Disney's EPCOT in the World Showcase Pavilion. California All Stars & Pro Spirit The 2009 Cheerleading and Dance Worlds were held on April 25 to 26, 2009. The Cheerleading Worlds divisions were held across
5476-554: Was shouted out by student fans. Organized cheerleading began as an all-male activity. As early as 1877, Princeton University had a "Princeton Cheer", documented in the February 22, 1877, March 12, 1880, and November 4, 1881, issues of The Daily Princetonian . This cheer was yelled from the stands by students attending games, as well as by the athletes themselves. The cheer, "Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah! Tiger! S-s-s-t! Boom! A-h-h-h!" remains in use with slight modifications today, where it
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