All Star Cheerleading and Dance: It’s More Than Rhinestones and Poms!
All-Star Cheerleading and Dance has grown immensely from its roots over 20 years ago. In the 80s and early 90s, teams were typically formed of athletes who were interested in improving their skills so that they would stand a better chance of making their high school or college teams. As All Star Cheerleading developed and grew, more and more athletes and their parents viewed All-Star Cheerleading and Dance as a viable activity in and of itself. All-Star Dance has also grown due in part to all the Television shows such as America’s Best Dance Crew, So You Think You Can Dance and America’s Got Talent. As both sports developed and grew, more and more athletes and their parents viewed All-Star Cheerleading and Dance as a viable activity in and of itself.
As stronger and stronger athletes began to recognize that All-Star provided them a way to focus more on teamwork and athleticism and less on pom pons and decorating lockers, the sport began to separate itself from the traditional stereotypes. This is no longer your mother’s cheerleading and dance. Teams and athletes in All-Star now focus on gymnastic and acrobatic moves, strong technique and entertainment value. The hybrid today is a combination of gymnastics, acrobatics, athletic dance, and many elements unique to All-Star. More extreme athlete than fashion model, today’s All-Star athlete can learn exciting skills in a fun, safe environment.
All-Star teams are typically comprised of 5-36 athletes with a variety of skills and abilities (much like a football or basketball team.) There can be solid, well-rounded athletes and those who have particularly strong abilities in certain areas (ex. – strong tumblers/jumpers or turners/breakers). The coaches create a competition routine performed by the group that has technical and artistic elements set to music.
The routines are typically 2 1/2 minutes in length. At competitions, the teams are divided by age and ability level. The routines are judged by their level of difficulty, precision, creativity, and entertainment value. There are thousands of all-star programs of all types across the country.
If you are interested in learning more about Team Spirit Cheer and Dance, Sun Country Sports Center’s REGIONAL and NATIONAL CHAMPION all star program, give us a call at 352.331.8773 or email us at Cheer@suncountrysports.com!
