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Cheerleading in the United Kingdom

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Cheerleading in pyramid
Allstar Cheerleaders at cheerleading competition

Cheerleading is a sport that is practised all throughout the world, with increasing popularity within the United Kingdom.[1] Cheerleading has over 89,000 athletes within the United Kingdom, with just over 900 teams in England alone,[2] with the newfound success and passion of UK based teams on the international stage helping to change perceptions within the region.[3] Teams from the United Kingdom have gained international recognition, with the Olympic Channel producing a 10 minute short documentary following Unity Allstars' team Ruby to highlight the increase momentum of competitive cheerleading within the United Kingdom.[3]

Cheerleading is conducted through all-star clubs as well as university and school teams.

As a sport, cheerleading is offered as a PE extracurricular in a number of UK based schools, with it being estimated that 37% of schools now offer a cheerleading program as an extracurricular physical education choice, leading to UK participation within World Schools Cheerleading Championships and National Scholastic Cheerleading championships being offered.[4][5][6][7][8]

A number of universities also offer cheerleading as an option within the United Kingdom, with 70 universities offering it as an extracurricular optioin in 2018, with a further 23 offering competitive cheerleading.[9] Cheerleading is a recognised sport under the International University Sports Federation,[10] however, the sport remains unrecognised by the British Universities and Colleges Sport association.[11]

The main way that cheerleading as a sport is provided in the UK is through all-star competitive clubs, with clubs located throughout England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.[12]

Governing bodies

[edit]

SportCheer UK (SCUK) acts as the governing body for cheerleading within the United Kingdom, being recognised as such by the International Cheer Union, the international governing body for cheerleading.[13] SCUK is composed of governing body members from England (SportCheer England), Northern Ireland (SportCheer Northern Ireland), Scotland (SportCheer Scotland) and Wales (SportCheer Wales).[14] SCUK provides an age grid and safety rules for both cheer and performance cheer/dance (aligned with IASF), helping to align the sport under a single standard across the United Kingdom.[14]

As part of their governing body role, the governing body members help organise representative teams from their respective countries to compete at the ICU World Championships, held in Florida. In 2023, SCUK was represented by national teams from England, Scotland and Wales, winning a total of 7 medals.[15]

On a more broad scale, SportCheer England and SportCheer Scotland are both members of the umbrella organisation of the European Cheer Union, a recognised regional branch of the International Cheer Union.[16]

Competition divisions

[edit]

Within the United Kingdom, SportCheer UK and its members model their structure off divisions and age groupings after the IASF guidelines.

As in the United States, competitions are grouped into divisions that are based on a combination of the team's age category, difficulty level and size. Certain categories are also further separated into "all-girl" (females only) and "co-ed" (mixture of genders) groups. For large events with high numbers of teams registered in one division, organisations also can then further split the divisions based on the team's size or the gym/studio's size to form a manageable number of teams within a division. For example, a team may compete in divisions such as "extra small youth level 1", or "senior co-ed level 5".[17]

The age category of the team also restricts the level that the team may be entered into for safety reasons, with younger age category teams not being allowed to enter higher levels for safety. There are also "sub-categories" within the junior and senior age divisions that do not allow teams with younger age category eligible athletes to enter the higher levels.[17]

All-star age groups are based on the competitors' ages at 31 August 2023, with that age being applicable for the entire season. The exception to this rule is the IASF international divisions, where the eligible age of an athlete is determined by their age during 2024 i.e. is a 12 year old athlete is participating in an IASF division with a minimum age of 14, they are legal if they turn 14 during 2024, or an athlete who turns 13 on 2 January 2024 is eligible for a division where the maximum age is 12 as they would be 12 for at least 1 day during 2024. [17]

Event producers have the option of offering all of the divisions, or only a selection, with speciality divisions varying from EP to EP.[17]

Currently overlap in the age categories enables an athlete to compete in multiple teams who are entered in different age categories. For example, an 11 year old could compete on teams that are entered in the youth, junior and senior age categories.[17]

Newly introduced in 2023-2024 for senior divisions with a minimum age of 16 years or below was a rule stating the age spread of team members may not exceed 10 years. For example, a senior level 1 team where the youngest athlete was 13 is no longer allowed any athletes on the team who are aged of 23 years old. This however only allowed to SCUK divisions and does not include the IASF divisions.[17]

Cheer Age Grid[17]
Division Ages Gender Number on Team Level Restriction
Tiny Novice 3 - 6 Female/Male 5 - 30 1
Tiny Prep 3 - 6 Female/Male 5 - 30 1
Tiny 3 - 6 Female/Male 5 - 32 1
Mini Novice 5 - 8 Female/Male 5 - 30 1
Mini Prep 5 - 8 Female/Male 5 - 30 1, 2.1
Mini 5 - 8 Female/Male 5 - 32 1, 2
Youth Novice 6 - 12 Female/Male 5 - 30 1
Youth Prep 7 - 11 Female/Male 5 - 30 1, 2.1
Youth 7 - 11 Female/Male 5 - 32 1, 2, 3
8 - 11 Female/Male 5 - 32 4
9 - 11 Female/Male 5 - 32 5
Junior Prep 8 - 14 Female/Male 5 - 30 1, 2.1
Junior 8 - 14 Female/Male 5 - 32 1, 2, 3, 4
9 - 14 Female/Male 5 - 38 5, 6
Senior Prep 11 +

min. 1 athlete being 15 years or older

Female/Male 5 - 30 1, 2.1
Senior 11 +

min. 1 athlete being 15 years or older

Female/Male 5 - 32 1, 2, 4.2
Female/Male 5 - 38 5
No males 5 - 32 3, 4
Senior Coed 11 +

min. 1 athlete being 15 years or older

1+ males 5 - 32 3, 4
Open 17+ Female/Male 5 - 32 1, 2
No Males 5 - 32 3, 4
Open Coed 17+ 1+ males 5 - 32 3, 4
IASF U12 7 - 12

(2011 - 2016)

Female/Male 5 - 30 1, 2, 3, 4
1+ males 5 - 30 5
IASF U16 12 - 16

(2007 - 2012)

Female/Male 10 - 24 1, 2, 3
No males 4
IASF U16 Coed 12 - 16

(2007 - 2012)

1+ males 10 - 24 4
IASF U18 14 - 18

(2005 - 2010)

Female/Male 10 - 24 1, 2
No males 3, 4, 5, 6
IASF U18 Coed 14 - 18

(2005 - 2010)

1+ males 10 - 24 3, 4, 5,
IASF Open 16+

(Born in 2008 or earlier)

No males 10 - 24 3, 4, 5, 6
17+

(Born in 2007 or earlier)

No males 7
IASF Open Coed 16+

(Born in 2008 or earlier)

1+ males 10 - 24 3, 4
1 - 4 males 5, 6
17+

(Born in 2007 or earlier)

1 - 4 males 7
16+

(Born in 2008 or earlier)

5 - 16 males 10 - 24 5 , 6
17+

(Born in 2007 or earlier)

5 - 16 males 10 - 24 7
IASF Open Non-Tumbling 16+

(Born in 2008 or earlier)

Female/Male 10 - 30 3NT, 4NT
16+

(Born in 2008 or earlier)

No Males 10 - 30 5NT, 6NT
17+

(Born in 2007 or earlier)

No Males 10 - 30 7NT
IASF Open Non-Tumbling Coed 16+

(Born in 2008 or earlier)

1 - 20 males 10 - 30 5 NT, 6NT
17+

(Born in 2007 or earlier)

1 - 20 males 10 - 30 7NT
IASF Global Club 16+

(Born in 2008 or earlier)

No Males 10 - 24 6
IASF Global Club Coed 16+

(Born in 2008 or earlier)

1 - 16 10 - 24 6
Masters At least 75% of athletes aged 25+

Minimum age of 17

Female/Male 5 - 38 1, 2
Cheer Abilities Youth 8 - 12 Female/Male Unlimited 2
Cheer Abilities Junior 12 - 16 Female/Male Unlimited 2
Cheer Abilities Senior 12+

Min. 1 athlete 17+

Female/Male Unlimited 2
Adaptive Abilities Youth 8 - 12 Female/Male 5 - 30 1, 2, 3

(Beginner, Novice, Median)

Adaptive Abilities Junior 12 - 16 Female/Male 5 - 30 1, 2, 3, 4

(Beginner, Novice, Median, Advanced)

Adaptive Abilities Senior All Girl 12+

Min 1 athlete 17+

No Males 5 - 30 1, 2, 3, 4

(Beginner, Novice, Median, Advanced)

Adaptive Abilities Senior Coed 12+

Min 1 athlete 17+

1+ Males 5 - 30 1, 2, 3, 4

(Beginner, Novice, Median, Advanced)

University All Girl 17+

90% registered uni student 10% allowed past students alumni if graduated within last 4 years

No Males 5 - 38 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
University Coed 17+

90% registered uni student 10% allowed past students alumni if graduated within last 4 years

1+ Males 5 - 38
University Non-Tumbling 17+

90% registered uni student 10% allowed past students alumni if graduated within last 4 years

Female/Male 5 - 38 2NT, 3NT, 4NT, 5NT, 6NT, 7NT

SCUK also provides guidelines for combining or splitting these divisions in the best interest of providing a competitive environment, requiring that where possible, there should be at least 3 teams in any given division and level. Under these guidelines, teams of different levels are not allowed to be combined into one division, and teams of different ages may not be combined into one division. [17]

Novice cheer divisions are prohibited to be combined or further split. Likewise, All Star Prep divisions are prohibited from being combined, however, prep divisions may be split by size per the All Star Elite split guidelines. [17]

Within All Star Elite Cheer, the following division combinations are permitted in the event of there only being a single team registered in either division, with event producers then being required to follow the mandatory split guidelines and no other combinations of all start elite divisions being permitted:[17]

  • Senior Coed Level 3 and Senior Level 3
  • Senior Coed Level 4 and Senior Level 4
  • Open Coed Level 3 and Open Level 3
  • Open Coed Level 4 and Open Level 4
  • Open and corresponding University divisions (e.g. University Level 1 and Open level 1)

When splitting divisions, divisions may be split by size, coed/all girlor by additional optional splits. These must be made in a specific order, depending on the division. If the first mandatory split option cannot be made without leaving a single team in a division, but the second can be made without doing so, the event producer may make the second split first at their discretion.[17]

When splitting a team by size, they following team size designations apply: [17]

  • Levels 1 - 4, 4.2, All Star Prep:
    • X-Small - 5 - 14 athletes
    • Small - 15 - 22 athletes
    • Medium - 23 - 32 athletes
  • Youth Level 5, Junior Levels 5 - 6:
    • X-Small - 5 - 14 athletes
    • Small - 5 - 22 athletes
    • Medium - 23 - 32 athletes
    • Large - 33 - 38 athletes

All star dance falls under the governance of cheerleading as a cheerleading discipline per the International Cheer Union. As such, SCUK also outlines the rules and divisions for this discipline.[17]

Within all SCUK divisions, the styles of pom, jazz, hip hop, lyrical/contemporary and traditional pom/cheer dance are offered. Prop and high kick may also be offered by individual event producers, with high kick being allowed to be offered at any age group as a speciality item.[17]

Performance Cheer/Dance Age Grid[17]
Division Ages Gender Number on Team Team Size Split (where applicable)
Tiny 6 and under Female/Male 4 or more Small - 4 - 14 dancers

Large - 15+ dancers

Mini 9 and under Female/Male 4 or more Small - 4 - 14 dancers

Large - 15+ dancers

Youth 12 and under Female/Male 4 or more Small - 4 - 14 dancers

Large - 15+ dancers

Junior 15 and under No Males 4 or more Small - 4 - 14 dancers

Large - 15+ dancers

Junior Coed 15 and under 1+ Males 4 or more Small - 4 - 14 dancers

Large - 15+ dancers

Senior 11+

Minimum one dancer 16+

No Males 4 or more Small - 4 - 14 dancers

Large - 15+ dancers

Senior Coed 11+

Minimum one dancer 16+

1+ Males 4 or more Small - 4 - 14 dancers

Large - 15+ dancers

International U16 12 - 16 years old Female/Male 6 - 30 dancers Elite - 6 - 15 dancers

Premier - 16 - 30 dancers

International Open 16 years and older

(Born 2008 or earlier)

No Males 6 - 30 dancers Elite - 6 - 15 dancers

Premier - 16 - 30 dancers

International Open Coed 16 years and older

(Born 2008 or earlier)

1+ Males 6 - 30 dancers Elite - 6 - 15 dancers

Premier - 16 - 30 dancers

International Open All Male 16 years and older

(Born 2008 or earlier)

No Females 6 - 30 dancers Elite - 6 - 15 dancers

Premier - 16 - 30 dancers

University 17+

90% registered uni student 10% allowed past students alumni if graduated within last 4 years

No Males 4 or more Small - 4 - 14 dancers

Large - 15+ dancers

University Coed 17+

90% registered uni student 10% allowed past students alumni if graduated within last 4 years

1+ Males 4 or more Small - 4 - 14 dancers

Large - 15+ dancers

Masters Dance Minimum age 17

At least 75% of dancers required to be aged 25+

Female/Male 4 or more Small - 4 - 14 dancers

Large - 15+ dancers

Dance Abilities Youth 8 - 12 Female/Male Unlimited Small - 4 - 14 dancers

Large - 15+ dancers

Dance Abilities Junior 12 - 16 Female/Male Unlimited Small - 4 - 14 dancers

Large - 15+ dancers

Dance Abilities Senior 12+

Minimum of 1 athlete 17+

Female/Male Unlimited Small - 4 - 14 dancers

Large - 15+ dancers

Adaptive Abilities Hip Hop Youth 8 - 12 Female/Male 4 or more Small - 4 - 14 dancers

Large - 15+ dancers

Adaptive Abilities Hip Hop Junior 12 - 16 Female/Male 4 or more Small - 4 - 14 dancers

Large - 15+ dancers

Adaptive Abilities Hip Hop Senior 12+

Minimum of 1 athlete aged 17+

Female/Male 4 or more Small - 4 - 14 dancers

Large - 15+ dancers

Likewise with the cheer divisions, the dance divisions can also be split, being split first by team size and then by gender. If there is only one team registered in any junior or senior division within the same category, the event producer must combine the all girl and coed divisions as long as a program is not forced to compete against another team from the same studio e.g. junior with junior coed.[17]

Crossover Rules

[edit]

Athletes are not allowed to cross over into more than 2 cheer teams and no more than 6 routines in total (inclusive of cheer, performance cheer/dance, stunt groups and solos) at any one event. However, SCUK allows individual EPs to place further restrictions upon this. [17]

Athletes are also not allowed to crossover between different size teams in the cheer divisions within the same age and level, regardless of the split guidelines - i.e. an athlete may not compete on a small all star elite cheer youth 1 team and a large all star elite cheer youth 1 team. However, this does not apply to performance cheer/dance, with an athlete allowed to compete on both small junior pom and large junior pom teams for example. [17]

Crossovers are not allowed between novice to prep, novice to all star or novice to international divisions, with an exception being an athlete crossing over between a novice/prep division and a stunt group division.[17]

At Worlds bid events, an athlete is not allowed to crossover to any other team, competing on only one team only in that round. [17]

Routine Time Limits

[edit]

Different styles/divisions have different time limits for the routines entered within them. These are as follows:

Routine Time Limits[17]
Routine Type Time Limits
All Star Cheer

University Cheer School Cheer Masters Cheer IASF Tiny, Mini, Youth, Junior, Senior & Open

Maximum of 2 minutes 30s
IASF Global 30s min to 40s max - Opening cheer

20s max - Move from cheer portion to set up for music portion 2 minutes and 30s maximum - Music portion

IASF Non-Tumbling

University Non-Tumbling

Maximum of 2 minutes
Prep Cheer Maximum of 2 minutes
Novice Cheer Maximum of 1 minute 30s
Dance/Performance Cheer Minimum 1 minute 45s

Maximum 2 minutes 15s

Stunt Group

Partner Stunt Individual/Solo

1 minute 15s

Competitions

[edit]

Teams from across the United Kingdom take part in a range of various local and national level competitions throughout the year. Some competition providers offer the chance for teams to win a "bid" in order to qualify to attend international competitions, such as the IASF Cheerleading Worlds or Summit, held in Orlando, Florida annually.[18][19]

Competition providers within the United Kingdom include:[20]

  • BCA Cheer and Dance (British Cheerleading Association)[21]
  • Cheer City (Formally known as Leicester Cheer Competitions)[22]
  • CheerSport Wales
  • DC12[23]
  • Future Cheer[24]
  • International Cheer Coalition (ICC) [25]
  • Incredibly Cool Events (ICE)[26]
  • Jamfest Europe[19]/Varsity Europe[27]
  • Legacy Cheer and Dance[28]
  • Soar Cheer and Dance[29]
  • UK Cheerleading Association (UKCA)[30]

An estimated 60 competitions per years are run by event producers, with national competitions being held at large arenas such as the O2 and NEC.[31]

International Competitions

[edit]

Teams from the United Kingdom compete at a number of international competitions annually, with the main two being the ICU World Championships and the IASF Cheerleading World Championships. However teams also travel to compete in other competitions internationally, such as the NCA All-Star National Championships in Dallas, Texas,[citation needed] and The Summit in Orlando, Florida.[32]

ICU World Championships

[edit]

The International Cheer Union hosts the ICU Junior World and World Cheerleading Championships annually, with the competition being recognised as the official world championships for the sport. The national governing bodies that make up SCUK field national teams to compete at this championship, with the teams historically achieving successful results.

In 2016, the ICU announced it would be adding a new division for physically disabled athletes to accompany its already successful Special Olympics division for intellectually disabled athletes after collaboration with disabled English athlete Rick Rodgers and his organisation, ParaCheer International.[33][34] As part of this launch, Team England sent the world's first Adaptive Abilities team to perform a showcase at the ICU Worlds 2016 to launch the division.[35] Team England went on to win the first gold medal in ParaCheer in 2017, being England's first ever world champion cheerleading team at an ICU competition.[33]

In 2023, the United Kingdom was represented by national teams from England, Scotland and Wales at the ICU World Championships, winning a total of 7 medals.[15]

2023 ICU World Championship Results - United Kingdom Teams (England, Scotland, Wales)
Country Team/Division Place Source
1st place, gold medalist(s)  Scotland Adaptive Abilities Unified Pom 1st [36]
1st place, gold medalist(s)  England Youth Coed Median 1st [37]
2nd place, silver medalist(s)  England Adaptive Abilities Unified Median 2nd [37]
3rd place, bronze medalist(s)  England Junior Coed Elite 3rd [37]
3rd place, bronze medalist(s)  Wales Adaptive Abilities Unified Advanced Coed 3rd [37]
3rd place, bronze medalist(s)  England Team Cheer Hip Hop 3rd [36]
3rd place, bronze medalist(s)  England Junior Hip Hop (Performance Cheer) 3rd [36]
 England Adaptive Abilities Unified Advanced Coed 4th [37]
 Scotland Team Cheer Jazz 4th [36]
 Scotland Junior Pom (Performance Cheer) 4th [36]
 Scotland Youth Hip Hop (Performance Cheer) 4th [36]
 England Youth Pom 4th [36]
 Scotland Youth Pom 5th [36]
 Wales Youth Pom 6th [36]
 England Coed Premier 7th [37]
 Wales All Girl Elite 8th [37]
 Wales Team Cheer Pom 8th [36]
 Scotland All Girl Elite 9th [37]
 Scotland Team Cheer Pom 9th [36]
 Scotland Junior Hip Hop (Performance Cheer) 9th [36]
 Scotland Team Cheer Hip Hop 9th [36]
 Scotland Youth All Girl Median 10th [37]
 England All Girl Premier 10th [37]
 Scotland Doubles Hip Hop (Performance Cheer) TIE 11th [36]
 England Team Cheer Jazz 11th [36]
 Scotland Doubles Pom (Performance Cheer) 13th [36]
 Wales Doubles Pom (Performance Cheer) 17th [36]
 England Team Cheer Pom 17th [36]

Note: If a team did not advance from semi-finals to finals, results from semi-finals are listed.

2024 ICU World Championship Results - United Kingdom Teams (England, Scotland, Wales)
Country Team/Division Place
1st place, gold medalist(s)  England Youth All Girl Advanced 1st
1st place, gold medalist(s)  Wales Adaptive Abilities Unified Median 1st
1st place, gold medalist(s)  England Adaptive Abilities Unified Advance Coed 1st
1st place, gold medalist(s)  England Special Abilities Unified Freestyle Pom 1st
2nd place, silver medalist(s)  England Youth Coed Advanced 2nd
2nd place, silver medalist(s)  England Adaptive Abilities Unified Median 2nd
2nd place, silver medalist(s)  England Team Cheer Hip Hop (Performance Cheer) 2nd
3rd place, bronze medalist(s)  England Junior All Girl Elite 3rd
 Scotland Adaptive Abilities Unified Median 4th
 Scotland Youth Hip Hop (Performance Cheer) 4th
 Scotland Youth All Girl Median 5th
 Scotland Youth Pom (Performance Cheer) 5th
 Scotland Team Cheer Pom (Performance Cheer) 5th
 England Team Cheer Jazz (Performance Cheer) 6th
 Scotland Junior Pom (Performance Cheer) 8th
 Scotland Team Cheer Jazz (Performance Cheer) 8th
 Wales Coed Elite 10th
 Wales Team Cheer Jazz (Performance Cheer) 10th

Note: If a team did not advance from semi-finals to finals, results from semi-finals are listed.

[38][39]

IASF Cheerleading World Championships

[edit]

Allstar teams can compete at a national level within the United Kingdom to win bids to qualify to attend the IASF Cheerleading World Championships each year.

The top teams in the United Kingdom travel to compete at the IASF World Championships, with the following teams achieving the following results in 2023:[40]

Gym/Program Team Country Score Place Division
1st place, gold medalist(s) Unity Allstars Black  England 116.7 1st International Open Coed Non-Tumbling 7
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Coventry Dynamite Ignite  England 137.9 2nd International Open Large Coed 5
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Rising Stars Midnight  England 131.4 2nd International Open Small Coed 5
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Unity Allstars Blush  England 111.8 2nd International Open Non-Tumbling 7
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Unity Allstars Ruby  England 128.15 3rd International Global 6
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Crimson Heat White Fang  England 126.65 3rd International Open 5
Unity Allstars Royal  England 132.8 4th International U18 Small Coed 5
Bournemouth Elite Hail  England 130.6 4th International Open Large Coed 5
SA Academy Crush  England 128.25 4th International Open 6
ICE Athletics Lady Ice  England 124.35 4th International U18 5
Coventry Dynamite Bomb Squad  England 110.7 4th International Open Coed Non-Tumbling 6
Zodiac All Stars Pink  England 116.85 5th International Open 5
Coventry Dynamite Ammuniition  England 122.75 5th International Open Small Coed 6
Vista Twisters T5  England 122.7 5th International Open Small Coed 5
Rising Stars Twilight  England 105.3 5th International U18 5
Crimson Heat Empire  England 113.65 6th International U18 Small Coed 5
ICE Athletics Subzero  England 110.1 6th International Open Non-Tumbling 6
Casablanca Cheer Apollo  England 92.65 6th International Open Large Coed 6
Oblivion All Stars X  England 125 7th International Open Large Coed 5
Gymfinity Sports Academy Ladies of the Crown  Wales 124.65 7th International Open 6
Unity Allstars Steel  England 106.5 7th International Open Coed Non-Tumbling 6
Crimson Heat Fury  England 117.25 9th International Open 6
East Midlands Cheerleading Academy EMCA Killer Queens  England 86.8 10th International Open Non-Tumbling 6
East Midlands Cheerleading Academy EMCA C-Lebrities  England 98.4 11th International Open Small Coed 5
Marshals Cheer Major 6  England 90.5 11th International Open Coed Non-Tumbling 6
Phoenix Stars Cheerleaders PSC Gemini  England 103.5 12th International Open 5
Evolution Athletics EVO6  England 90.2 14th International Open Small Coed 6

2024 Cheerleading World Championships Results

Gym/Program Team Country Score Place Division
1st place, gold medalist(s) Unity Allstars Royal  England 136.8 1st International U18 Small Coed 5
1st place, gold medalist(s) Unity Allstars Ruby  England 138.3 1st International Global 6
1st place, gold medalist(s) Unity Allstars Black  England 129.8 1st International Open Non-Tumbling Coed 7
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Unity Allstars Blush  England 112.3 2nd International Open Non-Tumbling 7
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Coventry Dynamite Lady Grenades  England 128.9 3rd International U18 5
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Coventry Dynamite Cov Coed  England 122.85 3rd International Open Large Coed 5
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Gymfinity Sports Academy Ladies of the Crown WALES 125.25 3rd International Open 6
Crimson Heat Empire  England 126.4 4th International U18 Small Coed 5
Crimson Heat White Fang  England 127 4th International Open 5
Unity Allstars Steel  England 120.85 4th International Open Non-Tumbling Coed
Crimson Heat Majesty  England 122.6 5th International U18 5
Top Gun Allstars UK IO5  England 125.3 5th International Open 5
Unity Allstars Volt  England 119.1 5th International Open Small Coed 5
East Midlands Cheerleading Academy Fame  England 108.75 5th International Open Small Coed 6
Coventry Dynamite Bombsquad  England 118.65 5th International Open Non-Tumbling Coed 6
Crimson Heat Fury  England 122.65 5th International Global 6
SA Academy Neon  England 122.05 6th International U18 5
Coventry Dynamite FIYA 5  England 124.5 6th International Open 5
Electric Athletics Midnight  England 113.35 6th International Open Small Coed 5
Bournemouth Elite Hail  England 115.05 6th International Open Large Coed 5
Gymfinity Sports Academy Angels  Wales 114.35 7th International U18 5
Scorpions Allstars Thunder  England 109.8 7th International Open Small Coed 5
Surrey Starlets Astraea  England 116.25 7th International Open 7
East Midlands Cheerleading Academy Killer Queens  England 102.55 7th International Open Non-Tumbling 7
ICE Athletics Subzero  England 98.65 8th International Open Non-Tumbling 6
London Dynasty Cheer Revolution  England 109.45 8th International Open Non-Tumbling Coed 6
Marshals Cheer Generals  England 108.1 9th International U18 Small Coed 5
East Midlands Cheerleading Academy C-Lebrities  England 104.15 9th International Open Large Coed 5
RSD Legends  Wales 98.7 9th International Open Small Coed 5
Surrey Starlets Allium  England 93.25 9th International Open Non-Tumbling 6
Trailblazer Allstars INNOVA7E  England 88.6 9th International Open Non-Tumbling 7

[41]

Notable Cheer Programs

[edit]

One particular cheerleading programme, the Ascension Eagles of the London Borough of Newham, has received attention and awards for its positive impact in its economically disadvantaged neighbourhood.[1]

In April 2014 Crimson Heat Tigers Cheer based in Reading, won the COA (Cheerleaders of America) National title in Florida, gaining the USA Champions title.[42] Crimson Heat were also official cheerleaders for the London Games, performing at both the basketball and volleyball events.[43]

In 2019 Phoenix Allstars Adaptive abilities team 'Smoke' took to the floor at FC Internationals (Bournemouth) to showcase their routine and further raise the profile of Paracheer in the UK. Phoenix Allstars also provided athletes from their adaptive abilities division to the Paralympics home coming at Wembley arena in 2021.

In 2022 Unity Allstars Black has etched its name in the chronicle of international cheerleading history, securing the coveted gold in the Level 7 Open Non-Tumbling Coed division.[44]

Notable mention

[edit]

Cheer From Head To Toe: Cheer From Head To Toe (CFHTT) is a prominent cheerleading platform in the United Kingdom known for its dedication to promoting and supporting the UK cheerleading community. Established as a multi-platform initiative, CFHTT offers resources, motivational content, and coverage of cheerleading events across its blog, Instagram, Youtube and Facebook channels. The organisation focuses on providing educational content, tips, and event highlights, while also building an engaged and supportive community for cheerleaders of all levels. CFHTT has been recognised as a valuable resource within the UK cheerleading scene and continues to play a key role in fostering growth and inclusivity within the sport.

[45]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Patrick Barkham, "Why cheerleading is booming in Britain's schools", The Guardian, 6 October 2010.
  2. ^ "Basingstoke Wolverines preparing for Olympics in 2028". BBC News. 2023-08-06. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  3. ^ a b "Cheerleading in England? These elite squads are ready for the world stage". Olympic Channel. Retrieved 2019-07-04.
  4. ^ Bond, Kimberley (2022-04-29). "'It's not just pretty girls with pom-poms' – inside England's cheerleading scene". Metro. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  5. ^ "Extra-Curricular Clubs - St Bede's School". www.st-bedes.surrey.sch.uk. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  6. ^ "Jo Richardson Community School | Cheerleading". Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  7. ^ "Cheerleading - King's School Macclesfield". www.kingsmac.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
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Megan Charles,

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