Did you know?
Our facility provides local HS recreational cheerleading teams with opportunities for choreography and routine assistance, gym space to practice, private team tumbling classes, clinics, youth and volunteer coaches training, and much more!
Our coaching staff recreational and school cheerleading credentials:
AACCA/USA Cheer Background Checked and Certified
USASF Background Checked and Certified
CPR/ First Aid/ AED Certified
NFHS and Heads Up Youth Sports Concussion and Injury Prevention
UCA & NCA Experience
Recreational Sideline and Competition Coaching Experience
Certified to Coach Tumbling Levels 1-4
Choreography Experience for Routine Review and Clean-Up
HIGH SCHOOL & RECREATIONAL CHEER
HIGH SCHOOL & RECREATIONAL CHEER
Interested in renting floor space to practice or setting up a class with one of our coaches to clean up your team's technique? Click the button below to contact us to discuss some options for your team!
When someone outside the cheerleading world thinks about cheerleading, they often think of their high school experience, a pep squad like the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, or the hit early 2000s movie "Bring It On." However, anyone in the cheer world knows that professional teams like this are more like dance teams than proper cheerleading squads.
So what is cheerleading, then?
Cheerleading is a lot of different things to a lot of different people. However, all forms of cheerleading have one thing in common – they are there to support an athletic team of some sort, even if that team is their own squad. Cheerleading falls into three major categories: recreational cheer, school cheer, and all-star cheer. Each of them has their own rules and expectations and has a unique set of standards.
What is the difference between school, recreation and all-star cheerleading?
Cheerleading has changed a lot in the last century. The sport was originally exclusively male, a group of men supporting other men at collegiate football games. However, the sport transitioned through the 20th century to become primarily female, although there are still many coed teams. During those transitions, the sport veered in three distinctly different directions...
For recreational cheerleaders, the prime focus is to enjoy cheering as a sport and understand the fundamentals of both sideline (in the fall) and competitive cheer (in the winter).
For school cheerleading, the main focus is on providing spirit and support for the other athletic teams at their school, although there is a competitive element for many of the schools in our area.
Finally, all-star cheer focuses exclusively on the competitive element of cheer, with full-year and half-year options available for athletes of all ages.
Understanding the differences between the three is critical to understanding where the sport has come from and where it is going...
Do you want to join in on the action? We proudly offer recreational, school prep, and competitive all-star options for local athletes of all ages.
Contact us today to get involved!
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Recreational, or "rec," cheer is done by athletes not associated with a specific school or school system and is typically composed mostly of younger participants (ages 3-13). If you see cheerleaders at a Pop Warner or youth football game, those are recreational cheerleaders.
Recreational cheer is generally non-competitive; although some rec programs have competitive options in the winter months, they do not have national standards or standings. Most rec cheerleaders are either in elementary or middle school and participate in rec cheer to help new cheerleaders begin to understand the fundamentals of sideline cheer to prepare for school or all-star in the future.
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Once cheerleaders enter middle school, they often become part of their school's cheerleading squads. These teams are there primarily to provide spirit and athletic support to other sports at the school. Sideline cheerleaders primarily cheer at football and basketball games (although, in some places, they cheer for volleyball, wrestling, or even gymnastics). Yet school cheerleading is more than just sideline cheerleading, and the governing rules and structures become more defined in high school.
Competitive high school cheerleading has been a growing sport for the last two decades, and most states now offer some statewide competitive cheerleading format. State athletic organizations run most of the competitions. However, some large private companies such as NCA and UCA host yearly national high school competitions. Most of our local schools are highly competitive, compete at states, place well, and then go on to compete at nationals in Florida each year.
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Some athletes decide early on that they want to focus on the more competitive elements of cheerleading rather than being a sideline cheerleader. As a result, they join an all-star cheerleading team. These squads are made up of students from different schools, cities, and sometimes even different states to focus exclusively on competing at regional, national, and world-level competitions. The only teams they cheer for are themselves, and the focus is primarily on stunting, tumbling, and dancing at the highest levels.
While all-star cheerleading still incorporates traditional cheer concepts, it is typically secondary to the acrobatic, gymnastics, and dance skills they exhibit as part of their routine. These teams are supported by private companies for both their practice and coaching facilities, as well as the competitions they attend.
Not sure where to start?
Check out some of our recreational, school, and all-star prep class options…
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Ready-Set-CHEER-GYM is a FUN introduction class for students interested in cheerleading, gymnastics, and dance but are unsure what to sign up for. Whether they've never taken a class before or have little experience, students will learn simple tumbling, strengthening, and flexibility skills on the trampoline and floor, as well as an introduction to vault, balance beam, and bars. Their social skills will expand as their athletic ability increases and their confidence grows...
Beginning at age 5, this 60-minute class will start with basic skills on all four apparatuses to perform simple routines during semi-annual evaluations and/or showcases and be invited to join our all-star teams. Our classes are typically divided by age group; therefore, instruction advances as the individual student progresses with opportunities for an invitation into our intermediate and advanced classes.
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This cheerleading class is for youth and teens who want to learn competitive cheerleading but are not quite ready for the full commitment of a team. The skills learned in this class will cover the basics of cheerleading and routine work. Coaches train athletes on jumps, motions, basic tumbling, and stunting through the first part of the session. The second half of the session is spent implementing skills into a miniature routine, which will be performed at our spring showcase in April/May! Students who take CheerFUNdamentals will be very well prepared for tryouts for one of our competitive prep teams, competitive recreational cheer in the fall, and/or your school's cheer squad!
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Our Cheer Force class is perfect for an athlete who is either new to or needs help perfecting their cheer skills before middle school, high school, or college cheerleading tryouts. This class focuses on all aspects of cheerleading, including stunting, jumps, sideline cheers, dance, and tumbling. Throughout this class, athletes will become better prepared for tryouts by being asked to take home material to learn and bring it back the following week to perform. This structure teaches students how to cheer well independently to become stronger athletes while improving overall sportsmanship, effort, attitude, and enthusiasm to be better teammates.
In the last two weeks of class, athletes will go through mock tryouts with their coaches and will be formally judged by them. Results and feedback will be given to each athlete to help them achieve their best. If an athlete is new to the sport/cheer concepts, an emphasis on starting this class one to two years before the school tryout is strongly suggested. The success rate of athletes who have participated in a prep class before tryouts has been very high, making middle school, high school, and competitive teams!
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All-Star Cheerleading Prep (all ages): this non-competitive prep team was created to introduce athletes to the basics of cheerleading, expand on their knowledge, begin stunting/building skills, and better prepare them for higher-level teams in the future.
They will practice two hours a week, learn how to work together as a team towards common goals, and learn and perform a routine at our spring showcase in April/May 2024. That being said, no previous experience is necessary to join, but athletes must be willing to learn, try new things, make new friends, be silly & have FUN! It's the... #WonderlandWay
Do you have an athlete interested in joining a cheer team for the upcoming 2024-2025 season? This is the perfect opportunity for them to get a feel for what our all-star program has to offer before committing to a full season.
Call or text us at: (845) 313-4835 for more information on how to take your skills to the next level and join our all-star family!
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Stunting for ages 13 and under....
Fx5 (flyers become friends through fun, fitness, & flexibility) is a class designed for the new flyers in mind. Athletes will learn the basics of stunting, flexibility, body control, and air awareness. Flyers will stunt on our staff and more experienced athletes, providing a solid foundation for optimal learning. Any athlete who takes Fx5 will be able to demonstrate flexibility and proper body positions and have a strong foundation in stunt progressions. Experienced flyers are also welcome to this class to maintain skills throughout the year.