Tag Archives: NDA

National Advisory Board Nominees

The NAB is the democratically elected Board within the USASF that determines the agenda for the organization moving forward. Virtually every major initiative of the USASF in the past 5 years started with, or was significantly improved by, the work of the NAB.

USASF LogoThere was a primary election this year because of the large number (64) of nominated and qualified candidates. With 880 total votes cast, the election was very close in every race.

Please join me in congratulating the finalists for election to the USASF National Advisory Board (NAB).

Midwest Region:

  • Nicki Baker – Nebraska Cheer Center
  • Keith Johnston – N.E.O. Cheer & Dance
  • Michelle Reisdorf – Ultimate Athletics

West Region:

  • Amy Grey – Desert Elite
  • Raul Lerma – Nor Cal Elite
  • Derick Paterson – Cheergyms.com

Northeast Region:

  • Tara Cain – Maryland Twisters
  • Lee Grobstein – Star Athletics
  • Tim Morgan – USA! All Stars

Southeast Region:

  • Kyle Bright – Stingray All Stars
  • Cory Hines – Top Gun All Stars
  • Sean Sutton – CheerForce One

Southwest Region:

  • Brad Habermel – Cheer Athletics
  • Erin Johnson – Spring Creek Athletics
  • David Urmie – Tribe Cheer

Affiliates:

  • Dawnn Doychak – First Friday
  • Kevin Jones – Spirit Innovations
  • Jason Silverman – Powerful Words
  • Shane Womack – Inside Cheerleading

Event Producers:

  • Craig Davis – World Spirit Federation
  • Darren DeMoss – WSA
  • Matt Goto – Varsity All-Star/USA
  • Karen Halterman – NCA/NDA
  • Ann Lehrmann – Cheer & Dance Extreme
  • Tres LeTard – Varsity All-Star
  • Mike Pare – Spirit Cheer
  • Tara Patton – The JAM Brands
  • Elizabeth (Liz) Rossetti – Americheer
  • Mike Stamper – American Cheer & Dance Academy (ACDA)

Voting will begin on Monday, January 9th and close at 5 pm PST on Wednesday, January 25th.

Recognizing the strong qualifications and desire of every candidate to contribute to the USASF , those not voted to the NAB will be invited to participate on their USASF Regional Advisory Board (RAB) charged with guiding the implementation of important USASF programs locally.

Jim Chadwick

President

NCA/NDA Appropriate Choreography Reminder

Coaches, Gym Owners, and Choreographers,

As you finish the first round of Regionals this season, I wanted to remind anyone attending an upcoming NCA event, including NCA/NDA All-Star Nationals, that your choreography, music selection, and uniforms should be appropriate for “family-viewing”. If the judges determine a section of your routine to not meet our standards, a warning or deduction will be issued. I realize that NCA is stricter with this policy than almost all other event producers (a reputation we’re actually OK with), but it should be the goal of everyone to make sure we are proud of all-star cheerleading!

Remember, even today’s most popular songs on the radio are not necessarily appropriate by our company’s standards. For example, one of Beyonce’s latest singles, Run The World, has been the most frequently submitted song by coaches working on choreography. While the words are not specifically inappropriate, the regular version of the song includes the phrase “Who runs this mother…” and if you are using that section in your routine, you inherently run the risk of the judges detecting the suggestive connotation and issuing a deduction (there is a clean version of the song that omits the ‘mother’ reference and is without risk).

Unfortunately, interpreting inappropriate choreography is subjective and ‘gray’ at best. My best advice to you is: “if you are questioning the appropriateness, you should probably take it out.”

Creating a positive and healthy image for the all-star cheerleading industry is a priority to us at NCA and NDA. We’d like your continued partnership on this project as you work with the coaches and athletes at your gyms to ensure your routines are in compliance with our expectations.

Thank you,

Justin Carrier

NCA & NDA: All Star Nationals 2011

NCA & NDA All Star Nationals took place on February 26th in Dallas. This event had 637 All*Star Cheer and 114 All*Star Dance teams compete. This event was a qualifier for Worlds & the International All Levels Championship. Worlds Paid Bids were awarded to:

  • Charlotte All Stars “Teal” (Senior Large Limited Coed L5)
  • Gym Tyme (International Open L5)
  • Maryland Twisters “F5″ (Senior Large L5)
  • Maryland Twisters “Reign” (Senior Small Limited Coed L5)
  • Top Gun (International Open Coed L5)
  • World Cup “Shooting Stars” (Senior Large L5)
NCA Trophy

One of My Favorite Images in Cheerleading

Worlds Partial Bids were awarded to:

  • DanzForce Academy (Senior Jazz)
  • Indiana Danzforce (Senior Jazz)
  • Memphis Elite All Stars (Senior Pom)
  • Spirit Express (Colorado) (Senior Small Hip Hop)
  • Stallion All Stars (Senior Coed Hip Hop)

Worlds At Large Bids were awarded to:

  • All Star Gym Cougar Cheer “Zeal” (International Open L5)
  • All Star Legacy “S5″ (Senior Large Limited Coed L5)
  • Barnard Company Dance (Senior Jazz)
  • Capitol City Cheer “X5″ (Senior Small L5)
  • Cheer Athletics “Open Hip Hop”
  • Dance Dimensions “Rhythm Elite” (Senior Pom)
  • Express All-Stars “Dedication” (Senior Small L5)
  • Flare Dance Team (Open Hip Hop)
  • Flare Dance Team (Open Jazz)
  • Indiana Danzforce (Senior Pom)
  • Louisiana Cheer Force “Gold” (Senior Small Limited Coed L5)
  • Maverick Allstars “Diamonds” (International Open Coed L5)
  • Nor Cal Elite “Phoenix” (Senior Small Limited Coed L5)
  • Orlando All-Stars “Angels” (Senior Small L5)
  • Prodigy All-Stars “Team Midnight” (Senior Small Limited Coed L5)
  • Raider Xtreme All-Stars (Open Hip Hop)
  • Rock Solid All-Stars “Eternity” (Senior Small Limited Coed L5)
  • South Elite All-Stars (Senior Small Limited Coed L5)
  • Spirit Express (Colorado) (Senior Jazz)
  • Spirit Express (Colorado) (Senior Pom)
  • Storm Cheer (Senior Small Limited Coed L5)
  • Top Gun All-Stars (International Open Coed L6)
  • Top Gun All-Stars (Open Hip Hop)
  • Tribe Cheer Renegades (Senior Unlimited Coed L5)
  • University Cheer “Air Force One” (Senior Small Limited Coed L5)
  • Vipers “Kings Cobras” (Senior Small Limited Coed L5)
  • Vipers Venom (Senior Small L5)
  • Woodlands Elite “Generals” (Senior Large L5)

An All-Levels Paid Bid was awarded to:

  • Georgia All Stars (Senior Coed L4)

Event Page

The event had 637 All*Star Cheer Teams in 92 Divisions for an average of 6.92 teams per division and 114 All*Star Dance teams in 19 divisions for an average of 6.00 teams per division.

All*Star Cheer By Level

  • Level 1 – 89 Teams in 14 Divisions (6.36 Average)
  • Level 2 – 151 Teams in 20 Divisions (7.55)
  • Level 3 – 146 Teams in 21 Divisions (6.95)
  • Level 4 – 88 Teams in 14 Divisions (6.29)
  • Level 4.2 – 8 Teams in 2 Divisions (4.00)
  • Level 5 – 146 Teams in 19 Divisions (7.68)
  • Level 6 – 3 Teams in 1 Division (3.00)
  • Special Needs – 6 Teams in 1 Division (6.00)

All*Star Cheer By Age

  • Tiny – 5 Teams in 1 Division (5.00 Average)
  • Mini – 46 Teams in 7 Divisions (6.57)
  • Youth – 78 Teams in 14 Divisions (5.57)
  • Junior – 160 Teams in 24 Divisions (6.67)
  • Senior – 293 Teams in 37 Divisions (7.92)
  • Senior Open – 30 Teams in 5 Divisions (6.00)
  • International/Open – 19 Teams in 3 Divisions (6.33)
  • Special Needs – 6 Teams in 1 Division (6.00)

Varsity Letter About NCA, Athlete Membership and Midwest Cheer Elite Donation

From: John Newby
Subject Line: Greetings from Varsity All Star

Dear Coaches, Gym Owners, & Friends,

Just last weekend, 875 teams competed at the largest all star cheerleading and dance event in the world, CHEERSPORT Nationals. On behalf of Varsity All Star, we want to congratulate CHEERSPORT, our partner in the Varsity Family Plan, on this incredible feat.

One weekend later, we are on the eve of the second biggest and most prestigious event in all star cheerleading and dance, NCA/NDA All-Star National Championship, where the best teams are competing in Dallas for a coveted NCA/NDA All-Star National title. I wanted to wish every team the best of luck. Whatever the end result, we know that your coaches and athletes have worked very hard in preparation of this weekend, and we are so proud of the skill and athleticism of your teams.

We are excited to welcome over 750 teams to the event this weekend. It’s a record for us, and a reflection on the excellence we strive for every year. NCA and NDA will be awarding 39 bids to the USASF Worlds, and we can’t wait to see the bid winners perform in April at Disney World.

The 14 brands that make up Varsity All Star are proud to be members of the USASF, which has done a great deal for the all star community, from creating fair levels for competition, to providing scholarships, to ensuring that every possible safety measure is taken in the interest of the well being of our athletes. Starting next competition season, Varsity is proud to support the coaches and gym owners by working on a new Athlete Membership program. To help get this program up and running, we recommended to the USASF Board of Directors a few weeks ago to consider offering the membership for free the first year. We think this will help accomplish a goal that was set by the coaches and gym owners in our organization, without the burden and fear of additional expenses for all star families during these challenging economic times.

The 75 National and 35 International member organizations of the USASF have pulled together to create a rich and healthy competitive experience for your teams. We know how many benefits cheerleading, dance and competition can provide for your athletes, and we are proud to work with the USASF to continue their mission of growing the sport of all star cheerleading and dance.

One of the things we are most excited about for this weekend is the check presentation we will be making to Tanya Roesel and the Midwest Cheer Elite family. This past November, two families from this gym in West Chester, OH were involved in a tragic auto accident. The driver, Lori Morris, was killed instantly, and another mom and three cheerleaders were hospitalized. Our goal in starting the HUGS for Midwest Cheer Elite campaign was to raise $25,000 at many of our Varsity All Star competitions to help offset and defray medical and funeral expenses. We have surpassed that and will be taking final donations this weekend in Dallas, and will present the proceeds to Tanya on Sunday at one of our awards session. We are so very proud of the all star community and the outpouring of support for this program.

Good luck to all of you this weekend. In our minds, you are all champions.

Together, we are stronger!

John Newby
Executive Vice President, General Manager
Varsity All Star

NCA College Nationals Eligibility FAQ’s

Q: Are club teams eligible to compete at the NCA/NDA Collegiate Championship?

A: Yes, as long as they are purely club cheer programs that only participate in cheer events.

Q: If you participate in both club cheer and anything else outside of the cheer umbrella (ex. gymnastics, acrobatics, etc.), are you still eligible to compete at the NCA/NDA Collegiate Championship?

A: No

Q: What constitutes eligibility?

A: Teams that fully and solely exist and clearly define themselves as a traditional or competitive club cheer team.

Q: USA Cheer is trying to keep the new format cheer‐centric but aren’t there some elements that are related to Gymnastics within?

A: STUNT is clearly derived from the skill elements developed directly from cheer. Tumbling has been a skill associated with cheerleading since the 1940′s. Tumbling is only one characteristic that helps to define the new sport of STUNT.

Q: What are the sanctioning bodies that you have worked with to create and develop this format/rule‐set?

A: We have worked directly with USA Cheer, the official governing body of all things related to cheerleading, in the creation of STUNT.

Q: Are NCATA teams able to compete in the NCA/NDA Collegiate Cheer and Dance Championship?

A: No. The teams associated with the NCATA are aligned with USA Gymnastics, and not cheerleading.

Q: How do you clarify/define what a “cheer” team is?

A: Teams that fully and solely exist and clearly define themselves as a traditional or competitive club cheer team.

Q: Why can’t teams that have been coming to the NCA/NDA Collegiate Championship every year until participate this year if they also participate in NCATA competitions?

A: The NCA/NDA Collegiate Championship is reserved solely for teams that function exclusively as traditional or club cheer teams. Teams that participate with the NCATA or other forms of gymnastics or acrobatics are no longer considered exclusively cheer based teams.

Q: Why aren’t NCATA teams considered to be cheer teams? Do they still consider the competitions they participate in to be competitive cheer competitions?

A: The NCATA is officially aligned with and governed by USA Gymnastics and does not function as a cheer organization. NCA would also not allow a collegiate women’s gymnastics team to compete in our cheer events as well. The NCATA is a form of acrobatics and tumbling specifically associated with gymnastics, and has no formal association with cheerleading.

Q: If USA Cheer/Varsity wants to work together with NCATA in future, why are you excluding them from the NCA/NDA Collegiate Championship?

A: They are currently two totally separate organizations under two totally different governing bodies. USA Cheer is committed to protecting the best interest of traditional and club cheer, while maintaining the highest integrity and fairness of its Championships and participating cheer teams.

Q: What are the differences between the NCATA and the current competitive cheer format and STUNT?

A: STUNT has taken all the athletic skill elements that have developed in cheerleading and put them into an objective, head‐to‐head competitive format that can be easily understood and followed by the coaches, athletes and spectators. The role of the coach and the coaching strategy has been integrated into the game format in order to allow each team to maximize their ability to be successful. The STUNT format is designed to be fast, entertaining, exciting, unpredictable, and understandable while still incorporating the traditional elements of a cheer competition. The 4th quarter of a STUNT competition consists of a more traditional performance commonly recognized as cheer, but is scored more objectively to determine the points awarded to each team. The competition format and scoring is more simplified than that of a traditional cheer competition.

NCA College Nationals Eligibility FAQ’s