Ah yes, competition season is finally here! Did you know that UCA has over 80 competitions during the fall and spring? Check out the entire list or  search by state on uca.varsity.com. These competitions can qualify you for the National High School Cheerleading Championship. Held at the Walt Disney World® Resort in Orlando, Florida, it’s the most prestigious cheerleading championship in the country, and is nationally televised on ESPN and ESPN2 to over 100 million homes and 32 countries nationwide each year.

The preparation you and your squad will go through to be competition day ready will take a while, but will be well worth it! Here are some tips for preparing for competition:

Tip 1: Review the Competition Score Sheet
Go over the score sheet with your squad prior to the competition. You and your squad need to understand what the judges are looking for. You can find the UCA score sheets here.


Tip 2. Review the Rules for Time, Boundaries & Legality of Stunts
Make sure all of your skills are legal and your routine and cheer are within the time limits. You can find the UCA’s rules for their competitions here.


Tip 3. Build Confidence
Practice like you perform. Leading up to the competition, run through your practices like competition day. For example, warmup as you would on the warmup mat- do your skills in the exact same order. If there is a 10 minute gap between warmup and your performance, also include that same 10 minutes between your practice warmup and practice performance.


Tip 4. Perform in Front of a Crowd
Give yourself a chance to work out some of the nerves. Invite friends and family for a competition showcase night or perform your routine during a pep rally or half time at a basketball game (remember to use mats!).


Tip 5. Make Sure You Have Backup Copies of Your Music
After your music is edited and routine ready, put the tracks on a CD and an iPod. Make sure the music plays in several different players without any glitches the week prior to competition. Then, burn a few copies of the music and give those copies to different cheerleaders for safe keeping.


Tip 6. Make a Packing List
Create a packing list of everything you will need for the competition in advance (uniforms, warm-ups, poms, signs, megs, shoes, etc.) and assign team members with duties (Jackie-Signs, Bethany- Music, Santana- Poms). This way everyone will be prepared.


Tip 7. Have Fun!
Enjoy your day of competition- it’s what you’ve prepared so hard for! Take pictures, soak in the atmosphere, and plan a post competition get together at someone’s house to watch your routine together.