UCA
Overnight Camps

Squads will learn how to create excitement and engage the crowd during a game with poms, signs, megs, flags and proper spiriting techniques in the Spirit Prop Workshop! During Game Day Training, teams will learn exciting and crowd effective sidelines, cheers and band chants to become the ultimate crowd leaders at school.

Updated partner stunt and pyramid curriculum from beginner to elite with new transitions, inversions and dismounts while still following the UCA progressions squads know and love. Includes a Safety Awareness Test, Spotting Seminar and Stunt Qualification.

Personalized and situational sideline instruction with the UCA Staff for football or basketball with training on motions, voice inflection, incorporating crowd effective skills and more!

Squads will learn how to create excitement and engage the crowd in different game situations such as kickoff / tip-off, first down, free throw and more! The UCA Staff will help teams work on utilizing simple but fun stunts to coordinate with the band and entertain the crowd at games!

Build, bond and grow through team building exercises, encouraging evaluations and leadership training.

One-on-one time with the UCA Staff incorporating spirit props such as signs, poms, megs and flags along with skills and spirit into a cheer of choice.

Coaches and captains come together at UCA cheer camp to set goals, strengthen relationships and enact plans for success at camp and beyond.

Squads will learn several short, crowd effective line dances to popular house / band music to get the fans back home involved!

Individualized time with the UCA Staff to help create an eleven 8-count performance customized to the squad’s unique strengths and abilities.

Show your Friday Night Lights spirit by going all out in a theme! Channel your own schools’ theme weeks or spirit days and come dressed to dominate what your student section would look like during a big game week! The UCA Staff will take you through 4 quarters of fun that will be filled with team bonding and memories!

Increased 1:1 time with Team Leader to build stronger relationships and receive additional help to maximize your squad's potential!

Additional time with your Team Leader on Day 3 and Day 4 to work on whatever your team needs help on in a more one-on-one setting.

UCA Camp brings out the very best in teams through daily spirit awards like the Spirit Stick and Top Banana, camp wide leadership and traditions awards and more!

Senior Recognition/Ceremony
Added material review & open practice sessions
Dynamic activities for NFHS Squad Credentialing

UCA’s Coaches’ Meetings are powered with the knowledge of USA Cheer, Varsity University and the NFHS! Learn proven techniques for successful spirit program management as well as elevating your school’s spirit like never before.

Your Head Instructor will lead daily meetings with roundtable discussions and video components covering key topics including all things UCA Camp, safety, new rule changes, game day trends and more.

The Head Instructor and UCA Staff will demonstrate skills, stunt technique and stunt progressions–all geared towards training coaches! Gain valuable safety knowledge to support your own stunt coaching after camp is over. Two stunt workshops take place at all of our 4-day overnight camps and captains will be invited to one of those workshops.

UCA loves our Coaches! Attend UCA Camp and receive a Game Day Playbook, Varsity University Coaches' Education Course, access to our summer material and music, membership to the Varsity Club, supplemental resource videos available on BAND and a Tryout Kit. For coaches attending Overnight Camps, you'll also receive a Padfolio to stay organized throughout camp and beyond!

One UCA Staff Instructor for every team that attends, guaranteed!

The same, great UCA program in a Christian atmosphere! Varsity Christian Leadership Camps provide a powerful cheer camp with an impacting spiritual program. The Christian Leadership curriculum will be woven into every area of camp through fun, thought-provoking activities and team bonding! Each athlete will receive a Journal to work through and take notes during our Christian Leadership classes.

Bring your dance team and bond, learn and grow as one spirit program!

UCA Spirit Xpress Camps are a special camp type where you are able learn how to improve your Game Day, Stunting, and Leadership skills just like you would at a traditional UCA Camp combined with learning new tumbling skills from the expertise of Spirit Xpress for this ultimate camp type! (Only offered in North Carolina)

Since 1974, UCA has been dedicated to providing instruction, competitive opportunities and memorable experiences for cheerleaders with an emphasis on leadership and safety. Cheerleaders have the honor and responsibility of creating a strong sense of school pride and elevating spirit within their school and community through five key roles – crowd leader, spirit raiser, ambassador, athlete and entertainer. When squads focus on achieving excellence in each role of the cheerleader, they lead the way in elevating spirit within their school and community.

Along with the five roles of a cheerleader, teaching proper progressions and safety training are top priorities at UCA. As stated by the National Federation of State High School Associations, the four crucial aspects of leadership are communication, team building, problem solving and motivation – each of which are a focus in our summer camp curriculum. Together, as partners in building strong school spirit programs, this makes up the Varsity Spirit / NFHS Credentialing program.

The UCA National High School Cheerleading Championship (NHSCC) is the only Cheerleading National Championship endorsed by the NFHS. The NFHS works with nearly 20,000 schools, 11 million students across 50 states. Their endorsement is a reflection of the values we share and the high standards we have developed for the NHSCC and our camp curriculum. Because safety and leadership is so important to both the NFHS and UCA, completing the NFHS Squad Credentialing program at a Varsity Spirit Summer Camp* is required for teams to be eligible to qualify for the UCA National High School Cheerleading Championship.

The implementation of the Varsity Spirit / NFHS Squad Credentialing Program is part of our continued mission to elevate the profile of cheerleaders, whether on campus, at a game or in the community.

*Squad Credentialing takes place at all overnight and home camp types that are two or more days in length.

The title cheerleader says it all, leading the crowd through cheers. They can do this by using a combination of crowd-effective chants and skills to rally the crowd and together, support the athletes on the field or court. Signs, poms, megaphones and flags are vital tools to get the crowd’s attention and communicate loudly and clearly how they should participate. This should strengthen unity among the fans, encourage sportsmanship and foster pride and loyalty for the school and community.

When cheerleaders spread their sense of pride for their school both on and off the field, they are helping others build a connection to their place of learning and the community within it. Spirit raising is taking the pride cheerleaders have for their school and sharing it with others. Whether it means making signs and encouraging their peers to attend the big game, planning and hosting pep rallies, organizing sprit weeks or keeping the positivity up in and out of the classroom, spirit starts with the cheerleading team.

As some of the most visible students on campus, it is important for cheerleaders to be positive role models for others both inside the classroom and out in the community. As examples for other students, cheerleaders can help raise the bar for academics, school spirit and behavior. At games, the cheerleader’s primary role is to support the success of others. How many other athletes can say that? Cheerleaders celebrate other team’s victories just like it’s their own. Win, lose or tie, cheerleaders understand the value of sportsmanship and the importance of supporting others, teaching them to be better role models both on and off the field.

Just like all athletes, cheerleaders have the natural drive to perfect their skills and progress to new ones. Cheerleading requires strength and flexibility to perform stunts, jumps and tumbling. Technique creates a strong foundation for hitting skills and learning new ones. Physical endurance is required to cheer throughout an entire game, during practices and at competition. Competition is an opportunity for recognition for the incredible job cheerleaders do throughout the year. While it does showcase great athleticism, it should not be

Not only do cheerleaders support the athletes on the field, they entertain the crowd in the stands in between plays, during timeouts or halftimes and during other spirit raising events. By performing visual dances, partner stunts and tumbling, cheerleaders create a visual interest to supplements the in-game entertainment never distracting what is happening on the field. If the crowd is engaged with what the cheerleaders are performing on the sidelines, they are more likely to yell for the athletes on the field or court.

Through our camps, we have consistently stressed safety awareness classes that emphasize the importance of proper technique and progressions for all cheerleaders. There is no more important issue in cheerleading than safety. Our goal moving forward is to continue to make cheerleading safer and safer, and to ensure that our athletes understand it is vital in their team's success. We will go through a Safety Awareness and Spotting Seminar before we start stunt class, too!

From individuals leading within a squad to a squad leading on campus and in the community, spirit leaders will focus on developing the fundamental NFHS leadership skills. The four crucial aspects of leadership as stated by the NFHS are communication, team building, problem solving, and motivation. The UCA Staff will lead you every step of the wa