Divisions, Rules & Scoring

USA CHEER Membership for Cheerleading & Dance Teams

USA Cheer Membership Requirement

  1. USA Cheer has developed a comprehensive Membership Program, which includes a background check, athlete protection training, acknowledgement of concussion training with return to participation guidance, a member code of conduct, and safety training courses on risk management and safety rules.
  2. Varsity Spirit will require that all school coaches, choreographers, and personnel wishing to access the warmup area, backstage or coaches’ box at our competitions have a USA Cheer Coach, STUNT Coach or Professional Membership. At least one coach must have the USA Cheer Coach Membership that include the Cheer Safety & Risk Management Certification which is an additional fee and lasts for four years.
  3. You must complete your membership requirements before your first competition.  Please note that the background check will take 2-10 days to be processed and returned. Coaches without an approved Membership will not be allowed access to the warmup area, backstage or coaches’ box.
  4. When checking in at Varsity Spirit competitions, you will now simply provide proof of membership for each coach from your organization who wishes to go into the warmup area, backstage or coaches’ box. Upon proof of membership, each coach will receive a wristband that will allow them access.
  5. The USA Cheer Membership is available on the USA Cheer website. Once your membership is complete, you can print your membership card, or save and display it on your mobile device at event registration along with your photo ID. The USA Cheer membership is active from June 1 through May 31.

Dance Membership Requirement

  1. USA Cheer has developed a comprehensive Membership Program, which includes a background check, athlete protection training, acknowledgement of concussion training with return to participation guidance and a member code of conduct.
  2. Varsity Spirit will require that all school coaches, choreographers, and personnel wishing to access the warmup area, backstage or coaches’ box at our competitions have a USA Dance Membership, Professional Membership, Cheer Coach or STUNT Coach Membership.
  3. You must complete your membership requirements before your first competition.  Please note that the background check will take 2-10 days to be processed and returned. Coaches without an approved Membership will not be allowed access to the warmup area, backstage or coaches’ box.
  4. When checking in at Varsity Spirit competitions, you will now simply provide proof of membership for each coach from your organization who wishes to go into the warmup area, backstage or coaches’ box. Upon proof of membership, each coach will receive a wristband that will allow them access.
  5. The USA Cheer Membership is available on the USA Cheer website. Once your membership is complete, you can print your membership card, or save and display it on your mobile device at event registration along with your photo ID. The USA Cheer membership is active from June 1 through May 31.

USA Divisions, Rules & Scoring

USA Spirit Competitions: Divisions, Rules & Scoring

View our 2025-2026 Spirit Guidelines

2025-2026 USA Spirit Rules & Regulations

2025-2026 Spirit Divisions, Scoresheets and Scoring Range Documents

Division Limitations

Song/Pom, Song/Jazz, Pep/Short Flag Safety Rules & Glossary

Questions on Tumbling, Stunt and Safety Rules?

Routines at all USA competitions must follow the 2025-2026 NFHS Rules Book, 2025-2026 USA High School Teams Show Cheer and Group Stunt Division Limitations, 2025-2026 USA Song/Pom/Pep Flag Safety Rules and/or  the 2025-2026 USA Song/Pom Division Limitations. To order a copy of the current NFHS Rules book please visit https://www.usacheer.org/high-school-cheer#_order.
Submitting a video is the only way to review a routine for potential safety violations.
Cheerleading videos or clarifications regarding specific performance elements, division or event questions may be submitted here:  USA Legality Inquiry Form. This includes specific cheerleading stunt and safety questions that pertain to the 2025-2026 NFHS Rules Book, or to the 2025-2026 High School Teams Show Cheer and Group Stunt Division Limitations.
Song/Pom and Pep Flag videos can be emailed to USADanceRules@varsity.com.
Note that submission of a routine and/or its elements does not preclude a team from being assessed a penalty while at a specific USA competition, as performances from the video submission may differ from those executed on the competition floor. Submission of a routine does not guarantee that it can be reviewed.
For specific song/pom or pep flag/short flag safety questions that only pertain to the USA Song/Pom/Pep Flag Safety Rules, or to the 2025-2026 Song/Pom Division Limitations please email USADanceRules@varsity.com.

USA Dance Competitions: Divisions, Rules & Scoring

 USA Dance Competition Guidelines

2025-2026 USA Dance Rules & Regulations

2025-2026 Varsity Spirit School Solo & Small Groups Rules and Regulations

 USA Dance Score Sheets

Music

Note music guidelines are being followed at all USA and Varsity Brands events.  Competition music must be properly licensed and a team must be able to provide a printed copy of proof of licensing during registration at the event they are attending.  This proof will be reviewed at registration. For further details visit www.varsity.com/music.

For Dance Program related questions, please contact:
USADanceRules@varsity.com

 

USA Game Day Competitions: Divisions, Rules & Scoring

USA Spirit Competition Event Guidelines

High School & Junior High Game Day

USA College (Cheer, Dance & Mascot) Competitions: Divisions, Rules & Scoring

USA College Competition Event Guidelines

USA College Cheerleading Score Sheets

USA College Dance Score Sheets

USA College Mascot Score Sheets

Competition Resources

Interested in Judging?

Thank you for your interest in becoming a judge for Varsity Spirit. At this time, applications for the 25-26 season are closed. Please check back in early May 2026

Criteria for Selecting Judges

We remain committed to fair and consistent scoring. Our goal is to evolve and provide the tools needed to all school teams this season for a clear understanding of divisions, rules, and scoring. To achieve this, we will follow the four guiding principles of transparency, fairness, integrity, and safety.

Criteria for Selecting Judges

Judges selected for one of our regional events should meet these standards:

  • Have no direct affiliation with any team/gym who will be attending (or potentially will be attending) in a division they will judge. This includes coaching, choreographing, cleaning, etc.
  • Must be available for pre-event training, either live or via webinar at a time/date to be determined
  • Must pass and be trained and educated in one or more of the category scoresheets that are used for judging.
  • Must be of the highest ethical and moral values. Must possess and maintain the highest standards of integrity, ethics and professionalism.
  • Must complete Varsity Spirit Compliance Course to include
    • Background Check
    • Code of Conduct
    • Understanding, Recognizing and Reporting the Maltreatment of Children
    • Affidavit of Good Moral Character
  • Must be well-respected in the cheerleading, dance, band and/or song/pom industry.
  • Judges will be informed that any behavior deemed to be unsupportive of Varsity Spirit’s mission may be factored into the final selection of judges.

In addition to the regional event standards these additional criteria will be used when selecting our National Championship Judges.

  • Preferred to have judged or will judge 2 or more “Regional” type events during the 2025-2026 season.
  • Preferred to have been a judge or to have equitable experience for at least 3 years.

Judge Selection – Example Conflicts of Interest

Judge Selection – Example Conflicts of Interest

Providing accurate, fair, and unbiased feedback for our customers is one of our top priorities.  With that said, our selected panel of judges must have no affiliation with teams in a division they are scheduled to judge.

Example of potential Conflicts of Interest:

  • Current Coach and/or Choreographer
  • Former Coach and/or Choreographer and/or Athlete
    • Must be 5 years out from any program
    • Must not have had any contact with a team this season
    • Did not go to any practices or performances in the last 5 years
  • Married / Partner / Dating / Related to coach
  • Parent of an athlete on a team

For Nationals/Championship events

  • Due to the size of our National Championships, judges with conflicts may be selected. Every effort will be made to ensure that a judge with a potential Conflict of Interest is not scheduled to judge that team or school’s divisions.

Scoring & Legality Review Process

Scoring Review Process

Click here for the USA Scoring Review Process.

United Spirit Association offers a service to help teams with legality and safety questions. Teams will be able to submit skills throughout the year to receive a legality or safety response. Teams are not required, but encouraged, to submit a safety video.

Click here to access the USA Legality Inquiry Form.

Please note: Performing the skill at a prior event does not ensure that a skill is legal nor that it would have warranted a legality warning.  Only submitting the skill will make the skill eligible for a warning. USA can only guarantee this process will be accepted at USA-branded events. This would not include other Varsity-branded and state association events.

Click here for a complete list of changes for the 2025-2026 USA Cheer High School Rules.

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