All Divisions, including Game Day – Prior qualification through a USA Regional competition or other sanctioned event/process is required in order to attend USA Nationals in any division.

Bids to Nationals are awarded to teams receiving 80% of total possible points for all cheer, group stunt and game day cheer divisions and 75% of total possible points for all song, pep flag, mascot, and game day song divisions, regardless of any penalties received.

NEW! All School Divisions (including junior high, elementary and youth teams): 75% of the team competing at USA Spirit Nationals will be required to complete the Varsity Spirit/NFHS Squad Credentialing Program. More information about this can be found by contacting your Varsity Spirit State Director.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Coaches, CLICK HERE to register your team for the event.

Visit the EVENT HUB for more information.

Date	Divisions	Estimated Timeframe	Competition Format
Thu, Feb 18	High School Game Day Cheer (excluding Crowdleader™ Teams)	10:00 am – 7:00 pm	*One Performance
Thu, Feb 18	High School Group Stunt Advanced & Intermediate	10:00 am – 2:00 pm	Prelims + Finals
Fri, Feb 19	High School Show Cheer, Crowdleader™ Teams & Mascot	8:00 am – 11:00 pm	Prelims
Sat, Feb 20	High School Show Cheer, Crowdleader™ Teams & Mascot	8:00 am – 7:00 pm	Finals
Sat, Feb 20	1st place Group Stunt Advanced 1st place Group Stunt Intermediate	Within event timeframe	Exhibition
Sun, Feb 21	High School Song/Pom, Song/Jazz & Pep Flag/Short Flag	8:00 am – 11:00 pm	Prelims
Sun, Feb 21	Song/Pom Game Day	Within event timeframe	*One Performance
Sun, Feb 21	Junior High/Middle School/Elementary & Rec divisions	8:00 am – 2:00 pm	*One Performance
Mon, Feb 22	High School Song/Pom, Song/Jazz & Pep Flag/Short Flag	8:00 am – 3:00 pm	Finals

Planning Note: Times listed above are estimated competition windows to assist with travel and event planning. Specific division and team performance times will be provided with the event schedule and are subject to change based on final enrollment, facility requirements and event operations.

*One Performance: The division competes one time only; there are no preliminary or finals rounds.

Deadline	What is due
Dec 1, 2026	All Spirit Nationals registrations entered and submitted online
Dec 15, 2026	$40 per-person registration deposit or payment in full
Jan 18, 2027	Division and roster changes; after this date, no refunds for participant/team cancellations and full fees remain due (deadline subject to change)
Feb 5, 2027	Final balance due

• Disney ticket information will be sent separately to registered schools when finalized.

Division/Category	Performance Surface
School & Rec Show Cheer, Crowdleader™ Teams, Mascot	42 ft front-to-back x 54 ft side-to-side carpet-bonded foam mat. All stunts/tumbling must remain on the mat.
Group Stunt	At least 28 ft x 42 ft carpet-bonded foam mat (4 strips).
Song/Pom, Song/Jazz, Pep Flag	Marley, parquet, basketball court or similar surface, at least 42 ft x 42 ft.

Performance areas may change based on final registration. Warm-up surfaces may differ.

All percentages below include a minimum of three teams advancing per division.  The number of teams advancing to finals is subject to change based on the number of teams that compete in preliminaries, including changes that occur on the day of prelims.

Division Type	Advance to Finals
Show Cheer Novice (including Non-Tumbling Novice); Song/Pom Novice; Song/Jazz Novice	30%
Show Cheer Non-Tumbling Intermediate	35%
Show Cheer Intermediate (excluding Non-Tumbling Intermediate); Show Cheer Non-Tumbling Advanced; Song/Pom Intermediate; Song/Jazz Intermediate; Crowdleader™ Teams; Pep Flag; Mascot	40%
Show Cheer Advanced (excluding Non-Tumbling Advanced); Song/Pom Advanced; Song/Jazz Advanced	50%

 

• High School divisions, including Crowdleader™ Teams, may advance to finals except stand-alone Game Day divisions.
• Preliminary scores determine advancement only and do not carry over. Finals scores count 100% toward final placement.
• USA may combine, split, delete or add divisions; adjust advancement percentages; or change performance days, venues and times based on enrollment and facility requirements.

High School Group Stunt Finals

• Preliminaries and finals are held on the same day.
• If a category has 10 or more preliminary entries, 25% advance to finals.
• If a category has 40 or more preliminary entries, it may be randomly subdivided into two (2) or more groups (A and B or A, B, and C, etc.); 25% of each subdivided group advances to finals.

• Trophies are presented to 50% of teams competing in each division.
• For High School divisions with prelims and finals, preliminary awards will be presented and finalists announced following prelims. Because trophies are awarded to the top 50% of teams in each division, teams that do not advance to finals may still receive a trophy during the preliminary awards session. All teams should plan to attend their designated preliminary awards session for both award presentations and finalist announcements.
• Junior High/Elementary/Rec awards are presented at the conclusion of each competition section.
• Awards for stand-alone Game Day divisions will be presented at the conclusion of each competition section.
• Teams placing 1st, 2nd and 3rd receive individual participant medallions.
• First-place teams also receive a National Champion banner and backpack.
• Scoresheets will be emailed to coaches on the registration who have been selected to receive them approx. 1 hour after the team’s performance.
• Division standings will be emailed to coaches on the registration who have been selected to receive them approx. 1 hour after the conclusion of the division awards

Grand Champion Awards

High School Song/Pom Grand Champion

• To be eligible, a team must compete in at least two of the following three divisions. If a team competes in all three, its two highest scores will be used.
• Song/Pom (Advanced)
• Song/Jazz (Advanced)
• Game Day All In One

High School Cheer Grand Champion

• To be eligible, a team must compete in both of the following divisions:
• Show Cheer (Advanced: excluding Non-Tumbling Advanced)
• Crowdleader™

Junior High/Elementary & Rec Grand Champion

• Grand Champion recognition will be awarded to the:
• Highest-scoring performance from the Show Cheer divisions for Junior High/Elementary teams
• Highest-scoring performance from the Show Cheer divisions for Rec teams
• Highest-scoring performance from the Song/Pom division for Junior High/Elementary teams
• Game Day divisions are not included in Junior High or Rec Grand Champion consideration.

Visit the EVENT HUB for more information.

Visit the EVENT HUB for more information.

Varsity TV is your destination for the very best in school and all star cheer and dance coverage. Click here to join Varsity TV and watch this event live.

Beginning in 2027, USA Spirit Nationals will be designated as Housing Required. This means that all athletes and coaches are required to book with Team Travel Source. This change helps ensure the best rates, convenient locations, and a smoother experience for all attendees.

What to Expect:

• Athletes competing in a High School Show Cheer, Crowdleader or Song/Pom division that are over 75 miles from the performance venue are required to book with TTS.
• Guaranteed access to top hotels at the lowest available rates.
• Exemptions available for military/government discounts or rewards points.
• Dedicated specialists to help with team blocks.
• A full Customer Experience team to support you throughout the booking process.

While we know this is a change, we’re committed to making your travel easier, affordable, and more consistent. More details coming prior to registration opening.

Please visit our Divisions, Rules & Scoring page to view competition information.

2026 USA Spirit Nationals Results

2025 USA Spirit Nationals Results

2024 USA Spirit Nationals Results