Resources for competing in Washington State. 

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Competitve cheerleading is an exciting experience for athletes, coaches, and families.  To ensure a fun and successful season, take the time to learn the ins and outs of competing in Washington State.

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Cost

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Rules and Regulations

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Divisions

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Scoring

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Qualifying for WIAA High School State Championships

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Junior State Championships for Recreational Teams

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2021-2022 Washington Competition Schedule*

*Schedule is subject to change due to COVID or other unforeseen circumstances.

Competing in Washington State

Competition Costs

Competition Fees 2021-2022

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$250 per School for Qualifying Routines (up to 3 WIAA qualifying routines)

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$250 per routine for Non-Qualifying Routine (middle school, Jr High, JV & Rec)

*Same as previous years- Prices vary by competition director, cap of $300 per routine.

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Rules and Regulations

Competition safety is regulated by the National Federation of High School Associations.  NFHS Spirit Rule Books are available in eBook and printed versions at: https://www.nfhs.org/resources/publications/.  Safety and technical violations may result in penalties and points deducted from your performance score.  Penalities may be appealed up to 20 minutes from the time of notification.  

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Stunt Certification is required for cheer coaches who intend to have their cheer squad(s) perform stunts. The certification program must be approved by either the Washington State Cheer Coaches Association or the WIAA. Coaches must be recertified every three (3) years.  Currently scheduled stunt certifications can be found at: http://www.wiaa.com/subcontent.aspx?SecID=324

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Routines are limited to two and one-half (2 1/2) minutes for the Tumbling and NonTumbling categories and three (3) minutes for the Stomp and Game Day categories.  The music portion can not be longer than one and one-half (1 1/2) minutes for the Tumbling and Non-Tumbling Categories (there is no music time limit for the Stomp or Game Day categories.)  The 54’ x 42’ cheer mat area represents the performance boundary area for the Tumbling, Non-tumbling, and Game Day categories. Three mats will be centered horizontally along the side line and the basketball court boundary lines represent the boundary lines for the Stomp category.

Divisions

High school divisions are determined by WIAA and separated by school classification, size, and category.  Classifications are combined when less than four (4) schools of the same classification qualify within a specific category.  If less than four (4) teams qualify for state over a three-year period, that category will either be permanently combined with the closest category (in terms of number of participants on the team) or will be eliminated the following year.

A school may enter one team in each category for up to three categories.  Athletes may crossover to compete in Traditional, Game Day, and Stomp categories but may not crossover between Traditional - Tumbling and Traditional Non-Tumbling.  

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New!  for 21/22, Per WIAA

The categories may be divided at the state championships by classification and/or by size if four or more teams qualify in the divisions below.  Varsity teams may have two (2) males.

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*It is up to coaches to place team in correct divisions

Recreational divisions are determined by WSCCA.  Traditional categories are separated into age divisions, all others (game day, stomp, and allstar crossover, are 18yrs and under).  An athlete's age for the season is determined by their age on August 31, of that year.

Scoring

Four (4) WOA/WSCJA judges plus two (2) safety/technical judges will judge each routine. Judges will be positioned on one side of the facility. Points deducted for any safety violations will be subtracted from the final score.  Skills are categorized into Low, Average, and High brackets with minimum ratio and execution requirements.  It is important to familiarize yourself with the scoring rubric, ratio tables, and scoresheet for your category.

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Rubric and scoresheets for Traditional, Game Day & Stomp have been updated as of 02/20/2021. 

Qualifying for WIAA High School State Championships

To qualify for the WIAA High School State Cheerleading Championships:

1. The team must have performed in at least ten (10) school events, such as school assemblies, sideline cheerleading, half-time performances, pep rallies, etc.

2. The team must have participated in at least one (1) WIAA, WSCCA or school-sponsored competition.

3. The team can qualify for WIAA State competition in one of two ways:

   • Must have scored at least 59 as a minimum qualifying score in the non-tumbling divisions or 65 as a minimum qualifying score in the tumbling, stomp and game day divisions (whole numbers only; there will be no rounding of decimals) after all deductions (based upon the cumulative scores awarded by the four judges) in the competition, or 

   • Receive one of the top fifty scores of all performances during the competition season.

Junior State Championships for Recreational Teams

Qualification is not required for recreational teams to compete in the Junior State Championships.  The squad must be non-school affiliated teams that are attached to a bona fide City Parks Department, Boys & Girls Club, Pop Warner program, recreational association or youth sports program. Recreational squads MUST NOT be formed solely for the purpose of competition. Recreational programs must include a sideline squad that cheers for an organized sport.  A letter of affiliation is required on letterhead from the overseeing director of their league (City administration, Pop Warner, YMCA, Boys & Girls Club, Junior Football League, etc.) that proves the legitimacy of the organization.

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The WSCCA Rec division follows the NFHS rules and uses the Washington High School score sheets by WSCJA. Competition routines should include both a music portion and a cheer portion (total time must not exceed 2:30 with a maximum music time of 1:30). No crossovers are allowed between traditional tumbling/non-tumbling divisions during competition and a maximum of 32 athletes may compete on the floor at one time.