RULES AND GUIDELINES 
Be sure to look over the 2009-2010 Rulebook & Scoring Guidelines to fully understand what is and is not allowed in specific divisions.

LEGAL VERIFICATION

As a coach, it is important to stay up to date on current safety guidelines. Squad disqualification and deductions almost always take place due to the coach not being aware of the rules or misunderstanding the terminology. If you have any questions concerning the guidelines or questions regarding specific stunts and/or pyramids, follow the steps below.

1)  All correspondence must be in writing. Due to differences in interpretation and terminology, no phone calls will be accepted.

2)  For partner stunts and/or pyramids approval, you must send in a video tape (standard VHS-all other tapes refused), DVD or email a video clip (no more than 10mb) which contains the mounting and dismounting of the partner stunt and/or pyramid in question. Tapes will not be returned.

3)  The American Championships will address all inquiries in writing regarding the clip in question.  Hint:  Do not depend on your choreographer or coach to determine if something is legal.  It is better to be safe than sorry - if you have any questions whatsoever about the legality of any part of your routine, send The American Championships a tape for verification.

JUDGING AND SCORING CHEER

Our judging system is comprised of three distinct Tiers for Cheer (May vary at Regionals):
 
Tier A) Overall Routine & Motions/Dance Score
Tier A consists of a four-judge panel. These judges are extensively trained to use the same scoring guidelines/rubric given to the coaches that attend our championships. Each judge awards a score out of 10 points. This score is based upon Formations/ Transitions, Performance and Creativity.

Formations/Transitions will be evaluated on the following criteria: creativity, flow, visual effect, ease of movement, pace, spacing and seamless patterns.
Performance will be evaluated on the following criteria: showmanship, energy levels, excitement, crowd appeal, genuine enthusiasm and athletic sportsmanship.
Creativity will award teams for using unique load-ins, dismounts and transitions in the building and tumbling portions of the routine. As well as using creative and innovative choreography throughout the overall routine

These four scores are all kept and they are added together and multiplied by .75 (30% of Total Score).
These four judges also award a score out of 10 points for Motions/Dance. These four scores are all kept and averaged together (10% of Total Score).

Motions/Dance will be evaluated on the following three areas of criteria:

1. Little to no transitions and level changes will score in the low portion of the range.
2. Minimal transitions and level changes to include variety of movement, footwork and floor work along with average energy and entertainment value will score in the middle portion of the range.
3. Multiple transitions and level changes to include variety of movement, footwork, floor work along with high energy and entertainment value will score on the high end of the range. 

Both scores (Overall & Motions/Dance) are added together (40% of Total Score) to get your Overall Routine Score (A).

Tier B) Overall Skill Score
In addition to the Overall Score, each judge will award a Category Specific Skill Score out of 10 points. Judges will consider difficulty, variety, creativity and execution/technique. Skills performed by less than a majority of team will move the score into a lower range. Level 6 Skills will be scored in the 9-11 range for Building Skills (Stunts, Pyramids and Tosses).

Execution/Technique will be evaluated on the following criteria: synchronization, form, technique, body position flexibility, and skill completion. Any bobbles will be considered when awarding the score and will not be considered by the Deduction Analyst.

Two judges will specifically concentrate on Stunts, Pyramids, & Tosses. They will score each specific category (Stunts, Pyramids & Tosses) out of 10 points. Both scores (2 scores for each category: Stunts, Pyramids, & Tosses) will be averaged together.
Two judges will specifically concentrate on Running Tumbling, Standing Tumbling & Jumps. They will score each specific category (Running Tumbling, Standing Tumbling & Jumps) out of 10 points. Both scores (2 scores for each category: Running Tumbling, Standing Tumbling & Jumps) will be averaged together.
These six scores (Each worth 10% of Total Score) are added together (60% of Total Score) to obtain your Overall Skill Score (B).

Tier C) Deductions & Infractions
Tier C consists of separate analysts in charge of Deductions and Infractions. Deductions are a per occurrence penalty given for imperfect routine elements.  Infractions are given when a team violates a written rule, for exceeding time limits, or inappropriate/vulgar content. The Deductions and Infractions are added together to obtain the Penalty Score (C).

How to Calculate your Final Score

1. Take the Overall Routine Score (A) plus the Overall Skill Score (B) for a total of up to 100 points.
2. Subtract the Penalty Score (C) to obtain the Final Score that day.
3. For 2-Day events, day one is worth 1/3 and day 2 is worth 2/3 of the Final Overall Score.

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JUDGING AND SCORING Dance

Our judging system is comprised of two distinct Tiers for DANCE(May vary at Regionals):

Tier A)
Tier A consists of a four-judge panel. These judges are extensively trained to use the same scoring guidelines given to the coaches that attend our championships. Each judge awards a score out of 10 points for each category. Each category is worth a different percentage of your Total Score and the percentages are as follows:

Choreography: 30%
Technique: 20%
Execution: 20%
Use of Style: 20%
Overall: 10%

Tier B) Infractions
Tier B consists of separate analysts in charge of Infractions. Infractions are given when a team violates a written rule, for exceeding time limits, or inappropriate/vulgar content. This is Penalty Score (B).

How to Calculate your Final Score
1.Take the Overall Score (A) minus the Penalty Score (B) to obtain the Final Score that day.For 2-Day events, day one is worth 1/3 and day 2 is worth 2/3 of the Final Overall Score.   

INSTANT REPLAY
Our judges also have the ability to look back at digital footage of routines when making tough decisions in close divisions.  This allows the judges to see the teams a second time with one major difference - judges can watch the teams back-to-back and in the order they are currently placed.  This method of comparing ensures proper placement of teams.  Ties are settled using video replay.

SCORE SHEETS 
Score sheets will be made available to coaches prior to leaving the event.  It is the coach's responsibility to pick up their score sheets.  Any score sheets not claimed by the end of the event will be discarded and only summary information will be available from office staff for coaches. 
Click on the links below to see the American Championships Score Sheets.