Competition Tips

Updated from 'CHEER LEADER' Magazine Vol 6 Iss 4, published by the BCA

COMPETITION TIPS
Making The Most Of Your Routine

Knowing what Judges are looking for and how the scoring system works is essential to maximising the potential of your routine. Omit areas of key content and you may lose out unnecessarily.

BCA competition rules are based on the current international standards of the National Federation of State High Schools Association.

There are normally five judges, and in the interest of fairness the highest and lowest score sets are discarded. There are five scoring categories each worth 20 points per judge. Maximum points would therefore be 300. Any penalty infractions are deducted from the final score.

Build your routine to incorporate as much as possible from each of the five categories. For example, if you enter a Cheerleading Division with 90% dance content, plus one stunt and a cartwheel, then even if your dance is dynamically excellent you may not score as highly overall as routines with better developed cheer skills and execution, i.e. 40% of the total marks.

No secrets really, it's all on the Scoring Forms. Full competition rules and safety guidelines are sent to all squads entering.

CHEERLEADING DIVISIONS:

1) CROWD APPEAL: Spirit, projection, variety, appearance, creativity, poise, flow and transitions.
Tips:

Strong voices, good spirit, good transitions, strong projection.

More spirit, cheer louder, more creativity/variety, weak transitions.

2) DANCE: Timing, rhythm, choreography and unity.
Tips:

exciting, good incorporation, nice variety, nice choreography.

Need variety, lacks unity, add difficulty, too fast/slow.

3) CHEER EXECUTION: Motions, technique, unity, timing, rhythm and variety.
Tips:

sharp motions, good variety, good unity, good motion placement.

flying arms, bent wrists, angles off, not together.

4) CHEERING SKILLS: Jumps, stunts, gymnastics, pyramids, technique, variety, and incorporation.
Tips:

good jumps, strong tumbling, good stunts, strong pyramids.

need variety, point toes, tumbling not perfected, stunts/pyramids not solid.

5) OVERALL EFFECTIVENESS: Level of difficulty, perfection of routine and overall dynamics.
Tips:

good difficulty, strong routine, nice timing, nice energy level.

add difficulty, weak timing, routine could be cleaner, increase energy.

Typical Competition Judging Form used in Britain

DANCE TEAM DIVISIONS:

1) TECHNIQUE: Rhythm, difficulty, sharpness and extension.
Tips:

Sharp motions, good leaps/jumps, strong technique.

Sharpen skills, weak leaps/jumps, weak motions.

2) PRECISION: Unity, spacing and timing.
Tips:

Good unity, excellent position, good motions placement.

Not together, lack of unity, weak timing.

3) CHOREOGRAPHY: Transitions, formations, incorporation, use of music and creativity.
Tips:

Good use of music, nice transitions, good choreography.

Weak rhythm and timing, weak transitions, add creativity.

4) CROWD APPEAL: Poise, projection, energy, professionalism and appearance.
Tips:

Nice energy level, good facial expressions, good enthusiasm.

Weak unity, more projection, more energy.

5) OVERALL PERFORMANCE: Overall dynamics of routine, difficulty and perfection.
Tips:

Good difficulty, nice flow of routine, good creativity.

Add difficulty, weak creativity, weak flow.

After each performance all five judges fill out a Scoring Form. These are collected and passed to the Scorekeeper who fills out a Summary Form with the totals of the three Score Forms used. A second Scorekeeper checks the Summary Form, which is passed to the Head Judge for acceptance.

To ensure all routines are fully evaluated, summaries are checked and verified, penalties are included, and results tabulated in scoring order, instant results are not possible. An additional computerised score display system is being considered for use at Norwich '99.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Q: How long should I make my routine?
A: Squad routines are 3 minutes long. Aim for a little less to allow for any timing or music problems to avoid over time penalties.

Q: When does my routine start?
A: You will be allowed to set up poms and props prior to your routine. When you are in a ready to start position on the floor, and your music is set to cue, and the judges are ready, the Announcer will say "Announcing: From Faversham, the Faversham Dolphins..." Your routine, and the clock, starts from the end of this announcement.

Q: We included more difficulty, yet squads with less difficulty scored higher. Why?
A: You should be aiming for good technique and execution with precision and unity. A really solid basic pyramid with excellent timing, motions and angles will score higher than a more advanced stunt that looks unsteady, hurried, fails to lock out precisely, or where motions are poor. Fundamentals first.

Q: What changes to rules are there since last year?
A: Essentially they are the same, but always read the rules very carefully.

Q: How do I get a copy of the Rules?
A: Copies of the 2000 BCA Rules and Safety Guidelines will be issued to all entered squads, or supplied on request via BCA. They are also available on internet.
See... BCA Handbook

The web version does not allow the full formatting of the original printed publication.