NCASB Cheerleading Rules Updated Oct2016
NCASB Cheerleading Rules
Updated October 2016
RULE 1: GENERAL INFORMATION RULE 2: COMPETITION
RULE 3: JUDGING
RULE 4: SCORING and FINAL RESULTS
RULE 5: AWARDS
RULE 6: ADAPTIVE EQUIPMENT
Addendum
Appendix
The NCASB Cheerleading Rules listed on the NCASB.org website shall be considered an addendum to the National Federation Spirit Book. All cheerleading coaches should have a National Federation Spirit Book in hand.
RULE 1: GENERAL INFORMATION
SECTION 1. General Information
Article 1. A Cheerleading Director shall be elected by the NCASB Cheer Coaches. Each participating school will be permitted one vote. In the event that the director cannot fill his/her term, the previous director will be asked to step in as interim director until the next cheer coach’s meeting. If the previous sports director is unable or unwilling to fill the role, the cheerleading coaches must nominate a new sports director.
Article 2. All safety rules of the National Federation will be followed. It is strongly recommended that all cheerleading coaches obtain rules from the National Federation. These are available from each State Activities Association or online at https://www.nfhs.org/activitiessports/spirit/. The rules are also available in a variety of electronic formats, including iBook and Google Play Book.
SECTION 2. Games Committee
Article 1. A games committee will consist of the Cheerleading Director, Host cheerleader coach, and the previous year’s host cheerleader coach. If anyone of these is not available, the Cheerleading Director may appoint a suitable substitute. They will make interpretations, judgments, enforce rules and act on all protests.
Article 2. Two members of games committee will be at warmup practice to check on legality of moves, equipment and number of competitors.
SECTION 3. Athlete Checks
Article 1. Teams shall be checked for all jewelry, hair length, and nail length and for other violations of the rules as stated in the National Federation Spirit Book, no later than 30 minutes prior to competition. Participants will be offered the opportunity to correct any oversights.
SECTION 4. Eligibility
Article 1. As required by the NCASB, eligibility forms must be submitted to the Cheer Director and Athletic Director of the host school by January 15th. A copy of the form is contained within the official NCASB Cheer Rules
SECTION 5. Order
Article 1. The order of competition will be drawn by lot (number). The lot drawing will take place at the coaches meeting prior to competition.
Article 2. There will be a 10-minute break between the Outstanding Cheerleader and Team Competition cheers. Judges will leave the gym during this time.
RULE 2: COMPETITION
SECTION 1. General Requirements
Article 1. There shall be no division according to school size, enrollment or eligibility.
Article 2. Any rule or procedure changes should be presented and voted on at Cheerleading Coaches meeting held prior to each Cheerleading Conference Competition. New rules and/or rule changes may be submitted to the ADs for approval at the Swim/Forensics Conference, Track Conference or annual AD Conference in time for implementation at the beginning of the next school year. All approved changes will be sent to all conference schools by the Cheerleading Director.
Article 3. The Competition Cheer must be performed within the boundaries of the competition mat. The competition mat will be a single official size wrestling mat. In the case that more than one mat is attached to another the adjoining side(s) will be clearly marked with contrasting tape placed over rope.
SECTION 2. Outstanding Competition Cheer
Article 1. Each school selects their own candidate in any manner they choose from the varsity squad.
Article 2. Outstanding cheerleaders shall follow the same time requirements as the team competition of a maximum of three minutes; music may be one half of the total time of the competition.
Article 3. The outstanding Cheerleader competition will precede the cheer squad competition.
Article 4. Cheerleaders should remain quiet and poised while on deck or while setting up until given the instruction, “You may begin”. Cheerleaders, may chant or cheer as they approach and leave the mat but it will be included in 3 minutes.
Article 5. The outstanding Cheerleader candidates will give a brief introductory speech that may include name, grade, school, age, and name of cheer. Pompoms, signs, dance and music are allowed.
Article 6. The same outside judges of the cheer squad competition will also judge the outstanding Cheerleader competition.
Article 7. There is no crowd involvement permitted during the outstanding cheer competition. As each cheerleader sets up, the announcer will remind the crowd to please refrain from participating in any way including singing, stomping, and clapping.
SECTION 3. Team Competition Cheer
Article 1. Must be a cheer.
Article 2. Is selected by each participating school.
Article 3. Will be limited to 3 minutes.
Article 4. Will be performed only one time.
Article 5. A squad will consist of a maximum of ten cheerleaders.
Article 6. Crowd involvement will be allowed for the team competition.
Article 7. Cheerleaders should remain quiet and poised while on deck or while setting up until given the instruction, “You may begin”. Cheerleaders may chant or cheer as they approach and leave the mat but it will be included in their 3 minutes.
Article 8. Team Command Sequence
Once the squad is ready: “You may quietly set up.”
When all timers, judges, etc. are ready: “State ready?” (Example; “Utah ready?”).
Team response: Example “Utah ready”.
The time will begin with the command: “You may begin.”
Time will stop when the last cheerleader leaves the mat.
Note: Chants, cheers, etc. are permissible in the competition cheer, but, they will be timed within the 3 minutes.
Article 9. Mascots are NOT allowed in the competition phase of the tournement. Mascots shall stay in the seating area during team and outstanding cheerleader competition.
SECTION 4. Safety
Article 1. Specific state safety rules will be adhered to while in various states. It will be the responsibility of the host cheerleading coach to inform the Cheerleading Director of any state specific safety rules, which might supersede Federation rules. The Director will inform the conference coaches by Nov 1st of such rules.
Article 2. Any special mounts, skills, etc., may be used within the National Federation, host state association, local state association and NCASB rules.
Note: In accordance with National Federation rules, no mounts over two people high will be permitted.
Article 3. Basket Tosses are not allowed.
Article 4. Spotting must be done with only the cheerleaders performing in the cheer competitions. No outside spotters are allowed. This includes coaches, alternates, etc.
SECTION 5. Props and Music
Article 1. Only the following props will be adhered: Pompons, signs on poster boards not to exceed 28 x 22 INCHES, and megaphones. Gloves, tights, panty hose, buttons, jewelry, pins, and hats are not permitted to be worn by the cheerleaders.
Article 2. Music is optional. The music portion of the routine can be no longer than one-half of the total presentation.
Article 3. Music for Team and Outstanding competitions shall be made available to the games committee in an electronic file format or on a CD labeled with team name, music, and total time. Music will be timed prior to practice. During competition, music time will be subtracted from the total routine time to determine if a penalty should be assessed.
Article 4. The host school will provide a Technical Official, to help with the operation of the equipment as needed. The Technical Official will also make a judgment if there is a problem either mechanical or human error. In the case of mechanical or human error the music will be restarted for the performing team.
RULE 3: JUDGING
SECTION 1. General Requirements
Article 1. All National Federation, host state association, local state association and NCASB rules must be followed. If not, teams will be disqualified from competition.
Article 2. Judging shall be done by outside judges. Recommended suggestion; college cheerleaders, college or high school cheerleader coaches. A panel of a minimum of 5-7 judges selected from the above list is suggested.
Article 3. The Director of Cheerleading will meet with the cheer judges prior to the competition to make any clarification about rules, ballots or scoring procedures. The Director of Cheerleading shall remind judges of blindness and other handicapping conditions and their manifestations and to look at the team as a whole.
Article 4. During the scoring, the judges will be scattered throughout the bleachers. Judges are to leave the gym during the 10 minute break between the team competition and outstanding cheerleader performances.
SECTION 2. Areas of Judging and Scoring
Article 1. Judges shall rate both the Outstanding Cheerleader cheer and the Team cheer on a numerical scale from 5.0 to .5, with 5.0 being the highest score in each of the five areas listed.
1) Execution and technique, 2) Rhythm, 3) Creativity, 4) Appearance, 5) Enthusiasm and Spirit
Article 2. A five (5) team point deduction will occur if: Any member of the cheering squad leaves the area of competition as designated by the official wrestling mat.
- The performance exceeds three (3) minutes. (No penalty is assessed for a routine shorter than 3 minutes).
- If the musical portion exceeds more than one-half of the total presentation.
Article 3. Cheer squads will be disqualified for:
- Having more than 10 cheerleaders on the competition mat.
- Performing any illegal mounts, spotting or tosses.
- Gaining assistance by anyone other than a member of the cheer squad for purposes of orientation or spotting.
- The performance exceeds four (4) minutes
- Failure to follow all National Federation, host state association, local state association and NCASB rules which result in disqualification.
RULE 4: SCORING and FINAL RESULTS
SECTION 1. Scoring and Final Results
Article 1. The Director of Cheerleading, or in the absence of, a designee of the director, will collect all ballots and designate three (3) non-coaching persons to tally all ballots.
Article 2. All ballots must show the judge’s number (not name) in the upper right-hand corner of the ballot.
Article 3. The official ballots sheets will be copied and tallied individually by the three persons selected to tally. One person shall be designated to compare for correct scoring of all tally sheets. The results will be placed on an official single tally sheet and presented to the Director of Cheerleading. Also, all work sheets will and must be turned in to the Director of Cheerleading.
Article 4. The host school will have 30 minutes following the conclusion of the competition to provide results (ballots, tally sheets, and final results). Judges shall remain in the immediate area during that 30-minute time window in case questions arise regarding scoring. A member of the games committee will give all ballot sheets a cursory look to check for incomplete or illegible scoring as they are collected from the judges.
Article 5. Coaches shall have one hour (60 minutes) from the time the official results are posted and/or distributed to file any protest with the NCASB Cheerleading Director.
Article 6. In the event that the cheerleading competition takes place on a Friday night and lasts past 10 PM local time, the tally sheets will not be distributed until the following morning at a time specified by the host school and Cheerleading Director. The 60-minute time window will start once all teams have their scores.
RULE 5: AWARDS
SECTION 1. Team
Article 1. Team trophies shall be given for the first four places.
Article 2. Trophies shall be traditional NCASB design and are paid for by NCASB treasury.
Article 3. Individuals on 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th place squads will receive medals.
Article 4. All Cheerleader awards will be presented by the host school cheerleading coach and the NCASB Cheerleader Director. Other coaches may be asked to assist in handing out awards as needed. Time for award presentation shall be designated by the host school.
SECTION 2. Outstanding Cheerleader
Article 1. The Outstanding Cheerleader will receive a plaque that will be his or hers to keep.
Article 2. There shall be no more than three runners-up. Each will receive a small megaphone pin ordered by the Cheerleading Director and paid for by the NCASB treasury.
SECTION 3. Spirit Awards
Article 1. One (1) team shall be recognized as Spirit Leaders. Ballots designating each team’s selection for “Spirit Award” (1 per team), will be collected at a time designated by the Cheerleading Director. The vote should be for the team showing the most enthusiasm and sportsmanship throughout the entire tournament. The Spirit Award Paddle will be presented at a time designated by the Cheerleading Director. It is suggested that the awards be presented at the conclusion of the wrestling competition.
Article 2. Each participating state will be permitted to vote for three teams they feel deserve the award. The three teams on each ballot will receive points based on their ranking. The team ranked first will receive 5 points, the team ranked second will receive 3 and the team ranked third will receive 1 point. Upon collection of the ballots, the Cheer Director and at least one member of the Games Committee will tally the results. One team will be awarded the Spirit Paddle. Ballot is located in Appendix.
SECTION 4. Mascots
Article 1. Mascots will be recognized as Spirit Leaders. Ballots designating each team’s selection for “Most Spirited Mascot” (1 per team), will be collected at a time designated by the Cheerleading Director. The vote should be for the mascot showing the most enthusiasm and sportsmanship throughout the entire Wrestling and Cheerleading Competition.
Article 2. The most spirited mascot will be recognized at a time designated by the Cheerleading Director. It is suggested that the awards be presented at the conclusion of the wrestling competition.
RULE 6: ADAPTIVE EQUIPMENT
SECTION 1. DUAL SENSORY IMPAIRMENTS
Article 1. Cheerleaders who are totally blind and have a diagnosed and documented hearing loss at 40 dB or greater, aided (audiogram must be on file before championships) may use a personal device (including, but not limited to, a microphone, orientation aid, or a vibrating metronome) which compensates for their additional disability, yet not aiding nor interfering with any other member of the squad (participation as a base or flyer when using an additional adaptive accessory is prohibited) in order to allow that individual’s complete and safe participation with the rest of their squad.
Addendum
1) CHEERLEADING CLINIC
Article 1. A cheerleading clinic conducted by high school or college cheerleaders, or a specialist in the field, may be provided by the host school. This is determined by time allotted in the schedule.
Article 2. The host school may host a brief cheerleading clinic focusing on a specific skill. Included but not limited to various types of mounts, jumps, crowd pleasers, skits and pompom routines.
Article 3. In the event that either the pep rally or the clinic is held prior to the competition, the cheerleading squads will not be allowed to perform any part of their competition cheer while the judges are present. This includes the performance by the outstanding cheerleader.
Appendix
Routine Review Form
To be used by Games Committee during Mat Time:
| Music Length | Routine Length | Prop Measurements | |
| Team Routine | |||
| Outstanding Routine |
Outstanding Cheerleader Official Score Sheet
Team: ___________________________ Judge # ______
Scoring shall be done on a numerical scale from 0.5 to 5.0, with 5.0 being the highest. Please check strengths for each category.
| Category | Points | Strengths |
| Execution & Technique: | ________ | _____ Motions Sharp |
| _____ Motions Uniform | ||
| _____ Posture | ||
| _____ Precision of Motions | ||
| _____ Precision of Stunts | ||
| _____ Claps in Unison | ||
| _____ Jumps- Height | ||
| _____ Jumps- Extension | ||
| Rhythm: | ________ | _____ Timing of Routine |
| _____ Variations in Tempo | ||
| _____ Unity | ||
| _____ Flow of Routine | ||
| Creativity: | ________ | _____ Choreography |
| _____ Formations | ||
| _____ Transitions Use | ||
| _____ Stunts Variety | ||
| _____ Use of Props | ||
| Appearance: | ________ | _____ Neat and Well-groomed |
| _____ Smiles | ||
| _____ Poise | ||
| _____ Lack of Mistakes | ||
| Spirit & Enthusiasm: | ________ | _____ Voice Projection |
| _____ Spirit | ||
| _____ Showmanship | ||
| Total Points: | ________ | |
| Comments: | ||
Team Competition Official Score Sheet
Team: ___________________________ Judge # ______
Scoring shall be done on a numerical scale from 0.5 to 5.0, with 5.0 being the highest. Please check strengths for each category.
| Category | Points | Strengths |
| Execution & Technique: | ________ | _____ Motions Sharp |
| _____ Motions Uniform | ||
| _____ Posture | ||
| _____ Precision of Motions | ||
| _____ Precision of Stunts | ||
| _____ Claps in Unison | ||
| _____ Jumps- Height | ||
| _____ Jumps- Extension | ||
| Rhythm: | ________ | _____ Timing of Routine |
| _____ Variations in Tempo | ||
| _____ Unity | ||
| _____ Flow of Routine | ||
| Creativity: | ________ | _____ Choreography |
| _____ Formations | ||
| _____ Transitions Use | ||
| _____ Stunts Variety | ||
| _____ Use of Props | ||
| Appearance: | ________ | _____ Neat and Well-groomed |
| _____ Smiles | ||
| _____ Poise | ||
| _____ Lack of Mistakes | ||
| Spirit & Enthusiasm: | ________ | _____ Voice Projection |
| _____ Spirit | ||
| _____ Showmanship | ||
| Total Points: | ________ | |
| Comments: | ||
NCASB Cheer Mascot/Spirit Ballot
Mascot Award
Please list the top 3 mascots in order of preference that you feel has been a Spirit Leader during this year’s competition.
- _____________________________________
- _____________________________________
- _____________________________________
Spirit Award
Please indicate your top three choices for the Team Spirit Award. The team you rank first will receive 5 points, the team ranked second will receive 3 and the team ranked third will receive 1. Scores will be totaled by the Games Committee. You are not required to nominate three teams.