All sports · Sport guide
Cheerleading, for the parent in it.
Every read, drill, calendar, pathway, rule, and recruiting note we have on cheerleading. Use this as the front door.
25 pieces.
From The Drawer for cheerleading
Cost
What does cheerleading actually cost?
Pre-filled annual estimates by tier. Edit any line.
Pathway
Cheerleading by age
What good looks like at 7, 10, 13, 15.
Calendar
The cheerleading year
All-star competitive cheer under USASF rules. Tryouts and team placements in May, skill building through summer, choreography camp in July or August, routine cleaning all fall, competition season November through April ending at The Summit and Worlds in Orlando.
Rules
Rules at-a-glance
Five-minute primer.
Reads
Cheerleading articles
age 15-plus · Jul 6, 2026
Cheer scholarships: what parents need to know
One sentence explains the whole confusion: cheerleading and STUNT are not the same scholarship conversation.
age 15-plus · Jul 6, 2026
College cheer and STUNT recruiting: how it actually works
No recruiting service is going to do this for you. Here's what actually gets a coach's attention.
age 15-plus · Jul 6, 2026
Sideline cheer vs All Star vs STUNT: the three tracks
Three activities, one word, and a lot of parents at the wrong meeting.
age 15-plus · Jul 6, 2026
Varsity cheer tryouts: the real odds
Judges aren't scoring school spirit. They're scoring three things, and a smile isn't one of them.
age 15-plus · Jul 6, 2026
When your kid doesn't make the competitive cheer squad she wanted
The list goes up, her name is on the wrong line, and your job is not to explain why.
age 13-14 · Jul 4, 2026
Cheer Placement Week: Why Tryouts Look Different for This Sport
There's no cut list taped to a door. There's a spreadsheet nobody sees until Friday, built from four different stations your kid rotated through all week.
age all-ages · Jun 11, 2026
Cheer Competition Packing List: What Actually Goes in the Bag
The uniform is the easy part. Here's everything else that needs to be in the bag before you go to sleep.
age 11-12 · Jun 11, 2026
Cheer stunt safety: what parents should know
How stunt safety rules work, what qualified programs do differently, and what red flags to watch for.
age 11-12 · Jun 11, 2026
Cheer tryouts: what to expect
What happens at a cheer tryout, how coaches evaluate athletes, and what your kid should practice beforehand.
age 11-12 · Jun 11, 2026
Competitive cheer vs sideline cheer: what's the difference?
Two different sports wearing the same name — here is what each one actually involves.
age all-ages · Jun 11, 2026
First Season of Competitive Cheer: What You're Actually Signing Up For
Sideline and all-star are two different sports. Know which one you're in before you write the check.
age 8-10 · Jun 11, 2026
Youth cheerleading: what parents need to know
What youth cheer programs actually look like, what kids learn, and what you are committing to.
Drills
Cheerleading drills
4 drills total. Most recent shown.
The Sideline File
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Concussion: protocol, return to play, your state law
What a concussion actually is, what the trainer or coach should be doing in the first ten minutes, and how return-to-play works under your state law.
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Spinal injury right now: do not move the kid
Suspected cervical-spine injury on the field. The protocol that prevents the temporary injury from becoming permanent.
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Suspected concussion right now: same-day pull, written clearance
The first ten minutes after the hit. What the trainer, coach, or parent does in order. Sideline triage, not medical advice.
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What's actually dangerous about youth cheer and stunt
Catastrophic-injury rates higher than most other youth sports. The spotting protocols, the progression rules, and the catastrophic-injury data that drives the standards.