In Australia, competetive Cheerleading is a rapidly growing sport.
Video Cheerleading in Australia
History
Prior to 2000, cheerleading was primarily known as the dance-and-pom style displayed by professional cheer squads for NRL rugby. The US movie Bring It On (released December 2000 in Australia) popularised acrobatic-style cheerleading, and has been credited with sparking subsequent development as a competitive sport.
Maps Cheerleading in Australia
Governing bodies
Gymnastics Australia
The Australian Cheerleading Union (ACU), founded in 2008 and managed by Gymnastics Australia (GA), was recognised as the official body by both the International Cheer Union (ICU) and by the Australian Sports Commission (ASC).
GA recognised Cheerleading (code CHL) as a "gymsport" alongside artistic, rhythmic, trampoline, acrobatic, and aerobic gymnastics. Cheer has similarities to acrobatic and floor gymnastics. Acrobatic Gymnastics (code ACR), also involves partner or group lifts, balance, and throws. Floor, which involves tumbling and balancing, is one of four disciplines that compose Women's Artistic Gymnastics (WAG) and one of six in Men's Artistic Gymnastics (MAG). All three (ACR, WAG, and MAG) are governed internationally by the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), whereas cheerleading is governed by the ICU.
In December 2017, GA resolved to cease being the governing body for cheerleading in Australia, with an exit process to proceed through 2018.
International All Star Federation and AASCF
As in the United States, the US All Star Federation (USASF) and its international version, the IASF, function as de facto governing bodies. Whereas the ICU world championships only allow one national team in each event from a given country, the USASF worlds accept all teams that have won bids from local championship competitions. Hence USASF coaching credentials and competition rules are seen as highly desirable.
The Australian All Star Cheerleading Federation (AASCF) is affiliated with USASF/IASF and has promoted the use of their rules in Australia.
Australian Cheer Sport Alliance
The Australian Cheer Sport Alliance (ACSA) was formed in 2017 (according to a social media post by them on 2018-03-18), with board members from Gymnastics Australia, Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique, Australian All Star Cheer Federation, and Aussie Gold. It is promoted as "Australia's Peak Body" for cheerleading.
In early 2018, in response to GA's withdrawal, ACSA applied to the ICU to be the officially "recognised body for cheerleading in Australia".
ACSA runs a "Sanctioned Events" program to accredit event organisers that meet safety and competition standards.
Coach accreditation
USASF coach credentialing is provided in Australia by The Australian All Star Cheer Federation (AASCF), and previously also by World Cup Cheer and Dance (WCCD).
As at 2018, some competition events accept either GA (Coach Education Framework for Cheerleading) or USASF accreditation for coaches.
Rules
Most competition events follow USASF/IASF rules for age divisions, difficulty levels, and terminology.
As of 2016, the age divisions are:
- Tiny, under 5 years old
- Mini, under 8
- Youth, under 10
- Junior, under 14
- Senior, 10 to 18
- Open, over 14
USASF difficulty or safety levels are numbered 1-6. These are combined with the age divisions, so a competition event might have different sections such as Level 1 Mini, Junior level 1, Junior level 2, Senior level 2 and Senior level 5, for example. Level 5 is further subdivided into all-girl and co-ed.
USASF also has provisions for Special Needs, Junior Restricted, and Senior Restricted, but these are not often seen in Australia with its smaller performing base.
ICU levels are similar to USASF, but are named Prep, Basic, Prep Advanced, Advanced, Elite, and Premier, for levels 1 to 6 respectively.
Within each level, only certain moves are allowed. This allows teams to compete with others at the same level of ability, and disallowing more difficult moves prevents competitors from dangerously attempting moves beyond their ability.
Australian all-star competitions generally have a Novice level with the same restrictions as Level 1. This is similar, but not identical, to the USASF Prep level (which in turn is different from ICU Prep). In 2016(?) WCCD replaced Novice with Prep to align with current USASF usage.
Scoring
Scoring systems vary depending on the event organiser.
At AASCF competitions, the components of cheer routines - standing and running tumbling, jumps, stunts, pyramids, and tosses - are scored separately out of 5.0 for difficulty and for technique. Stunts and pyramids are also scored for creativity, so they are worth 15.0 instead of 10.0 points. Building skills (stunts, pyramids, tosses) account for 45 points out of 100 (35 of 90 at Level 1 where there are no tosses); tumble skills (tumbling and jumps) for 30 points; and an additional 25 points are scored on dance break, overall routine composition and performance. Points are deducted for falls and rule violations.
In 2015, four event organisers formulated a common scoring system which they named the "Australian Independent Scoring System" (AISS), also known as the AIEP scoring system.
Under this system, scores are apportioned as follows:
- 50% Building Skills (Stunt/Pyramids/Tosses)
- 30% Tumbling Skills (Standing/Running/Jumps)
- 20% Dance & Choreography
Competition organisers
The major cheer competitions in Australia are run by cheer federations and by independent event organisers.
- Australian All Star Cheerleading Federation (AASCF) is affiliated with USASF and IASF. Runs a number of competitions, including State Championships (6 states), Nationals, and the bid-only Pinnacle championships. Founded in April 2006.
- Australian Independent Event Producers (AIEP)
- Aussie Gold International Cheer & Dance Championships are held annually at the Gold Coast Exhibition Centre in Queensland. Aussie Gold also runs events in regional Queensland and in several state capitals. Brisbane and Rockhampton were added in 2016; Mackay, Perth, and Adelaide in 2017; and Melbourne in 2018.
- CheerCon, a supplier of cheerleading uniforms and accessories founded in 2008, CheerCon also runs competitions in eastern and southern states.
- Cheer Unlimited Australia (CUA). Founded in 2011 and based in Western Australia, CUA runs events in WA, South Australia, and Queensland.
- Spirit Industries Australia (SIA) runs an annual event in Sutherland, south of Sydney in NSW.
- Battle at the Beaches, an outdoor competition at Manly, NSW.
- CheerBrandz. Based in Auckland, CheerBrandz runs events in New Zealand and Australia.
- Dance and Cheer Events (DCE), formerly World Cup Cheer and Dance (WCCD) - all states.
Notes
References
Source of article : Wikipedia
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