This session will introduce you to the new

women’s sport of STUNT.

It will cover the following issues:

1. How STUNT was developed and why

2. Guiding Principles and Objectives of STUNT

3. An overview of the structure of the game

including set up, scoring, and compulsory

routine development

4. Compliance with Title IX and overview of

current state of STUNT as a NCAA Emerging

Sport

Introduction to STUNT

About STUNT

STUNT is a competitive team sport

derived from athletic skills of traditional cheerleading.

• Crowd leading is removed.

• Focus is on technical and

athletic components of

cheerleading.

• Teams compete head-to-head

in 4-quarter game format.

• Scoring system is more

objective.

The goal of USA Cheer in developing STUNT is to create

a new sport, derived from cheer, that will accomplish the

following:

1. Satisfy all Title IX gender equity requirements and qualify for

sport status at the collegiate and high school level.

2. Create new opportunities for female athletes at the collegiate

and high school level. (At this time, there are no plans for

coed versions of this sport.)

3. To preserve traditional cheerleading as a vital and important

part of a school’s spirit program.

4. Governed by USA Cheer to maintain a close affiliation with

the popularity and athletic aspects of cheerleading.

5. Cost effective for schools to implement.

Objectives and Guiding Principles

STUNT Game Format

4 Quarters of Play

1st Quarter – Partner Stunts

2nd Quarter – Pyramids & Tosses

3rd Quarter – Group Jumps & Tumbling

4th Quarter – Team Performance

All 4 quarters will be multiple head-to-head rounds of

competition using compulsory routines developed by

USA Cheer and will include the music. This will allow all

teams to be able to compete, unlike traditional cheer

competitions where money can be issue with design of

routines and music.

STUNT Routine Layout

• There are compulsory routines for each of first 3 quarters,

choreographed by USA Cheer.

• Routines are in a proper progression and within current

safety guidelines.

• Routines and music are created and distributed by USA

Cheer.

• 4th quarter is combination of previous 3 quarter routines

Officiating

• Routine Officials score

routines based on the team that

best executes the routine.

• Referee controls game tempo and communicates routine calls.

• A Technical Official assists the Routine

Officials in determining the accuracy of

each team’s performance.

• In each round, points are earned

based on the ranking results:

Winning Team: 2 pts

Losing Team: 1 pt

(Forfeit: 0 pts)

• If there is a tie, both teams

receive 2 points.

• 4th quarter the points are double (in most cases)

because there are will be two rounds instead of four

rounds. This allows the 4th quarter to have the same

weight in deciding game as the other quarters

• This structure can be modified from state to state

depending on associations needs and wants for their

athletes

Scoring

STUNT Game Layout

STUNT Game Timeline

Pregame:

Arrival: 30 minutes officials and teams must arrive on site prior to team

warm-ups. This time will be given to you by the game coordinator.

Warm-up: This timeline will be given by the game coordinator (host school

or region rep).

Each team will have 15 minutes official warm up time on the

competition floor. Anytime prior to the start of the game the teams will

have access to warm up area by their respective bench

Following this break will be the team introductions, National Anthem and

the start of the game.

Game Timeline

• Team’s have 20 seconds to take the floor.

• Immediate scoring of the round, the judges will determine

the ranking of the teams and the scores will be displayed on

the scoreboard. This is based on execution errors.

• Quarters average 7 to 10 minutes in length.

• End of 1st and 3rd quarter there is a one minute break.

• 10 minute half (this is flexible).

STUNT Game Timeline

Roster Size and Costs

Roster Size

1. Maximum of 30 female athletes can be on a roster (this is flexible as well

depending on potential funding, need, etc.)

2. Maximum of 16 athletes needed for any quarter during a STUNT game

1. This can be adjusted for a small school version with maximum number of

athletes on floor is 8 (similar to 7 man football played in some states)

Estimated costs to start a STUNT team

1. Mats for games and practice – approximately $5000.00 (same type of mat used

by traditional cheer programs). Standard type recommended by AACCA is a

carpet bonded foam mat with a minimum of 1 3/8" thickness (not more than 2”)

2. Uniforms – similar cost to a volleyball or lacrosse uniform

3. Game costs

1. Official’s pay

1. USA Cheer recommends $75.00 per game ($375.00 total)

2. Pay scale would be similar to volleyball and can be adjusted for

multiple games (75 for 1st game and 50 for each additional)

4. Travel costs if an away game would be similar to travel costs for other sports

STUNT Compliance Update

NCAA Emerging Sport Criteria:• There must be 20 or more varsity teams and/or competitive club teams

that currently exist on college campuses in that sport.

• Other data exists that demonstrates support for the sport. For example:

• Collegiate recreation and intramural sponsorship.

• High-school sport sponsorship.

• Non-scholastic competitive programs.

• Association and organization support.

• U.S. Olympic Committee support (e.g., classified as an Olympic

sport, National Governing Body support, grants).

• Conference interest in sports sponsorship.

• Coaches Association support.

• Professional sports support.

• Upon meeting these standards, the CWA requires 10 letters of

commitment from member institutions that sponsor or intend to sponsor

the sport as an emerging sport.

STUNT Compliance Update

NCAA Emerging Sport Status- pending

USA Cheer met the minimum standards for NCAA emerging sport during its

first two seasons of STUNT and has submitted an application to the NCAA

Committee on Women’s Athletics (CWA) for review. The CWA is monitoring

the ongoing growth of STUNT and working with USA Cheer to advance its

proposal for emerging sport.

STUNT Compliance Update

Title IX compliance

• OCR has ruled that competitive cheer cannot count for Title IX

compliance

• Does not meet defined criteria for sport

• Collegiate programs prohibited from counting in EADA reports

without written certification from OCR—which OCR does not provide

• Litigation has upheld that competitive cheer cannot count for Title IX

• Quinnipiac University

• Michigan High School Athletic Association

STUNT Compliance Update

OCR Status-STUNT as a Title IX Solution to Cheer

USA Cheer has met and continues to meet with the Office for Civil Rights

(OCR) to ensure that STUNT is designed in a way that will be compliance

with OCR’s definition of sport.

OCR has indicated it supports the direction and growth of STUNT. In

addition, USA Cheer has received endorsements from several Title IX

advocacy groups including the Women’s Sports Foundation, American

Association of University Women, Sports Management Resources, and the

Southwest Women’s Law Center.

Current Status

Current status of STUNT at the High School level Oklahoma – Currently approximately 30 schools are playing a spring season.

You can go to http://brokenarrowtigers.tv/ and click on Broken Arrow Varsity

STUNT Competition to view some high school games played this spring

Florida – Currently organizing schools to play games as a club

Will be having a limited season (couple games per team) for a Northern KY

district

AR, VA and RI – Have had exhibitions at traditional cheer state championships

and are looking to expand and have some exhibitions going forward

California – 2nd spring to have games in CA. Could have up to 15 schools this

spring playing games.

Wake County in NC will be conducting a Title IX compliant season in the spring

of 2015. USA Cheer is in the process of finalizing the structure of the game,

training of officials and coaches

Have had initial interest/conversations with specific schools or state associations

in PA, WI, AL and TN to introduce STUNT

Can set these up in short period of time if needed for any states that show

interest in learning more about STUNT. Hope to continue to add to this list as

the fall goes on

Why STUNT Is The Best Choice

• More scheduling and competition opportunities for competing

teams with reduced travel cost

• Format easily implemented and easy to understand.

• Officials training simple, and abundant national selection pool

generating convenience and affordability.

• Closely affiliated, but completely separate, from popular

cheerleading and its huge participation base.

• This affiliation with traditional cheer is very important short term

because it allows for immediate large pool of athletes who

understand the sport and large general public following which

will allow for it to financially by viable quickly

Additional Information and Questions

Other sites to go to for informationhttp://usacheer.net/Content.aspx/Stunt/High_School_STUNT

This site has more detailed information, handbooks

http://highschoolstunt.org/wa-2014-stunt/

This is specific to WA for some exhibition games and will

give you an idea of how the state site would look

http://collegestunt.wpengine.com/

This site is about the collegiate version of the game

If you have any questions about the information in this

presentation or may not have been covered you can send

them to billahern@usacheer.net