The Cheer & Dance Championships consist of approximately 400+ teams competing this year at the HP Field House. Cheer & Dance teams compete in six YCADA Divisions (PW 1, PW 2, PW 3, PW4, Pom Performance and Theme Dance).
They are also classified by age division: Jr. Peewee, Peewee, Jr. Varsity, Varsity and Bantam.
This year's Cheerleading Championships will further sub-divide by size, and feature competitions in the SMALL, MEDIUM and LARGE divisions:
- Small Teams: 6-12 cheerleaders
- Medium Teams: 13-24 cheerleaders
- Large Teams: Up to 35 cheerleaders (minimum 25)
Also, for the fifth straight year, participants from the Pop Warner Mitey-Mite Division will also be performing on the opening day of the event on Saturday, December 3, 2016, along with teams from the Tiny-Mite Division.
For a cheerleading or dance team, the difficult road to the national championship is quite similar to that of the football teams. A spirit team will showcase their best 2:30 routine at the League Championship, the top two teams in each division advance to the Region Championships.
At the Region Event, a spirit team will again perform their routine in hopes of placing first or second in their respective division to be invited to perform at ESPNs Wide World of Sports Complex.
The 2016 Pop Warner National Cheer & Dance Championships are taking place from Saturday, December 3rd through Friday, December 9th at ESPN's Wide World of Sports™ Complex.
