Cheer 101: All Star Cheer Season Explained & How Bids Work

The all star cheer season is one of the most exciting times of the year with a schedule full of action from October to May! A lot goes on in those eight months from hundreds of competitions to the exciting post-season events where teams put one final exclamation mark on their season. You might be wondering how the All Star cheer season truly works from start to finish, or you might be wondering the process of how full paid bids and at-large bids are awarded. We have you covered with Cheer 101: How The All Star Season Works! 

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All Star Cheer Season Breakdown

The All Star cheer competition season runs from October to May. You can view the full event streaming schedule now on Varsity TV. The regular season kicks off on October 26, 2024 with the first all star event of the season in San Antonio, TX at the Cheer Power San Antonio Halloween Challenge. The regular season goes all the way to April before post-season events begin. At every competition offered this season, each individual team performs their routine on stage. The goal is to "hit zero" which means to hit their routine free of any mistakes or deductions to earn their highest score possible. A solid routine and strong showing at a competition provides teams with the opportunity to secure a bid to a post-season event. 

What Are Post-Season Events? 

Post-season events are elite cheer competitions that happen at the end of the season in late April and early May. Most of these events serve as the "grand finale" to a team's season and the last opportunity to compete on stage together. To compete at one of these events, your team has to be invited to attend by earning a bid to the event. 

Post-season events include:

• The Cheerleading Worlds – Senior/International Level 6 & 7
• The Summit 
• The D2 Summit 
• The Regional Summit
• The Recreational Summit
• The Youth Summit 
• The US Finals**
  • Anyone can register for these events, but teams can earn a "Golden Ticket," which pays their registration fees. 

How Bids Work

Bids to post-season events are awarded based on the results of performance/competition, and are distributed based on the designated event type (Challenge Events, Classic Events, Showdown 1-Day Events, Showdown 2-Day Events, National 1-Day Events (NEW!), National 2-day Events, Grand National Events, Super National Events). 

• Everything you need to know about bid distribution to post-season championships can be found here.

For The Summit Championships, there are four different types of bids a team can receive: 

1. Wild Card Bids
   • Wild Card bids will go to the highest-scoring bid eligible teams across different levels. The levels will be divided as follows: L1, L2, L3, L4, and L4.2/L5/L6.
   • A Wild Card bid qualifies your team to compete in the preliminary round of The Summit Championships. Only teams with a Wild Card bid compete in this round. 
2. At-Large Bids
   • At-Large bids will go to the highest-scoring bid eligible teams across different levels. At events where PAID or PARTIAL-PAID bids are awarded, AT-LARGE bids will then go to the highest-scoring bid eligible teams across the different remaining levels. International bids are ONLY offered at specific 2-day events and are only eligible for AT-LARGE bids designated specifically for teams in IASF divisions.
   • The At-Large bid qualifies a team to be moved past the preliminary round to compete straight into the semi-final round. 
3. Partial-Paid Bids
   • Partial-Paid bids will go to the highest-scoring bid eligible teams across different levels. The levels will be divided as follows: L1, L2, L3, L4, L4.2/5/6.
   • A Partial-Paid bid means a team moves past the preliminary round to compete straight into the semi-final round. The organization awarding the bid will also pay a portion of each athlete's registration fee. 
4. Paid Bids 
   • Paid bids will go to the highest-scoring bid eligible teams across different levels. At Non-Worlds bid events, the levels will be divided as follows: L1, L2, L3, L4, L4.2/L5/L6. At Worlds bid events, the levels will be divided as follows: L1, L2, L3, L4, L4.2, L5/L6
   • The most prestigious type of bid to earn – this means the organization awarding the bid pays the entire team's registration fees. 

It's also important to remember to follow along with The Varsity Cheer League, the season-long points race. At the end of the season, all eligible teams in the Top 25 in each of the 40 standard League Conferences without a bid to The Summit Championships will receive an At-Large bid to their respective championship event.

For The Cheerleading Worlds, a team can either receive an At-Large Bid or a Full Paid Bid. There are no Wild Card Bids for The Cheerleading Worlds. 

Can A Team Upgrade Their Bid During The Season?

This is a popular question. If a team earns an At-Large bid or Wild Card bid early on in the season, can they still be in the running to try to upgrade to a Full Paid bid? The answer is YES! The goal for all teams is to try to secure a bid early on in the season to know they have the ability to attend a post-season event. But teams can continue to work hard throughout the remainder of the season to aim for a full paid bid. The process would still be the same with the paid bid awarded to the highest-scoring bid eligible team across the different levels. 

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