The Drawer · Season calendar · Cheerleading

All-star cheer: year-round competition cycle

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.

Cheerleading · Travel/club · National · Year-round: tryouts in May, comp season Nov–Apr

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Jan · Peak

Competitions most weekends
National-qualifier events
Bid announcements start landing

Feb · Peak

Major national competitions
Bid chases for Summit and Worlds

Mar · Peak

Competition season continues
Routine changes to fix scoring gaps

Coaches change the routine mid-season to chase score sheets. Extra practices get added with a week's notice. This is normal, not a crisis.

Apr · Peak

The Cheerleading Worlds (older, higher-level teams, Orlando)
The Summit (Orlando) for bid earners
Season ends

May · Build

Tryouts and team placements
Registration, USASF athlete membership
First payment of the new season

Placements are the gym's call and the level your kid lands at is a skills decision, not a loyalty reward. Ask what skills move her up before signing for the year.

Jun · Build

Skill-building practices
Tumbling classes
Stunt group assignments

Jul · Peak

Choreography camp (mandatory, multi-day, scheduled by the gym)
Music fees and choreography fees due

Choreography camp dates are set by the gym and missing them is a roster problem. Book family vacation around it or before it, never on it.

Aug · Build

Routine sections learned
Uniform fittings and orders
School-year practice schedule starts

Sep · Build

Full-routine practices
Cleaning begins
Bow, shoes, and makeup orders

Oct · Build

Mock competitions and showcase for parents
Final routine tweaks

Nov · Peak

First competitions of the season
Travel weekends begin

Dec · Peak

December competitions
Short holiday break, then back at it

Off Rest Build Taper Peak

All-star cheer is a twelve-month sport billed monthly, and the season your kid competes in was built the previous summer. Tryouts in May, skills in June, choreography in July, cleaning all fall, and then five straight months of competition from November to April. The off-season is two weeks, maybe.

The cost structure deserves a flat warning. Monthly tuition, choreography and music fees, uniform, shoes, bows, competition fees, and travel stack to $3,000–8,000 a year at most gyms, and the payments are spread out so no single invoice looks alarming. Ask for the all-in annual number at tryouts.

Worlds and Summit are real goals for a small slice of teams and marketing copy for the rest. A gym that talks about bids more than it talks about safe progressions, certified coaches, and USASF compliance has its priorities visible.

Last updated June 2026.

For Cheerleading families

Age pathway

→ Cheer pathway: rec cheer through All Star and varsity

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