Alberta Cheerleading Association
The Alberta Cheerleading Association (ACA) is the Provincial/Territorial Sport Organization (PTSO) for cheerleading in
| Abbreviation | ACA |
|---|---|
| Formation | May 11, 1988 |
| Headquarters | Edmonton, Alberta |
Membership | 18 All Star Gyms, 46 Schools (including Post Secondary) |
| Website | https://albertacheerleading.ca |
Alberta, Canada. It is the governing body for cheerleading in Alberta and became a registered non-for-profit organization on May 11, 1988[1], and is a member of Cheer Canada.
Organization[edit]
Cheerleading in Alberta can be traced back to the 1980s, when the first competitive teams were formed in schools.[2] In 1984, the Alberta Schools' Athletics Association (ASAA) first recognized cheerleading as a sport in high school athletics.[1][3] The ACA is governed by the Societies Act, has its own set of bylaws and policies, and follows its partner organizations' bylaws and rules.
For more information on membership, please read below.
National and International Federations[edit]
In 2005, the Alberta Cheerleading Association began work with other cheerleading provincial/territorial sport organizations to form a national sports organization for cheerleading.[1] As a result, Cheerleading Canada Inc. (Cheer Canada) was formed, and on April 12, 2019 the Canadian Olympic Committee granted full recognition of Cheer Canada as the National Sport Organization for cheerleading.[4][5]
On July 20, 2021, the International Cheer Union (ICU) received full recognition as the international federation of cheerleading at the 138th Session of the International Olympics Committee.[6]
Disciplines[edit]
The Alberta Cheerleading Association (ACA) supports three disciplines of cheerleading (sport). In Alberta, cheerleading first began as a school sport and grew into club programs, known as All Star Cheerleading.
All Star Cheerleading (Club)[edit]
All Star or club cheerleading began, in Alberta, in the early 2000s as a way for athletes that graduated high school and/or post secondary to continue in the sport in a competitive setting. By the 2010s, All Star cheerleading grew to incorporate athletes from 3 years old to adult with several club program options across the province. All Star Cheer includes recreation, prep, and competitive programs. Teams typically train year-round and compete from December through May. Routines are made up of Stunts and Pyramids (building), Tosses, Jumps, Tumbling, and Dance synchronized to music. All Star teams can compete in the Global division, which also includes a team cheer/chant that is similar to traditional cheerleading, at the beginning of the routine.
Since 2011, several teams in Alberta earned bids to attend the annual IASF Cheerleading Worlds in Walt Disney World, Florida. Two teams from Alberta were selected to represent Junior Team Canada in the Junior All Girl and Junior Coed divisions at the inaugural ICU Junior World Championships in 2018.
On October 2, 2021, Alberta captured its first podium finish at the IASF World Cheerleading Championships held virtually (due to COVID-19 pandemic).
Performance Cheer[edit]
Performance Cheer, also known as dance, is a discipline that includes 3 categories/genres: Pom, Hip Hop, Jazz. Performance Cheer teams perform dance routines to music and may include some acrobatic lifts and gymnastics, as part of the movements, but do not have specific building or tumbling sections. Teams are scored on their artistic movements, synchronization, and technical execution of skills.
Performance cheer teams are part of schools, post secondary institutions, or all star gyms. Some programs have both cheerleading and performance cheer teams as options. Performance cheer is not recognized as a division by the ASAA, so High School (Grades 10-12) Performance Cheer teams do not compete at the ASAA Cheerleading Provincial Championships.
In 2021, an Alberta performance cheer team was selected to represent Canada in the Pom category at the 2021 ICU Cheer and Dance World Championships, held virtually (due to COVID-19 pandemic) on October 8 - 9, 2021.
Scholastic Cheerleading[edit]
Scholastic cheerleading is the original form of the sport in Alberta. Scholastic cheerleading teams represent their schools and must incorporate a team cheer/chant as part of their routine. Some scholastic cheerleading teams also participate as spirit teams for other sports and activities in their schools, like football and basketball, to help encourage and lead fans in chants and school spirit. Students from Grades 1 through 12 can participate on Scholastic Cheerleading teams and College/University students participate on Post Secondary teams. High School students (Grades 10 - 12) are not eligible to compete in both All Star and Scholastic Cheerleading, due to an ASAA policy, in the same season.
In 2016, Alberta qualified its first scholastic teams to attend the ICU World School Cheerleading Championships (WSCC) and the ICU University World Cup Cheerleading Championships. Alberta schools and post-secondary Institutions that have competed at the global event, to date, include Edwin Parr High School, Harry Ainlay High School, Ross Sheppard High School, St. Francis Xavier High School, Victoria School of the Arts, University of Alberta and W.P. Wagner High School. Due to the timeline of the WSCC, teams qualify for the championship during their current season for the following season.
The University of Alberta Cheer Team has qualified 3 times to compete at the ICU University World Cup Cheerleading Championships (UWCC), winning Bronze in 2018 and Gold in 2019. In 2020, they qualified to attend the UWCC in 2021 but the event is delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7]
Post Secondary (College and University) Cheerleading Teams[edit]
Cheerleading is not recognized by U Sports as a university sport. Teams function as clubs on campus. A list of Alberta post secondary teams:
- Keyano College (Fort McMurray)
- MacEwan University (Edmonton)
- University of Alberta (Edmonton)
- University of Calgary (Calgary)
- University of Lethbridge (Lethbridge)
Membership[edit]
Organizations, in Alberta, with athletes that train or compete in the sport of cheerleading, including recreational and competitive teams, must be registered members and meet the requirements of members each year. Teams must be members of the ACA and Cheer Canada to participate in ACA sanctioned events. Cheerleading Coaches and Officials must be registered members of the association to participate and obtain certification. Organizations that produce competitions in Alberta must be registered members, and follow all sanction requirements, to produce an event. Other organizations that support cheerleading are also encouraged to become members.
All members must follow the ACA Code of Conduct, Bylaws and other applicable policies to remain in good standing.
Education[edit]
The ACA provides education and certification courses for coaches and officials in Alberta. It currently develops and facilitates its own Coaches' Certification program, ACA Coaches' Certification, for scholastic cheer coaches and performance cheer coaches.[8] All Star coaches obtain their practical skills credentials from the ICU. Coaches, in all disciplines, are also required to take several supporting coach certification courses and exams to maintain their certification. Coaches are required to re-certify the practical skills portion every three years to ensure they remain current in athlete development and safety practices.
In 2021, Cheer Canada announced its plan to launch the first phase of a national coaches' certification program in 2022, which replaces the ACA Coaches' Certification program, that will be administered by PTSOs.[9]
The ACA facilitates the Cheer Canada Judges' Training program for cheerleading officials in Alberta.[10]
Championships[edit]
The ACA sanctions several cheerleading competitions in Alberta produced by independent event producers, as well as hosts an annual competition and co-hosts zones and provincial competitions for Elementary and Junior High Schools.[11] These events include:
- True North Cheer and Dance Championships[12]
- Formerly the ACA Championships at West Edmonton Mall[13]
- ACA Edmonton Elementary and Junior High Zones
- ACA Elementary and Junior High Provincials
There is currently no provincial championship held for All Star cheerleading teams. Script error: No such module "AfC submission catcheck".
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "About Us". Alberta Cheerleading Association. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ↑ Bremness, Rick (November 19, 2018). "Grey Cup the last hurrah for Esks cheer team coach who lifted sport to new heights". CBC News Edmonton. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
- ↑ "About | Alberta Schools' Athletic Association". www.asaa.ca. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ↑ "Recognition Letter Cheer Canada" (PDF). Canada Olympic Committee. Archived from the original (PDF) on
|archive-url=requires|archive-date=(help). Unknown parameter|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "COC Recognized Organizations". Team Canada - Official Olympic Team Website. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ↑ "The Recognized World Governing Body of Cheerleading: ICU Receives Full IOC Recognition". cheerunion.org. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ↑ "University of Alberta Cheer Team | Campus & Community Recreation". www.ualberta.ca. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ↑ "Scholastic Coach Certification (ACA)". Alberta Cheerleading Association. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ↑ "Cheer Canada Coaching Certification Program". Alberta Cheerleading Association. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ↑ "Become a Judge". Alberta Cheerleading Association. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ↑ "Competitions & Events". Alberta Cheerleading Association. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ↑ "ACA True North Cheer & Dance Championships". Alberta Cheerleading Association. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ↑ "ACA Cheerleading Championships at West Edmonton Mall". edmontonjournal. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
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