U.S. All Star Federation - Cheer & Dance

All Star is at an all new level

The U.S. All Star Federation is not just an organization; we are a family, a community that supports and empowers athletes to reach new levels! Whether in training or in competition, the USASF serves as a vital link, connecting athletes with dedicated cheer and dance professionals who strive to uphold the highest standards in athlete protection, compliance, fairness and safety. We provide athletes with access to the most prestigious All Star events and opportunities to showcase their talents on regional, national and worldwide stages. With access to the best member clubs and educational resources, athletes have the tools to conquer new skills and unlock their true potential.

Revisions to USASF Dance/Cheer Rules & Age Grids announced
May 21, 2024

Dance Rules & Age Grid 2024-2025

The following changes were made since the early release of the rules in February. If you have any questions, please email smbate@usasf.net.

Dance Age Grid

Modified the category description of Kick to include the word alignment.
Addition to inform members that MALE dancers must compete on the performance surface not just be rostered for a routine to qualify as COED.
The Open Division will no longer be split into small and large at USASF Sanctioned Events.
Open Kick will no longer receive bids to The Dance Worlds.

Dance Rules

Youth Prep is now also allowed to release their heads back in jumps and perform two fouettes.

Updates to IASF Divisions

Teams that plan on competing in Open/International divisions during the upcoming season, should plan to review the IASF Age Grid for 2024-25. Notable changes include:

The IASF has removed the Elite and Premier divisions at The Dance Worlds 2025 to better align with the international division standards of performance cheer and to avoid team size inconsistency. Additionally, the IASF is removing the Kick divisions of Open and Junior Dance due to aligning with performance cheer and low international participation. As a result, the IASF/Open divisions at Worlds 2025 will not be split by size (example: Open Elite Pom or Open Premier Pom; instead they will compete in Open Pom). Open Kick will not be offered. In summary, the following IASF divisions will be offered at The Dance Worlds 2025:

Open Hip Hop

Open Coed Hip Hop

Open Male Hip Hop

Open Jazz

Open Coed Jazz

Open Pom

Open Coed Pom

Open Open (Contemporary/Lyrical)

Junior Dance (Hip Hop, Jazz and/or Pom) U.S. video entry only

6-30 members apply for each division

Both male and female dancers must perform in order for a routine to be considered coed. Dancers who make up a coed composition must be rostered AND take the competition floor.

Cheer Rules & Age Grid 2024-2025

Please take a moment to review the cheer rules and age grid for next season. Below are the changes made since the early release of the rules in February. If you have any questions, please email acarter@usasf.net.

Stated when same-sized teams from the same club (Elite - non-Worlds, non-International) may request to not compete against each other.
All International Levels 1-4 divisions offered on the USASF Age Grid now have a 30-athlete maximum.
International Levels 1-4 divisions may now be split by size, “Small” (16-24) and “Medium” (25-30).

USASF announces chair and vice chair to start December 1, 2023
November 8, 2023

The U.S. All Star Federation is pleased to introduce the Chair and Vice Chair of the USASF Board of Directors, who will step into their roles on December 1.

First, we must acknowledge that Ali Stangle, who served as the board’s interim chair following the passing of the previous chair, Kathy Penree, will now move to an advisory seat after these appointments.

Nicole Leago Devall has been appointed chair of the board. A coach/consultant with Odyssey Cheer Company, Nicole has been a dedicated member of the board since 2021. She is also the founder and former owner of University Cheer Air Force, which operated as both a D1 and D2 club for more than 30 years. In addition to her role as a cheer judge, Nicole coaches and choreographs for various school teams and holds certification as a life coach.

Robin Coe has been appointed vice chair of the board. She has more than 36 years of experience in cheer and dance in a variety of roles including coach, club owner, judge and consultant. She is the founder of Spirit Festival and Winners Choice Championships. Robin previously served as the USASF Northeast Regional Director, was a member of the National Advisory Board and has been on the Board of Directors since 2022. In addition to being the parent of an All Star athlete, she is the Head of Partnerships at Double Good Virtual Fundraising.

Stay tuned, there will be more exciting news to come.

Tara Rall to bring new POV to USASF Board of Directors
September 11, 2023

The USASF Board of Directors is pleased to announce the election of Tara Rall from Maryland Twisters to the current board. Tara is set to assume her duties for the newly established coach seat in December. In the recent election, which saw active participation from over 500 coach members, Tara Rall received 34% of the votes, while Kristen Jones garnered 33%, and Owen Cox secured 25%. Approximately 8% refrained from voting.

Tara, the owner and visionary behind Maryland Twisters, which is now entering its 26th season, has an impressive track record in the sport. She has previously contributed her expertise to the USASF National Advisory Board and served a decade on the original Rules Committee, playing a pivotal role in shaping the level concepts.

In her video bio Tara stated: “I want to help everybody in this sport and continue to grow it. It’s an amazing industry — the kids are so resilient, the coaches are so passionate and the owners are so smart. I know I don’t know everything and I want to continue to learn from all of you, including the younger generation.”

Please join us in congratulating Tara on this achievement.

The Dance Worlds announces additional day of competition
July 24, 2023

The Dance World Championship will kick off on Friday, April 26, and run through Monday, April 29, 2024. Over the past few years, event producers have experienced All Star growth, enabling them to award an increasing number of Dance Worlds bids. To accommodate the growth and help ensure a magical experience for everyone, it is necessary to expand the event to four days. The extra day will feature the following divisions/rounds:

USASF Senior Small Jazz - preliminary round for U.S. teams with at-large bids
USASF Senior Small Pom - preliminary round for U.S. teams with at-large bids
USASF Senior Small Contemporary Lyrical - preliminary round for U.S. teams with at-large bids
IASF Junior Division - semi-final round for all teams

Advancement. U.S. teams with at-large bids will compete in prelims on the first day of the competition. A minimum of 50 percent of prelim teams will advance to the semi-final round. Prelim teams advancing to semi-finals will be reverse-seeded and distributed among the partial-paid bid teams within the performance order. The Junior Division will follow the IASF Open Division protocol where the top three teams from each country advance from the semi-finals to the finals. Scores do not carry over from one round to the next.

We are currently evaluating how the remaining divisions/rounds will flow on Saturday-Monday, as we work to strive for more balanced days allowing dancers, judges and staff more time to regroup and prepare for the upcoming day's competition. Stay tuned and be sure to visit TheDanceWorlds.net to stay up-to-date with the latest event information.

In 2024, we anticipate celebrating more than 450 dance teams and 6,000 dancers from 25 countries. We hope to see you there!

THE DANCE WORLDS
April 26-29, 2024
Disney's Coronado Springs Resort
Orlando, FL

The Dance Worlds announces division updates
June 21, 2023

Each year following Worlds, the USASF and IASF evaluate the most recent divisions offered to ensure they remain competitive. With increased international participation and growth in certain genres, The Dance Worlds announces the following division updates.

USASF SENIOR DIVISIONS
Senior Small Contemporary/Lyrical will conduct a preliminary round for at-large bid recipients
Senior Small Jazz and Senior Small Pom will conduct a preliminary round for at-large bid recipients

IASF OPEN DIVISIONS
These divisions will split by size:

Open Open
• Open Open Elite 6-15 members
• Open Open Premier 16-30 members

Open Jazz
• Open Elite Jazz 6-15 members
• Open Premier Jazz 16-30 members

Open Pom
• Open Elite Pom 6-15 members
• Open Premier Pom 16-30 members

IASF JUNIOR DIVISION REMINDER
U.S. teams only: The bottom age for Juniors on the USASF age grid DID NOT come up to match the International age grid for the 2023-24 season. If you plan to roster a Junior team to be considered for selection to compete at The Dance Worlds you must meet IASF age grid and division requirements. Go to: IASF AGE GRID AND DIVISIONS.

All other divisions will remain the same from 2023. Watch for updates to be posted on TheDanceWorlds.net soon.

2023-24 membership season opens with enhanced athlete protection measures
June 1, 2023

USASF knows the All Star community continues to thrive when we can help provide positive and nurturing environments for our athletes in training and in competition. With best practices in place, the All Star community works to actively safeguard our athletes, aiming to help prevent misconduct or abuse. One such practice is the required JDP background checks for adult participants of the USASF. New for the 2023/24 season is JDP’s introduction of Verified Identification (vID) to the background check process. vID is highly accurate, fraud-protected identity verification to better safeguard our athletes and the security of our members’ data. vID uses your phone’s camera to scan your ID and to take a real-time selfie to ensure the member applicant matches the ID. vID is quick and easy. All you need is a valid state-issued photo ID and your phone.
For more information: usasf.net/background-screening

Members can merge multiple roles into one account
June 1, 2023

Adult members with more than one membership category now have the option to merge their various member profiles into one account. For example, a coach who is also an athlete may combine the separate accounts into one; a coach who is also a parent of an athlete may combine their coach and athlete accounts. This will enable the member to maintain just one login with the ability to toggle between the various profiles. Each adult member participating in more than one membership category will receive a notification that multiple profiles have been found and prompted to designate one email address for their login username. Fees for each member type still must be paid separately. Eligibility requirements for each role must be met.

New abuse prevention training required for Exceptional Athlete coaches
June 1, 2023

USASF coaches who select Exceptional Athlete in their account profiles are now required to complete specialized abuse prevention training. This course is in addition to the regular abuse prevention training required of all coach members. Both trainings will be prompted in the member profile.

USASF releases updated Code of Conduct & Compliance
June 1, 2023

The USASF strives to create a safe, stable and nurturing sport where athletes can train, compete and ultimately thrive. Promoting environments free from abuse and misconduct help shape a child’s future for many years to come. The policies outlined in the USASF Code of Conduct & Compliance (THE CODE) are intended to reduce, monitor and govern the areas where potential abuse and misconduct might occur. We encourage all members to review and bookmark THE CODE.