Two Sides: The Summit

adriane callahan, bravo allstars, cheer extreme allstars, Courtney Smith-Pope, the summit, Varsity May 13, 2015

As The Summit heads into its third year and large-scale end-of-year events continue to trend throughout the industry, gym owners and coaches are reflecting on its impact. Some gym owners have felt a ripple effect from this rising tide, saying that parents and lower-level athletes are now laser-focused on getting bids to the Summit—but not everyone views this development as a positive one. So what’s the true impact? We spoke with Bravo All Stars owner Adriane Callahan and Cheer Extreme Allstars owner Courtney Smith-Pope to explore various perspectives.

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Know the Score: Unified vs. Universal

JAM Brands, Scoring, Varsity December 29, 2014

For years, cheer professionals have made the call for a massive scoring overhaul—and this season, the event producers have answered. This year, two brand-new scoring systems will be introduced to meet the need for a new approach at events. “Recently, there has been a push from coaches to unify scoring across the industry,” explains JAM Brands co-owner Dan Kessler. “For many years, scoring was different between event producers, and coaches were having to change their choreography and routines throughout the season.”

Blogs

Varsity merges with BSN Sports

BSN Sports, Herff Jones, merger, Varsity May 16, 2013

New news from Varsity today — the company has merged with Texas-based BSN, a marketer and distributor of team sportswear. See an excerpt from the official press release below: Herff Jones, Inc. (“Herff Jones”) has signed a definitive agreement providing for a business combination with BSN Sports, Inc. (“BSN”). Dallas based BSN is a leading marketer, more »

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Eyes Off the Prize: All-Star Prep and Half-Year Teams

half-year teams, summit, Varsity May 6, 2013

Are all-star prep and lower-level teams the future of all-star cheerleading?

Over this past weekend, hundreds of athletes converged on Walt Disney World for an epic cheer competition. Worlds? Not exactly. This year marks the debut of the Summit, a Varsity All-Star event catering to teams in non-Worlds divisions. Following a similar template to Worlds, the Summit awarded 107 paid bids and 355 at-large bids to more than 450 teams of all levels.

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Industry Reaction to GrowCheer.org

Cheer Athletics, GrowCheer.org, USASF, Varsity February 15, 2013

Yesterday’s announcement about GrowCheer.org and the push for an independent USASF sparked a range of reactions throughout the industry. While USASF has declined to comment on the matter, we were able to speak with Varsity’s VP of Public Relations Sheila Noone to learn their company’s stance. “Everything Varsity does is with an eye towards what is best for the young athletes we serve,” says Noone. “No one has more of an interest in growing all disciplines of cheerleading than Varsity, and we feel we have been a strong partner to the USASF and its members.” Read what Noone and a sampling of gym owners around the industry had to say in our exclusive round-up.

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BREAKING NEWS: Seven Industry Companies Unite to Urge and Facilitate USASF Independence

CheerZone, GK Elite, GrowCheer.org, GTM Sportswear, Motionwear, Nfinity, Team Cheer, USASF, Varsity February 14, 2013

CheerProfessional has learned that seven industry companies (Cheer Zone, GK Elite, GTM Sportswear, Motionwear, Nfinity, Rebel Athletic & Team Cheer) have united in an effort to facilitate the USASF’s independence from Varsity Brands. Read their full proposal for GrowCheer.ORG here, exclusive to CheerProfessional!

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State of the Union, Part 2

cheer center, dan kessler, indiana elite all-stars, JAM Brands, john newby, karlette fettig, pam puckett, Varsity February 6, 2013

CheerProfessional tapped four of the industry’s cheer leaders for a spirited panel discussion on our industry and its future: Dan Kessler of the Jam Brands; John Newby of Varsity; Pam Puckett of The Cheer Center in Grove City, OH; and Karlette Fettig of Indiana Elite All-Stars in Noblesville, IN. Read part 2 of our juicy Q&A!

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State of the Union, Part 1

cheer center, dan kessler, indiana elite, JAM Brands, john newby, karlette fettig, pam puckett, Varsity February 4, 2013

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Expert Q&A: Varsity vs. Jam Brands Scoring

Expert Q&A, JAM Brands, Jeremi Sanders, Scoring, Varsity December 7, 2012

Question: Since different companies have different scoring grids, is there a way to compare them (i.e. a Level 2 Mini first-place score at a Jamfest competition of 79.950 and a Level 2 Mini first-place score at a Varsity competition of 54.36)? JAM Brands’ Jeremi Sanders answers!