IESA Headlines

4th Annual State Cheerleading Tournament

BLOOMINGTON - The fourth annual Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA) State Cheerleading Tournament is set for Saturday, Dec. 11 at the Peoria Civic Center.

Competition in four competitive events and four novice (exhibition) events will get under way at 9:00 a.m. in the Exhibit Hall.

Three-time defending Small Team Cheer champion Shelbyville Moulton, and three-time defending Large Team Cheer champion Homer Glen Homer, top the list of entries in their respective events. Defending Small Team Routine champion Kincaid South Fork has moved to the Large Team Routine event, joining last year's champion Lockport Kelvin Grove.

There are two divisions of competition in IESA cheerleading. One division is Small Team for school squads of from 1-12 cheerleaders. The other division is Large Team for school squads of from 13-25 cheerleaders. Within each division this year there will be competition in the events of Cheer Only, Routine and Novice.

Following is a breakdown of what is involved in each event:

Cheer Only - The squad performs a routine without music for a time period of from 1-3 minutes. The cheer may include stunts, tumbling and jumps. A school may enter either the small team or large team division in the event.

Routine - The squad performs a routine with music for a time period of from 1-3 minutes. The normal full routine is the setup to music, then the cheerleading/sideline portion, followed by music to the finish of the routine. A school may enter either the small team or large team division in the event.

Novice - New in 2004, schools may enter the Small Team or Large Team division. Schools entering the novice event may perform either a Cheer Only or Routine, but that performance will not be rated. It will be judged and comments about the performance will be given to the coach.

Criteria used by the judges in IESA Cheerleading competition allows for them to award up to 100 points to a squad's performance. Categories of points include Communication (15 points), Fundamental Skills (45 points), Group Techniques (15 points), Overall Effect (20 points) and Sportsmanship (5 points). Deductions may occur if the time limit is not met (5 points) and for a squad member being physically out of bounds (2 points per incident).

Go to www.iesa.org for complete information regarding the 2004 IESA Cheerleading series. Click on the underlined Cheerleading in the (orange screened) box at the top of the page. Once on the Cheerleading home page, you can click on the underlined Participating Schools list to find out which local schools will be participating at the State Final. Nearly 60 squads will participate in this year's event.

Column/Story Idea: Sports Editors and Sports Directors may want to send a columnist or feature reporter to the Peoria Civic Center to cover the event. We have large crowds who follow their squads. The IHSA will begin its cheerleading state series next year. Our students become the members of their local IHSA squads. Your columnist/reporter may come away with an interesting story or two. In addition, your staff can learn about covering this athletic state series at both the IESA and IHSA levels in the future.

State Final Online Updates: Scores of each squad performance are posted on the IESA Web Site at the conclusion of competition. In addition, we suggest you make contact with the coach of the team(s) from your area to report back to you for quotes and other information each day.

State Final Media Passes: We honor the season General Media Pass issued by the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) at our state final events. If you or any member of your staff plans to cover the state final, welcome, and please let the IESA Office know in advance. Please do not give the General Media Pass to someone not on your staff. It is meant to provide access to the event for someone in a working capacity.

IESA Staff Contacts: Cheerleading Administrator is Executive Director Steve Endsley. Contact him at (309) 829-0114 or steve@iesa.org. If you have any other questions, please call the IESA Office at (309) 829-0114. Ask for either Executive Director Steve Endsley or Special Projects Manager Jim Flynn.

Year-By-Year IESA Cheerleading State Champions