IESA Headlines

2023 IESA Cheerleading Championships Set For Wednesday, February 15

BLOOMINGTON – Nearly 1,500 cheerleaders will showcase their talents at the 21st annual Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA) State Cheerleading Championships which will be held on Wednesday, February 15 in the Exhibit Hall of the Peoria Civic Center. A sizable number of schools from throughout the state will be in attendance. There will be 94 performances from 81 different schools. There are two event categories of competition in IESA cheerleading. One is Routine (with three divisions based on squad size) and the other is Cheer (with two divisions based on squad size). In the Routine category, the Small Team division is for school squads with 5-12 cheerleaders, the Medium Team division is for school squads with 13-16 members, and the Large Team division is for squads with 17-25 members. In the Cheer category, the Small Team division is for school squads with no more than 12 members and the Large Team division is for school squads with 13-25 cheerleaders. There are some schools that participate in both of the divisions--Routine and Cheer.

The 2023 Championships get under way at 9:00 a.m. at the Peoria Civic Center in the Exhibit Hall. Tickets to the Championships will be on sale at the Peoria Civic Center. Admission is $12.00 for adults, $6.00 for senior citizens and students K-8. Preschoolers are admitted free. Admission gates open at 8:00 a.m.

This year's schedule of events will be:

Note: The awards ceremonies will follow the final performance in each session. Times listed for the award ceremonies are approximate.

There are 12 Small Team cheer squads scheduled to compete, along with 7 Large Team cheer squads. In Routine, there are 37 Small Team squads scheduled to compete, 16 Medium Team squads, and 22 Large Team squads.

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

Cheer – The squad performs without music for a time period from 1:30-2:00 minutes in length. The performance may include stunts, tumbling and jumps. A school may enter either the small team or large team division.

Routine – The squad performs a routine with music for a time period from 1:30-3:00 minutes in length. The normal full routine includes a music portion and a cheerleading/sideline portion to the performance. The music portion of the routine cannot exceed 2 minutes. A school may enter the small team, medium team or large team division in the event.

Please refer to the on-line schedule for most up-to-date times. All times are tentative and subject to change.

The order of competition in each event and judging criteria is on the Cheerleading Page of the IESA Web site. Go to www.iesa.org for complete information regarding the 2023 IESA Cheerleading Championships, including the performance schooled for all squads by event. The "Final Session Order of Competition" is available on the homepage and the cheer page. Results of the competition will be posted Saturday evening.

For more information, please contact the Cheer Administrator, Kristen D'Alfonso at 309-829-0114 or kristen@iesa.org.