College Intermediate Cheer Squads

[Kentucky Girl]

Agreed! Not everyone needs to win or place high, that has to be earned!

My first year on mat we took 13th, next year 9th, then 5th the following year. We had high hopes for my last year but a couple people dropped and we got 10th. And wouldn't ya know it, life went on regardless.

It is possible to break into the rankings, just look at Ole Miss the last few years and Alabama 4-5 years ago.

Good point!

 

[Aussiekat]

I wonder how much going intermediate is a way to convince the school not to stop an "unsuccessful" cheer team from continuing to compete at nationals.

 

[SmileyRyleigh]

Middle TN is intermediate, I'm pretty sure.

 

[beautyy4cheerr]

I don't know allstar rules but I am guessing that would be illegal. But if it wasn't, how many teams do you think would?
I believe the same reason for Intermediate existing in college is similar to why we have 4.2 in all star.

it's legal, unfortunately a lot of teams do that especially at bigger competitions. it's actually commonplace. which doesn't make it ethical. so it's no different when a team with strong collegiate tumbling and stunting skills competes in the intermediate division. it's not fair to people who are truly at that level.

 

[beautyy4cheerr]

Level six stunting is not that difficult, it is the tumbling. I would say 90% of colleges can do 2-2-1 stunts no problem, it is the tumbling on the hard floor that becomes the issue.

Attempting to win D1A is next to impossible with Louisville, OSU, and the other powerhouses. Schools with a less established cheer program, or a more game day focused cheer program, don't get the majority of the top level athletes to attend their school. Less level 5 athletes = less chance of winning. Schools go intermediate to have a remote chance of winning with the skill set they have. My team competed in D1A every year and laughed every time we went down because we knew we had no shot of winning, nationals became a "fun event" for us.

level 6 stunting IS difficult. yeah anyone (hopefully) can do a 2-2-1 but not all of them will be pretty or done with good technique. also,basics don't win competitions. difficulty does. you're not going win against SFA with just a 2-2-1 and rewinds to cradle. not a lot of teams can master/has the strength to competitively stunt level 6. the stunting is just as hard and as important as the tumbling.

 

[cheerisloving]

level 6 stunting IS difficult. yeah anyone (hopefully) can do a 2-2-1 but not all of them will be pretty or done with good technique. also,basics don't win competitions. difficulty does. you're not going win against SFA with just a 2-2-1 and rewinds to cradle. not a lot of teams can master/has the strength to competitively stunt level 6. the stunting is just as hard and as important as the tumbling.

Stunting is actually easier to learn than tumbling point blank. You don't learn level 6 in HS or all star so any team with freshman on it have girls that are literally learning those skills for the first time. I don't have a full but I can do collegiate stunts. I've seen girls master an elite college sequences in one day, without prior experience. Tumbling is a build up, and frankly progressing from a bhs to a full in college is RARE.

You also can't win if you have elite level 6 stunts and no elite tumbling.

 

[AndyT_T]

Stunting is actually easier to learn than tumbling point blank. You don't learn level 6 in HS or all star so any team with freshman on it have girls that are literally learning those skills for the first time. I don't have a full but I can do collegiate stunts. I've seen girls master an elite college sequences in one day, without prior experience. Tumbling is a build up, and frankly progressing from a bhs to a full in college is RARE.

You also can't win if you have elite level 6 stunts and no elite tumbling.

I agree with the sentiment for sure. A good coach can take any team and get their stunting up to snuff - collegiate cheer is filled to the brim with girls from HS programs that only did straight up libs and guys who switched from football their freshman year of uni and who are now doing rewinds and full around 1-1-1's. But the reality is it's much rarer to get people from this situation and to be able to teach them to full. Getting them to tuck, or to do what NCA considers a layout, is much more realistic.

Also, granted I'm biased, but as someone who has competed intermediate and advanced, the biggest difference really wasn't stunts. Both teams did a full around, only one walked a half and one walked a quarter. Both teams did a release move. Both teams dismounted (full/double downs are all the same on my end!). And both teams did an inversion. Clearly a rewind and a fake handstand up are different, but I think a good coach could get people to do either.

Baskets are kind of moot when comparing imo. Kick doubles take a lot of body control to do well and can take longer to learn than easier inverting baskets like Arabian fulls or bird fronts. Plenty of girls (who have learned on my skinny but!) throw inverting doubles on boys without having much body control, but by lifting, dropping the shoulder, and pulling while the front throws toes. But, regardless of intermediate or advanced, all star girls tend to have an easier time for obvious reasons.

Pyramids, like stunts, are difficult in different ways and it mostly comes down to coaching and proper progressions.



Ultimately I think comparing them is a little apples to oranges. That being said, I think tumbling is their biggest difference. I always said that if you dont have a full, you're an intermediate athlete on an advanced team. A good coach and proper progressions can turn most any team into an advanced stunter in a season or two, but few people can be tumblers in that amount of time.

Because of that I don't think UCA would really benefit from an intermediate division.

 

[Kentucky Girl]

Level six stunting is not that difficult, it is the tumbling. I would say 90% of colleges can do 2-2-1 stunts no problem, it is the tumbling on the hard floor that becomes the issue.

Attempting to win D1A is next to impossible with Louisville, OSU, and the other powerhouses. Schools with a less established cheer program, or a more game day focused cheer program, don't get the majority of the top level athletes to attend their school. Less level 5 athletes = less chance of winning. Schools go intermediate to have a remote chance of winning with the skill set they have. My team competed in D1A every year and laughed every time we went down because we knew we had no shot of winning, nationals became a "fun event" for us.

Speaking of which, only six Division IA Large Coed teams competed at this year's NCA Nationals.

 

[AndyT_T]

Speaking of which, only six Division IA Large Coed teams competed at this year's NCA Nationals.

I don't think they even had a challenge cup for that division this year. But, that being said, it always comes down to basically OSU and Louisville. Same as UCA where it's the same 2 or 3 every year, regardless of division size.

 

[bestbackspot]

yeah most likely. a lot of the teams that compete in intermediate do that, it's not really fair but eh... what are you gunna do :p

My school competes intermediate but also has a STUNT team which requires tuck tosses and college level pyramids (even in the lower level routes of STUNT). Maybe that is why you see those skills on their insta

 

[Drkilluzionz]

As the coach of a collegiate intermediate team I feel like there are a few misconceptions about the division and the schools that compete within it.

Standing Tumbling is comparable to all star level 3

Running Tumbling is comparable to all star level 4

Building Skills are comparable to all star level 5R

In the instance of my school, Florida International University, we once had a very strong cheer program that a few years ago lost all funding and was removed from athletics. Fast forward 5 years later to me being hired and the athletics department taking the program back I had a lot of work to do rebuilding the programs image on campus, redefining what cheer at the school meant and recruiting all before I could even begin to think about competing.

Jumps to back and a full may make you a great athlete but those skills alone do not make you a great cheerleader...that's something that Ive had to learn, comprehend and support. In doing so my program of 40 cheerleaders (who is in our administrations good graces) is a combination of good athletes and good cheerleaders who play different roles on our team and within our school. Some can be tossed to the top of a swedish falls while some are better suited to wave and smile in an extension. Some can throw ro bhs fulls on sideline and some are only good for a clean standing backhandspring.

The intermediate division allows teams that are growing or that don't have the super competitive appeal to find a niche for themselves. Are there teams that may abuse the division? Yes, but that's life and the programs that are using the division as a stepping stone to greater achievements accept that as a growing pain and know there's more than keeping your kids in it just for the win.