STUNT is a new and growing sport that is very similar to cheerleading in terms of athletic skills. In spring 2011, USA Cheer announced that 21 universities are now committed to this sport. STUNT requires high athletic skills and its competition format and scoring systems are unique. The maximum number of players on each team can reach 30 athletes. STUNT Athletes are engaged from multiple backgrounds, including traditional cheerleading schools, “All Stars” who are non-school cheerleaders and acrobatics and/or gymnastics athletes. STUNT is being considered for NCAA Emerging Sport status and has been designed to meet Title IX's requirements for intercollegiate sports.
Contents
2013-2014 Season
In 2014, more than 160 girls from 11 high school schools from New York's Public School Athletic League (PSAL), competed in NY's first STUNT competition. The competition was held at John Bowne High School in Flushing, Queens.
The four quarters of play
There are four quarters in STUNT: 1.Partner Stunts 2.Pyramids and Tosses 3.Group Jumps and Tumbling 4.Team Performance. There are three rounds in the first three quarters, and one round in the fourth quarter. The order of competition is determined each round by the team who has control of possession. The two teams will play on opposite sides of the floor and perform routines against each other in the first three quarters, and in the fourth quarter each team will have the entire floor to perform on. Each quarter has its own level of difficulty to demonstrate.
Competition Format
There are two formats for the STUNT game
1.Head to Head Includes two teams playing and competing against one another.Usually the game takes about 40 minutes.
2.STUNT tournaments tournaments where multiple teams compete head to head. A regular three-team tournament game finishes in 1 hour, and a four-team tournament game takes approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.
STUNT Routines
Every year the USA Cheer STUNT Competition Committee develops STUNT routines and publishes them. They are responsible for determining the number of athletes and the skills needed in each routine.
Staff
•One head coach, and maximum of three assistants.
•Game play can consist of a maximum of 20 athletes, and 30 on a team roster per team.
Season/Post-season
•Spring sport season commences play in January.
•Teams participate in competitions among national regions.
•During the 2012 season, it is mandatory for each participating team in STUNT to attend at least three regular season games/tournaments. However, it will be increased to a minimum of 12 regular season games/tournaments upon the establishment of STUNT as an NCCA Emerging Sport.
•Postseason play: Regional winners and top ranking “at-large” teams are invited to the National Championship Tournament.
•National rankings are based on each team’s win-loss record, strength of schedule, and a coach/judge’s poll.
Field of Play
•A completion floor with a size of 54 ft x 42 ft consists of nine non-spring, carpet bonded, foam mat panels with a minimum 1-3/8 in. Thickness. Each mat panel, 6 ft x 42 ft in size, will be connected along its seams using 4 in. Widen Velcro strip.
•Each side of the mat will be used for teams’ seating and two mat panels for team warm-ups.
•In a two team game, each team will have the entire surface of the 2 mat panels as a team practice area.
•In a three or four team tournament, the 2 mat panels will be divided in half using white Velcro strips, or white athletic tape. Each team will use a practice area that is 12 x 21 feet size.
Equipment
•Competition floor and additional mat panels for team practice area
•Scoreboard
•Audio and public address sound system
•Team branches
•Necessary table and chairs for staff
•Water stations
Event Staffing
The host team or event producer is expected to supply the following:
•A minimum of three judges
•One game official
•Scoreboard operator
•Music/Audio operator
•Announcer
•Appropriate medical personnel (EMT, medical doctor and / or certified athletic trainer)
Skill rules
STUNT teams are required to comply with the College STUNT Safety Rules published by AACCA.
The Game/ Tournament Timeline
•Team Warm up: Before the game begins, each team will be given 10 minutes for warm up skills on the performance area completion floor. Teams may continue to warm-up on their practice mats as needed.
•Team Introductions: The visiting teams(s) will be introduced first followed by the home team.
•Coin Toss or Draw for Possession: Before the play begins, the team head coaches will determine the initial possession for any game or tournament through a random drawing which is administered by the game official.
•National Anthem
Scoring
Quarters 1, 2 and 3
There are three scoring officials who individually rank the teams according to the number of execution mistakes and the degree of those mistakes. For instance, a minor deduction (marked as a slash “/”) is counted for a slight balance error or a timing error between players or groups that does not result in a fall. A major deduction (marked as an “X”) is counted for an incomplete skill or incorrect body position such as the performance of a single full twist instead of the required double full twist. A double major deduction (XX) is counted for a fall to the ground. Two minor errors equal one major error. The decision of the final ranking for the round is based on combining the individual scoring official’s rankings. Points are determined by the number of teams competing. The team with the highest final rank obtains the same amount of points as there are teams competing.
Quarter 4
In the fourth quarter, teams make their own routines based on their unique skill level and talents. The routine performed in the fourth quarter is a combination of elements of the first three quarters and necessitates that each of the preceding categories must be represented so as to get full points. The scoring officials individually score the elements base on the team’s performance by category, considering the difficulty of skills executed. The points from each category are cumulated to obtain a combined score for the routine. In order to obtain equal balance between quarters, the round score is multiplied by three because there is only one round in the fourth quarter.
Timeouts
•Each team gets sixty seconds timeout per half.
•Timeouts are signaled by displaying the hands in a “T” figuration.
•During timeouts all teams are allowed to use their warm-up area.
Possession
•Start of the Game A random drawing by the team head coaches, overseen by the game official, determines the team that will start the game.
•Quarter Change The initial possession in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarters is given to the team with the lowest overall game score.
•Second and Third Rounds of Each Quarter The team winning the preceding round gets possession for the following round.
•Forfeits If a team forfeits the round, it will automatically obtain possession for the following round.
•Ties If there is tie between two teams, the team that did not have possession in the tie round will get possession.
•Quarter Change If none of the tying team had possession in that round, possession defaults to the highest point total at that time. If a tie persists, possession is determined by the pre-game drawing results.
•Second and Third Rounds of each Quarter If none of the tying team had possession in that round, possession defaults to the pre-game drawing results.
Playoff for Final Score Tiebreaker
If a tie for 1st place occurs at the end of regulation, a playoff will determine the winner of the game/tournament. The playoff period consists only of quarters 1, 2 and 3. Judges will, at the end, rank the tying teams.
Final Score
Points are given and declared at the end of each quarter with the game total being displayed on the event scoreboard. The game/tournament winner is the team that has accumulated the most total points for the game.
Other Definitions
Game Two teams will compete Head to head, involving four quarters and halftime. Halftime is in between quarters 2+3.
Completion of a Round This part shows that each round is finalized after the round is scored and announced.
Halftime It is a pause of 10 minutes that is given in between 2nd and 3rd quarters of a game.
Head-to Head A competition including two people or teams with a similar routine on different sides concurrently. =
Neutral Zone It is a midpoint or borderline. The neutral zone is where the officials stand and is defined by 4”extensive white Velcro strips which distinguish the area from proximity mat sections.
Practice Mats Practice mats consist of two mat sections and their extent is 6 feet by 42 feet appropriate to teams for warm- up areas in juxtaposition to their team bench.
Quarter Break Quarter break only consists of two minutes breaks and each player takes in between quarters of play.
Round It is duration of time and each team decides 6 pre-arranged procedures for performing. The rounds are divided into three part including quarters 1, 2 and 3. The 4th quarter is related with the performance of each team and involves one round.
Routine Call The team with possession will decide the routine which is performed in a certain round.