Local All-Star Cheer Team Named U.S Champions

Action All-Star Cheer of the Coachella Valley was recently named the U.S Champion of Cheer and Dance in both the Level 2 Small Gym Junior Cheer and Level 2 Small Gym Senior Cheer divisions at the U.S Finals.

“The time we have dedicated to the gym here, gets put into two-and-a-half minutes on the floor for the judges to see. So we had to make it count,” said 17-year-old Palm Desert resident Sara Miller, a member of the Level 2 Senior Cheer team.

The event took place at the Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas on April 16, and was only just one of the eight end-of-the-year series of events that took place across the country aimed at crowning the True Champions in all divisions and levels of cheer and dance.

“Levels are divided by age and skills, Level 4 being the highest level before reaching college level cheer,” said Action Cheer owner Josh Stevens. “Basically the difference is how many members on a team can tumble.”

The U.S Finals gives teams a chance to see where they rank against other teams in their respected divisions from coast to coast, and around the world.

Once the series wrapped up in May, every teams routines were reviewed on video, and a final national ranking was produced.

“One of biggest turn of events was that our Level 2 Small Gym Junior Cheer team initially came in second after a team from Maine, but after a new set of judges reviewed the tapes, it was determined that it was actually a tie,” Action Cheer Owner Staci Stevens said.

Three more teams from Action cheer also competed and place high in the rankings. Level 4 Small Gym Senior Cheer placed second out of 25 teams; Level 1 Small Youth Cheer placed eighteenth out of 68; Level 1 Senior Cheer placed fourth out of 17. 

Over the span of the school year, Action Cheer’s five teams have participated in a total of seven smaller competitions, in preparation to compete at a caliber level for the U.S Finals.

“Since last September, we have dedicated many hours to learning choreography, and building upon our routine to increase the difficulty, with harder stunts and more tumbling,” said 12-year-old Palm Desert resident Morgan Clayton, a proud member of both teams that were named U.S Champion.

If you are interested in cheering for Action All-Star Cheer, please contact Josh and Staci Stevens at 760-343-1999, or by e-mail at actioncheer@msn.com.