ICU International Cheerleading Cup

2023 ICU International Cheerleading Cup

Call for Applications

Cheer Canada is looking for Canada’s best teams to represent our country at the inaugural ICU International Cheerleading Cup being held in Orlando, Florida, USA. The ICU will host the inaugural event specifically for Individual “Club Teams” (not National Teams) that are Club Teams, Scholastic Teams (university teams & scholastic/school teams), League Teams, Rec Teams, All Star Teams, etc. that will represent their own team but also their country in high level international competition. Each of the ICU’s 117 National Cheer Federations may qualify up to 2 Individual Cheerleading “Club Teams” per Division (up to 12 Club Teams total) for their respective country for the ICU International Cheerleading Cup. Cheer Canada hopes to use the ICU International Cheerleading Cup to provide additional opportunities for athletes to represent their Country.

PLEASE NOTE THAT ONLY CURRENT CHEER CANADA MEMBERS ARE ABLE TO APPLY

Event: 2023 ICU International Cheerleading Cup, Orlando, Florida, USA

Date: April 23-24, 2023 (Tentative travel dates are April 22-25, 2023 – 3 days)

Details: Cheer Canada will send a maximum of twenty-four (24) athletes with four (4) alternates for each of the team cheer divisions.

The 2023 ICU International Cup Divisions will only be for Cheerleading Teams Only.

Eligibility:

All competitors must satisfy the following conditions:

Age of Athlete – Youth
1. 12-14 years of age within the year of the International Cup
Age of Athlete – Junior
1. 15-18 years of age within the year of the International Cup
Age of Athlete – Senior
1. 16 years of age and older within the year of the International Cup

All coaches must satisfy the following conditions or complete upon selection:

Submit a current Criminal Record Check;
Submit their certificate for Respect in Sport for Activity Leaders;
Submit their certificate for Safe Sport
Provincial Coaching Certification (certification must meet the requirements of the level their team will be competing)

Applicants: Programs must submit applications to Cheer Canada meeting the following criteria:

Be a current registrant of Cheer Canada (through their Provincial/Territorial Sport Organization (PTSO)) and provide registrant numbers for all rostered athletes/coaches;
Complete roster including alternates/substitutes (Team leader must confirm all athletes are age eligible) if including alternates/substitutes please specify;
Provide the event division their program would compete in;
Submit a video (“Private” YouTube Video link) of the listed requirements below, following the above

NOTE: PTSOs will be required to verify that each athlete and coach is a registrant of their PTSO & Cheer Canada; Cheer Canada admin will verify that they are members in good standing with Cheer Canada.

Adjudication: An impartial judging panel will be assembled and will comprise a minimum of Three (3)Five (5) judges officials from across the country who are ICU trained and certified. Officials Judges shall use the ICU judging criteria to evaluate each video submission.

Application Deadline: Applicants must electronically submit all application items by DECEMBER 31ST, 2022 via the online form to Cheer Canada.

Application Fee:

Team entries must also include a fee of $250 (per team)

Selection Dates: The final teams will be selected no later than January 13th, 2023. An email notification will be sent to all applicants no later than January 15th, 2023.

Divisions: The ICU International Cup has 12 Cheerleading Divisions (for Individual Club Teams) where for each age group, for All Girl and Coed, National Federations will have two levels to choose from (e.g., Senior = Premier or Elite / Junior = Elite or Advanced / Youth = Advanced or Median).

Countries must choose one level for both teams entered, as is applicable. All Girl & Coed Division levels within an age group can be the same or different. The ICU International Cup Divisions are as follows:

ICU International Cheerleading Cup Divisions

Cheerleading Divisions	National Federation Division Choices
SENIOR DIVISIONS (16 years and up)
Coed Premier or Coed Elite (16 – 24 athletes)	Countries must choose one level for both teams- if applicable
All Girl Premier or All Girl Elite (16 – 24 athletes)	Countries must choose one level for both teams- if applicable
JUNIOR DIVISIONS (15 – 18 years)

Coed Elite or Coed Advanced (16 – 24 athletes)	Countries must choose one level for both teams- if applicable
All Girl Elite or All Girl Advanced (16 – 24 athletes)	Countries must choose one level for both teams- if applicable
YOUTH DIVISIONS (12 – 14 years)
Coed Advanced or Coed Median (16 – 24 athletes)	Countries must choose one level for both teams- if applicable
All Girl Advanced or All Girl Median (16 – 24 athletes)	Countries must choose one level for both teams- if applicable

Financial Cost: At the present time there is no funding available for athletes, coaches or officials; therefore, the trip is entirely self-funded. The estimated cost to attend this event is approximately $2,000 per person (CDN$).

Payment Schedule: Initial deposit of $250/person due on February 1st, 2023 Second deposit due February 21st, 2023

Final payment due March 17th, 2023

** Please note that Cheer Canada will confirm the amounts owing for the second deposit and final payment once the entry/travel package has been confirmed. **

The following is a projected summary of costs incurred by a team travelling to ICU International Cheerleading Cup.

Description of Cost	Estimated Cost Please note these are only estimates and do not include any shipping and/or taxes
ICU International Cheerleading Cup Entry Fee**	Cost will vary depending on package selected ($500 USD/athlete and up)
Airfare (dependant on location within Canada)*	ranges from $500 – $850 per person
Accommodation & Local transportation package (including transportation to/from airport, to the competition venue & any additional official events)	Cost will vary depending on individual team
Cheer Canada Participation Fee (includes Cheer Canada trading items, admin fee)	$500 per team entry
ESTIMATED TOTAL	$1350 – $2000 (Plus Cheer Canada Participation Fee)

*cost will vary depending on the departure city and/or date

**cost will vary based on exchange rate

Travel and Insurance:

Travel should be coordinated and paid for through the participating program/team or participant directly.

Each team member, including coaches and support personnel, must have valid out of country travel, medical (emergency & non-emergency) and personal insurance (including COVID insurance) for the duration of their stay.

Each participant is required to make themselves aware of all COVID-19 travel related requirements for entry into the host country and for return to Canada. All COVID-19 related expenses are the responsibility of the participant.

Minimum Submission Requirements:

The below requirements (along with any full routine submissions) will be adjudicated on the ICU scoring system.

Team Cheer Videos should include:

Please note the following for all video submissions ( Team Cheer):

Show only your best skills with a level of mastery — clean and solid;
Ensure entire routine is visible in video, officials can only judge what they can see;
The environment for filming and athlete attire is recommended to be neutral and un-branded in order to prevent team identification. We will be presenting numbered videos to the officials without titles or Therefore, please refrain from adding titles or intros to videos;
Common yet plain attire (shirts/shorts), and submissions filmed in a generic facility like a gymnasium are preferred to ensure there is no positive or negative bias during the adjudication process; and
Total Video length should be less than 4 minutes, after 4 minutes, the video will be

Cheer Canada understands that this is a new endeavour with a large financial commitment associated with the Championship. Please feel free to reach out and discuss any questions, we are always looking for ways to assist teams who are eager to represent the country at International Championships.

For more information, please contact:

Gary Oswald

Executive Director, Cheer Canada

executivedirector@cheercanada.ca