**Cheer Canada reserves the right to make changes to this process pending the development of COVID-19 cases in Canada and around the world.**

2023 ICU World Cheerleading Championships

Team Canada Academy – Call for Applications

The Cheer Canada National Team Subcommittee is looking for Canada’s best athletes to represent our country at the 2023 ICU World Cheerleading Championships.  

The 2022/2023 Season will look a little different. This year, all athletes will try out by video submission. 

All athletes intending to try out for the Premier team must apply for an Academy roster spot.  Academy athletes and currently rostered Premier athletes will be able to attend Summer Training Camps. These camps are for skill inventory and development and will be used to identify the Canadian Training Roster. 

** The Canadian Training Roster is the team that will be training at all Canadian Camps, with 2-4 additional athletes per team to the number that will be traveling to Orlando**

If you have any questions, please email us (Contact info at the bottom). 

PLEASE NOTE THAT ONLY CURRENT CHEER CANADA REGISTRANTS MAY APPLY. You can become a member through your Provincial/Territorial Sport Organization (PTSO).

Event: 2023 ICU World Cheerleading Championships

Date: April 2023 (International travel required for Premier Teams)

Details: Cheer Canada will endorse registering a maximum of twenty-four (24) athletes plus alternates for each of All-Girl Premier and Co-ed Premier divisions 

National Team Eligibility: 

All competitors must satisfy the following conditions: 

• Athletes will be selected from the Team Canada Academy participants.
• All athletes are required to be a minimum of six (6) months consecutive permanent residency in Canada on the 2023 World Championships date of competition. 
• All athletes must be 14 years old as of 2023 or older (2009) for Academy and 16 years old as of 2023 or older (2007) for Premier.
• All athletes must be eligible to travel internationally and willing to meet any current health guidelines, which may include, but are not limited to, any required vaccination/proof of vaccination and a passport valid for a minimum of six (6) months past the date of return from the competition.
• All members of the Premier National Teams will become registered athletes in the National Athlete Pool as per the requirements of the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) and must meet anti-doping requirements year-round. Further information is available here.

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

1. Be a current registrant of Cheer Canada (through their PTSO) and provide their membership number. 
2. Submit a video (“Unlisted” YouTube Video link) demonstrating the listed requirements below via the Tryout Registration Form.
3. Submit the tryout fee.

Videos should include:

• Stunt and dismount skills at Advanced (All Star level 4) or higher shown from beginning to end.  
• Basket toss skills at Advanced (All Star level 4) or higher shown from the point of load-in until the set-out of cradle. Preference given to higher level skills but clean execution and mastery is critical.
• Standing and running tumbling skills on non-sprung cheer mats. Synchronized passes with other stunt group members is optional and could score well depending on execution and mastery. For example, all group members executing standing handspring to full with precision, synchronicity, and amplitude will score very well. If a non-sprung mat is not accessible, a sprung floor may be used but this will be noted by the judges.
• The skill video must be no longer than two (2) minutes. The evaluators will stop the video after the two (2) minutes have elapsed. Therefore, athletes must be selective of which skills they include in their video submissions.

• We strongly encourage sending your most recent videos but, due to the short time period, will accept videos from the 2022 competitive season. If the videos used were not filmed for this try out, please time stamp them.

Please note the following for all video submissions:

• Show only your best skills with a level of mastery — clean and solid.
• Members of a stunt group are to be dressed in different colours from their group members in order for judges to easily decipher which athlete is which.  Athletes are to wear the same shirt throughout their video sections: stunts, baskets, tumbling.
• Each video should include an introduction of the athlete and their position. Total length of this section must not exceed 30 seconds. 

Application Deadline for second call to academy:  Applicants must electronically submit all application items between September 6th – 20th, 2022

Selection Process: Selection will be made by the Cheer Canada National Team coaches. 

Application Fees and Process:

• All athletes must first try out to become part of the Academy as per the video selection process.
• Each athlete applying to become part of the Academy must pay the $100 tryout fee.
• Academy Roster will be selected by July 29th, 2022.

• Additions to the Academy will be announced Sept 27th

• Throughout August, all Premier and Academy athletes will have the opportunity to attend one or more Summer Training Camps.

• Additional Camps will be added in the winter for additional academy camps and clinics.

• Training Camps will allow coaches to assess the Academy athletes, as well as reassess the currently rostered Premier athletes, to both check skill inventory and select a roster for the 2023 Season.
• The Canadian Training Roster will be decided by September 6th, 2022. Academy athletes not selected for this roster will continue on Academy for the remainder of the season. Current Premier athletes that are removed from the roster through this process will also be placed on the Academy roster.
• **The Canadian Training Roster is a slightly larger roster than the team that will finally be selected for training in Orlando, this allows for better flexibility**

Key Dates:  

• Additional academy camps and clinics will be announced in the fall.

Team Canada All Girl and Coed Premier Training Camp Dates

(*all dates include travel days on each end)

SUBJECT TO CHANGE

• October 7 – 10
• All Girl Premier Training Camp
• October 21 – 24
• Coed Premier Training Camp
• December 15 – 18
• All Girl Premier Training Camp
• December 26 – January 1 
• Coed Premier Training Camp (*wIll be 4 days within this window, pending athlete feedback)
• February 11
• Full program virtual training check in
• **This will be a program wide virtual practice as a way to check in between camps on progress and consistency**
• March 11 – 14
• All Girl and Coed Premier training Camp
• April 17 – 19 
• Florida Training Camp
• April 20 – 21
• ICU World Championships

Premier Team Program Fee (per athlete):  $1500

Premier National Team Payment Due Dates:

• $250 due October 1st, 2022
• $500 due December 1st, 2022
• $750 due February 1st, 2023

Premier Team Fee will include:

• An amazing experience as a member of the 2022-2023 National Team Program
• Housing and ground transportation for Florida Camp & ICU Championships 
• Extensive Team Canada Uniform and Apparel package
• Professional medical care at all Training Camps and Competitions
• Liability and Sport Accident Insurance for all Team Canada Activities
• Out-of-Country Sport Accident Insurance during team travel dates

Athletes will be responsible for their own accommodations during the In-Canada Camps, travel costs associated with all Camps, and any additional costs including medical insurance and incidentals. A fundraising platform will be provided for all Premier Team athletes. Efforts will also be made to secure sponsorship and donations to assist in offsetting athlete costs.

We look forward to the best athletes in Canada joining the Academy and National Teams in 2022-2023.

Contact Info:

Gary Oswald

Executive Director, Cheer Canada

executivedirector@cheercanada.ca