What Is Elite Cheer?

Quick answer: Elite (sometimes called Open) generally refers to the highest competitive tier in a governing body's system, with the fewest skill restrictions and the highest expected difficulty and execution standard.

What Does This Division Mean?

Elite teams typically compete at the top of the sport's difficulty range, often without the age or numbered-level restrictions that shape lower divisions. Athletes on Elite teams are usually highly experienced, and routines at this level tend to showcase the most advanced stunts, pyramids and tumbling permitted in competitive cheer.

How It Differs From Numbered Levels

Where numbered levels like Level 6 or Level 7 still sit within an age- or experience-based structure, Elite/Open divisions generally remove most of that structure, focusing purely on the highest achievable difficulty and execution.

Typical Stunt, Tumbling and Jump Expectations

Expect close to the full range of stunts, pyramids and tumbling used in the sport, performed with a very high standard of execution - at this level, judges are typically looking for near-flawless technique alongside maximum difficulty.

Division / Governing Body Differences

Naming and structure for the top competitive tier vary - some governing bodies call it Elite, others Open, and the exact requirements to compete at this level differ between organisations.

Parent Questions

Parents sometimes ask if every gym has an Elite team - most don't; Elite/Open teams typically represent a small number of the most experienced athletes at a gym, and reaching this level usually takes years of progression through lower levels.

Related Levels

See Level 6, Level 7, or the levels hub for the full system.