What Is Novice Cheer?

Quick answer: Novice is a division for teams that are new to competitive cheer, regardless of the athletes' individual ages. It generally caps skill difficulty at a beginner-appropriate level and often limits how many seasons a team can compete as Novice.

What Does This Division Mean?

Rather than being tied to a specific numbered skill level, Novice is usually an eligibility category - it exists to give teams that are new to the sport a fair, lower-pressure entry point, competing against other similarly inexperienced teams rather than established programs.

How It Differs From Numbered Levels

A Novice division commonly restricts skills to a level similar to Level 1 or Level 2, but the defining feature is usually team or athlete experience rather than raw skill difficulty alone. Many governing bodies limit how many years a team can remain eligible for Novice before moving into the standard numbered levels.

Typical Stunt, Tumbling and Jump Expectations

Because Novice generally caps at a lower skill level, expect similar stunt, tumbling and jump restrictions to the entry-level numbered levels - the emphasis is on clean fundamentals rather than difficulty.

Division / Governing Body Differences

Not every governing body offers a Novice division, and where it exists, eligibility rules (such as how many seasons a team can compete as Novice) vary. Always check your specific governing body's current rules.

Parent Questions

Parents sometimes ask whether Novice is a "lesser" division - it isn't; it's a fair-competition category designed so that brand-new teams aren't judged directly against programs with years of established experience.

Related Levels

See Level 1, Prep, or the levels hub for the full system.