YOUTH REC CHEER & DANCE UPDATES

at CHEERpros Championships

 

CHEERpros Championships is proud to continue supporting the growth of Youth Recreational Cheer & Dance by offering divisions for the newly updated team classifications for the upcoming season.

As the youth cheer & dance industry evolves, CHEERpros remains committed to providing fair, competitive, and exciting opportunities for every program. We are pleased to welcome divisions for:

  • YCADA Youth Rec Affiliated Cheer & Dance Teams

  • YCADA Youth Independent Cheer & Dance Teams

  • TCDA Travel Cheer & Dance Teams

These updates are designed to better identify programs based on their structure, affiliation, and participation model—creating a more level and competitive experience for all teams.

What Is YCADA?

YCADA continues to serve youth recreational cheer programs nationwide for affiliated youth rec teams.

Learn more here: https://www.ycada.org/

What Is TCDA?

The Travel Cheer and Dance Alliance is a new organization created to support and classify travel-based youth cheer and dance programs. TCDA provides opportunities specifically for teams that compete outside of traditional recreational league structures.

Learn more here: https://www.travelcheer.com/

How Will Your Program Be Identified?

Programs may now fall into one of the following categories:

  • YCADA Youth Rec Affiliated – Teams affiliated with recognized youth recreation organizations or leagues under YCADA guidelines.

  • YCADA Youth Independent – YCADA, beginning in the 2026-2027 Season, will now offer Youth Independent divisions for programs that are not aligned with a traditional youth football affiliation and prefer to remain within YCADA Youth Rules and Scoring while competing in separate Youth Independent divisions. 

  • Travel Cheer & Dance (TCDA) – Travel Cheer/Dance (TCDA) is a Fair Play organization dedicated to the administration of a sports competitive market for community‑based cheerleading and dance programs that travel to compete. Travel Cheer/Dance is a community-based and regionally grounded competitive pathway with standardized rules, scoring, and age verification designed to keep the sport fair, affordable, equitable and accessible to all athletes, regardless of socioeconomic factors.

How Does This Affect Your Program?

CHEERpros Championships will continue to provide divisions that recognize each program type fairly and competitively. This means your team will compete alongside similar programs, ensuring the best possible championship experience.

We encourage all program directors, coaches, and families to review these changes and determine which classification best fits their organization for the upcoming season.

Questions?

Our team is here to help guide you through these updates. We look forward to welcoming your athletes to the CHEER PROS competition floor this season!