A Complete Guide to Competitive Cheer Divisions

Competitive cheer (often called all star cheer) is a fast-growing, athletic, and artistic sport where teams perform choreographed routines combining stunts, pyramids, tumbling, jumps, dance, and transitions. Unlike sideline cheer (cheer for a football or basketball game), all star teams compete purely for performance—there’s no sideline cheer component. The goal is to dazzle judges with difficulty, execution, synchronization, creativity, and showmanship.

Because the sport is so complex, understanding how cheer levels, age grids, and the weird letter/number division designations (like “Y2,” “J3,” etc.) work can be confusing. Below is a detailed guide and reference chart to help new parents, athletes, or fans wrap their heads around the structure.

What Is Competitive / All Star Cheer?

• All star cheer refers to club-based competitive cheerleading. Athletes join all star gyms (not tied to school teams) and compete at regional, national, and international events.
• These routines are scored by judges using a rubric that includes elements like stunts, pyramids, tumbling, dance, overall effect, transitions, and difficulty.
• Teams perform on spring floors or foam-spring floors, and routines typically have strict time limits (often 2:30, sometimes 2:00, depending on the division).
• Clubs often field multiple teams across ages and skill levels, allowing athletes to progress from beginner to elite over time.
• The governing body in the U.S. is USASF (United States All Star Federation), which sets rules, age grids, and level definitions.

Because of this structured rule environment, when someone asks “What do the cheer letters and numbers represent?”, they’re usually referring to a shorthand for age division + level (for example, “Y2” might mean Youth Level 2). We’ll break that down below.

How the Ages and Levels Work

In competitive cheer, athletes are sorted into age divisions (e.g. Mini, Youth, Junior, Senior, Open) and levels (Level 1 through Level 7, and sometimes “Prep” or “Novice”). The combination determines what skills are allowed, how hard the stunts/pyramids/tumbling can be, and what safety restrictions apply.

Age Divisions (Target Age Ranges)

The age grid is published each season by USASF and defines the birth years that correspond to each age division. For example, in the 2025–2026 season, USASF published an early release of the age grid.

Some common age divisions (with approximate ages) are:

• Mini / Tiny (often ages ~5–8, but depends on grid)
• Youth (often ~8–11 or up to ~12)
• Junior (often ~12–15)
• Senior (often ~14–18)
• Open / International / All-Star Open (for older athletes, minimum age thresholds apply)
• Adult / Masters (for older athletes beyond typical youth/senior)

There are also special divisions like Prep, Novice, or Flex divisions (new in some seasons) which may have more flexible age and level rules. For example, USASF recently introduced Youth Flex (Levels 1–3) and Junior Flex (Levels 1–4) divisions to allow more accessibility for gyms in smaller communities.

Additionally, USASF merged some Unified / CheerABILITIES divisions (youth, junior, open unified) into a single unified division for those age 12 and older. 

Levels (Skill / Difficulty)

Cheer levels range from Level 1 (entry / beginner) up through Level 7 (very advanced). The higher the level, the more difficult skills are allowed (e.g. multiple twisting tumbling passes, more complex stunts, less restriction). The rules define exactly which stunts, tumbling, pyramids, tosses, etc. are allowable at each level.

Some gyms or competitions also use Prep or Novice levels (less difficult versions) to help new athletes transition. So whe you ask “what do the cheer letters and numbers represent” they refer to an age division letter (T = Tiny, Y = Youth, J = Junior, S = Senior, O = Open) combined with a level number (1 through 7). E.g.:

• T1 = Tiny Level 1
• Y2 = Youth Level 2
• J3 = Junior Level 3
• S4 = Senior Level 4
• O5 = Open Level 5

When you see something like Y2 or J3, that’s what it means: age division (letter) + level (number).

So a team called “J3” is a Junior Level 3 team (athletes in the junior age range, allowed to do the skills allowed in level 3).

If you see “S5”, that’s Senior Level 5.

Minimum Required Skills & Restrictions by Level

Each level has mandatory skills or required elements (standing tumbling, running tumbling, stunts) and restrictions (e.g. no twisting above a certain degree, no full ups, no double fulls, etc. - we'll cover what those mean in a later blog). The USASF Cheer Rules outline those per level. 

• Level 1: No above-the-head stunts, restricted tumbling (basic forward rolls, cartwheels), no tosses, stunts may use 1/4 twist, straight downs and basic cradles for dismounts.
• Level 2: No single based stunts, simple tumbling like back handsprings (with restrictions), straight ride tosses (except mini), stunts up to 1/2 twist, .
• Level 3: More advanced tumbling, including running passes that include tucks, tosses up to 1 1/4 twists, and more complex stunts.
• Level 4: Even more difficult tumbling with standing tucks, layouts, tosses up to 1 1/4 twists, double base stunts, limited twisting).
• Level 5: Very advanced—multiple twisting, fulls, tosses up to 2 1/4 twists, more difficult stunts, complex pyramids. 
• Level 6/7: Very, very advanced—double fulls (aka doubles or dubs), tosses up to 2 1/2 twists, more difficult stunts, complex pyramids. Most teams that aim for high national or international competition are at Levels 6–7. 

Because rules change, and because event producers occasionally offer modified or provisional divisions, it’s best to always reference the current USASF Age Grid and Cheer Rules for the specific season.

Age-Level Reference Matrix

Below is a simplified matrix showing typical combinations of age divisions (letter) and levels (number) with approximate age ranges and expected skill level. This is for reference only — always check your local gym/event’s offerings and the USASF grid for a given season.

* These age ranges are typical but will vary based on the USASF age grid in a given season, and some gyms use “cutoff dates” or birth-year restrictions.

Division / Abbrev	Approx Age Range*	Typical Levels Offered	What “Letter + Number” Means
T or Tiny	~5–8 years	Level 1, Level 2	T1, T2
Y or Youth	~8–11 (sometimes up to 12, depends on month of birth)	Levels 1–3 (some gyms offer 4 and 5, depends on their athletes skill levels)	Y1, Y2, Y3, Y4, Y5
J or Junior	~12–15	Levels 1–5 (even to 6 in some)	J1, J2, J3, J4, J5
S or Senior	~14–18	Levels 1–6 (some gyms may offer up to Level 7 or Open)	S1, S2, …, S6 (S7 rarely)
O or Open / Int’l	~16+ (or minimum age per rules)	Levels 4–7	O4, O5, O6, O7
Adult / Masters	Usually 18+	Varies	(often just "Adult" or "Masters")

Notes & caveats:

• Some competitions or event producers may not offer every combination (e.g. you might not see Tiny Level 3 in your region).
• New “Flex” divisions (Youth Flex, Junior Flex) allow more flexibility in age grouping for lower levels. 
• An athlete may “crossover” (compete on more than one team) in different age/level combinations if the gym allows it and rules permit.
• Age grids are updated periodically. For 2025–2026, USASF released early grid changes and rule updates.

Why This Structure Exists & Why It Matters

Having levels ensures safety and fair competition. A tiny 6-year-old shouldn’t be competing head-to-head with a high school senior doing full-twisting tumbling. The progression allows athletes to build skills gradually. The age divisions help group athletes of similar maturity.

When you see a team labeled J3, you know:

• J = Junior age division
• 3 = Level 3 skill set
  So you understand roughly what they are doing (tumbling, stunts) and who they compete against.

When someone asks “what do the cheer letters and numbers represent?”, that is the logic behind it: age division (letter) + difficulty level (number).

This structure is central to how competitive cheerleading / all star cheer operates. It gives coaches, judges, and event producers a consistent framework, and helps parents and athletes know what to expect.

Tips for Parents & Athletes New to the System

1. Always check the current USASF Age Grid & Rules for the season — what’s allowed, what’s changed.
2. Don’t worry if your gym doesn’t offer every possible combination. Some divisions are more competitive or less common locally.
3. Encourage skill progression (level by level). Jumping levels too fast can lead to injury or weak execution.
4. Ask your coach: Which levels / divisions do you offer? Which team is best fit for my child (age + skill)?
5. Recognize that competitive cheer is demanding in time, cost, and energy—but extremely rewarding in growth, confidence, teamwork, and performance.

Closing Thoughts

All star cheer (competitive cheer) is a richly structured sport built around the interplay of age divisions, skill levels, and rules that define what is allowed at each level. Understanding what the cheer letters and numbers represent (e.g. Y2, J3, S5, O6) is key to deciphering team names, competition divisions, and skill expectations.

The matrix above gives you a high-level reference, but keep in mind: every gym, region, and season might differ slightly based on what divisions are allowed or what rules change that year. Always refer to the official USASF documents for the current season.