GHSA Game Day Cheer set for biggest state championship yet

The best cheerleading teams in Georgia are set to gather at the Columbus Civic Center on Wednesday, December 3rd and Thursday, December 4th for the GHSA Game Day Cheerleading State Championships.

The competition requires routines which teams have worked on all year to simulate ‘game day scenarios’ that arise at basketball or football games. Teams will be judged based on band chant, crowd leading, and fight song.

The highest scoring teams in those segments will be named the finalists. All finalists will compete in an additional three-minute routine to determine the champions.

On Wednesday’s morning session, Class 4A and 5A will compete from 8:00 a.m. to 11:39 a.m. The 4A and 5A finalists will compete from 1:00 p.m. until the winners are crowned at 3:00 p.m. Tuesday’s afternoon session will have Class 2A and 3A competing from 3:44 PM until 6:35 p.m. The 2A and 3A finalists will compete from 7:52 p.m. until the winner is announced at 9:20 p.m.

On Thursday, Class 6A and A will begin competing at 8:00 a.m. until 1:07 p.m. The finalists will compete from 2:32 p.m. until 5:11 pm. The winners will be announced at 5:30 p.m.

TITLE DEFENDERS

In Game Day Cheer’s four-year championship history, Mary Persons and North Gwinnett are the only three-time state champions. Mary Persons returns to defend the 3A state title while North Gwinnett looks to defend the 6A title. In Class A, Haralson County is defending its 2024 state title. Haralson County is a two-time state champion, also taking home the title in 2021, Game Day Cheer’s inaugural championship. Columbus returns as the defending 2A champion, with the 2024 state title being the Blue Devils’ first. Cedartown (4A) and McIntosh (5A) also took home their first-ever state titles last year and will look to defend in 2025.

JUDGING THE COMPETITION

The first segment of the event is the band chant. Each team will be judged on six different disciplines and can score up to a perfect score of 50 points. Teams are able to use game day materials such as props relevant to game day. Teams can score up to 10 points in this discipline. Teams will be judged based on crowd effectiveness. Their ability to evoke energy and connection with a crowd is worth up to 10 points. Teams can use signs, motions, poms, megaphones, and flags for the crowd leading discipline, also worth up to 10 points. Motion technique is worth up to 10 points as teams will be judged on technique and sharpness of execution and placement. Visual appeal and synchronization are the last two segments, each worth five points. These disciplines will be judged based on level changes, spacing and uniformity of motion throughout the routine.

The second segment of each routine is crowd leading. Teams can score up to 90 points on nine different disciplines. Game day material, crowd effectiveness, crowd leading tools, crowd appeal, motion technique, proper use of skills, execution of skills, synchronization, and overall impression are worth 10 points each.

The last segment is the fight song portion. 70 total points are available with teams being judged on game day material, crowd effectiveness, crowd leading tools, motion technique, proper use of skills, execution of skills, visual appeal and synchronization.

BIGGEST EVENT YET

This season marks the fifth year of the GHSA Game Day Cheerleading State Championships. Previously, the event was held as an invitational, but since the first state titles were crowned in 2021, the event has grown tremendously.

“Well, we are thrilled with the numbers this year,” said GHSA Associate Director Penny Mitchell. “There are over 160 teams attending the event this year. The event just gets bigger and bigger. Some of our teams competed in the Cheerleading State Championships. Other teams just do Friday night football games so it will be great to have everyone together.”