Whilst Future Cheer will always try to allow as much time as possible between routines for athletes who crossover, we only guarantee TEN minutes between performance times. Please keep this in mind when making team placements and deciding on uniform & costume changes etc. See the SCUK Age Grid for additional crossover rules & information.

• Timing will begin with the first choreographed movement or beat of music, whichever comes first – 
• All Star Elite/University/Masters Cheer – Maximum 2 minutes 30 seconds.
• IASF Tiny, Mini, Youth, Junior, Senior and Open – Maximum 2 minutes 30 seconds.
• IASF/University Non-Tumbling – Maximum 2 minutes.
• IASF Global Cheer – 30 second minimum to 40 second maximum for opening cheer portion; 20 second maximum to move from cheer portion and set up for the music portion; 2 minutes 30 seconds maximum for music portion.
• Prep/Schools Cheer* – Maximum 2 minutes.
• *Teams in Schools divisions with routines exceeding 2 minutes but not exceeding 2 minutes 30 seconds will NOT receive an overtime penalty for the 2019-20 season.
• Novice Cheer – Maximum 1 minute 30 seconds.
• Dance (all divisions) – Minimum 1 minute 45 seconds. Maximum 2 minutes 15 seconds.
• Stunt Groups, Partner Stunts & Individuals/Solos – Maximum 1 minute 15 seconds.

If your routine is interrupted because of failure of the competition equipment you will be permitted to restart your routine from the beginning. In the event your routine is interrupted because of failure of your equipment, supplies or personnel, you may either continue or withdraw from the competition.

Routine Interruption In the Event of Injury:

Routine Stoppage:
The only individuals that may stop a routine for injury are
– Competition Officials
– Coach from the team performing
– Injured Individual
– Safety/Head Judge

An injured athlete may create a potential safety hazard because of the inability to hold, support, spot or catch. For the safety of all athletes competing, a routine may be interrupted if:
An athlete is clearly injured.
An athlete is questionably injured and does not resume their role in the routine within 5 seconds of questionable injury.
An athlete leaves the competition floor due to an injury.

If a routine is interrupted due to injury, it will be at the Competition Officials’ discretion whether that team will be allowed to perform again at a later time. Athlete Returning to Competition An Injured Athlete may not return to the competition floor unless the competition officials receive clearance from all the representatives listed below:
– Event Medical Personnel attending to that participant
– Parent/Guardian (if present)
– Coach of the competing team/programme
In the event of a suspected head injury, the athlete cannot return to perform without clearance from a licensed medical professional that has training related to head injuries

Teams may bring their own additional spotters on to the floor. Any additional spotters must be wearing attire that will clearly distinguish them from the athletes on the team. If an additional spotter touches an athlete during a stunt/skill then a penalty of 1 point will be applied to the team’s score.

Please note that the role of additional spotters is solely for safety purposes, not for coaching. Excessive coaching by Additional Spotters (including but not limited to shouting music counts, marking/performing the routine choreography, shouting encouragement to the athletes on the floor) will result in a 1 point penalty.

Future Cheer does not currently enforce the USASF uniform policy however, all uniforms should be appropriate for athletic activity. If you are travelling to compete outside of the UK, please make sure to familiarise yourself with that competition’s uniform policy.

If a team is found to have provided false information on their roster including (but not limited to) falsifying an athlete’s date of birth, or providing incorrect athlete names on a team roster, this team will be disqualified from the competition. If the discovery of false information happens after an event, the team will be removed from the rankings for that division and the program will receive a one year ban from competing at Future Cheer events, from the date of competition for one calendar year. If a disqualified team was also awarded a bid to The Summit or IASF Worlds at the event they were found to have provided false roster information for, then Future Cheer will revoke this bid in addition to disqualification and/or a one year ban.

Coaches/Primary Contacts have a responsibility to make sure that all roster information is up to date and correct and must be able to provide proof of identity/ID for all athletes if asked by FC Officials. No exceptions will be made to the above policy of disqualification so it is imperative that you make any roster changes prior to the competition and that the team rosters accurately reflect the athletes on the competition floor and their correct ages.

Future Cheer reserve the right to refuse anyone from taking photographs and videos at any events and competitions and at any time, to protect the privacy of Athletes, Spectators, Teams and Programs. Also to stop professional photographers from using images for money and personal gain and to protect its own employed photographers and photo system.

At Future Cheer we are happy for you as a parent or teacher to film and take photos of your own children/athletes and teams using phones and amateur camera equipment and camcorders. Future Cheer prohibits the filming of teams that you are not affiliated with or those that you do not have express permission from in advance.

The use of flash photography, continuous flash or any other lighting during competition is prohibited as this can produce glare and be distracting for competitors. This includes small flashes such as (but not limited to) those from a camera phone. Any person using flash photography of any kind will be asked to stop and may be asked to leave the competition halls. Flash photography is allowed outside the competition halls and during awards ceremonies at advised photo opportunities within them.

Professional Camera Lens usage – Use of telephoto/long distance and wide aperture rated professional camera lenses is forbidden at Future Cheer events unless prior consent from Future Cheer Ltd has been given (please see below). This is to comply with our child protection and privacy policy (meaning long distance photos can not be unknowingly taken of other people, especially minors, without their knowledge). The easiest and most effective way to do this is by restricting use of specialist professional photography lens equipment. A definition of this can be found below. Future Cheer reserves the right to determine if equipment falls under this category based on inspection and ask users to desist from usage at any time.

Forbidden professional lens equipment is defined as:

• Any lens (including non telephoto) with a fixed or zoom focal length over 105mm.
• Any lens (including non telephoto) with an aperture rating of 2.8 or wider (enabling lower light photography).
• All professional telephoto lenses regardless of aperture rating (for example canon “white” telephoto lenses, Nikon N telephoto series lenses or similar high end lenses from other brands)

If you wish to use the above professional equipment at Future Cheer events you must apply for a “Photo Pass” and provide a recent (within the last 12 months) enhanced DBS check. Details of this are available on request and is subject to approval by Future Cheer.