National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Exploring STUNT

New Sport format recognized as a benefit for female collegiate athletes.

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Jan. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) is exploring STUNT, the new sport format developed from cheerleading, as an emerging varsity women's sport.   

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110204/DC42655LOGO)

USA Cheer, the governing body for cheerleading in the United States, created STUNT as a way to heighten the cheerleading experience for female athletes. In its first season, 22 college cheerleading teams participated in STUNT. The University of Louisville nabbed the title of first-ever STUNT Champions.

A new competitive team sport that was derived from traditional cheerleading, STUNT removes the crowd-leading and focuses on the technical and athletic components, which include partner stunts, pyramids, basket tosses, jumps and tumbling skills. Originally designed to be considered for NCAA Emerging Sport status, STUNT has resonated with college level athletes.

"We applaud USA Cheer's efforts to create an exciting and challenging athletic option for female athletes," says Jamie Adams, NAIA Sport Manager. "The NAIA has been exploring the STUNT format, and presenting it to our institutions as another viable option for them to consider when declaring varsity sports. We know that with cheer's popularity, STUNT will be a popular option for athletes."  Oklahoma City University of the NAIA will be competing in STUNT this spring to help introduce the new sport to other member institutions.

Bill Seely, Executive Director for USA Cheer, agrees. "We recognize that there are hundreds of thousands of female athletes considering their athletic options at the college level, and are confident that this format will be embraced. We are excited to work with the NAIA to ensure that STUNT is a successful option for their organization and, most importantly, with their athletes."

For more information, contact Sheila Noone at 901-251-5959.

About the STUNT format
Each STUNT game will comprise four quarters in the following categories:  Partner Stunts, Pyramids and Tosses, Group Jumps and Tumbling, and Team Performance.  Within each quarter, teams will perform skill sequences of varying levels of difficulty, technical execution and synchronization.  Anyone who follows sports will be able to follow STUNT. Teams compete simultaneously, and the head-to-head format simplifies the scoring process, allowing fans to track the results of the competition as each round is completed. Because of the new format, teams will have records and national rankings, which will determine their post season play, much like other sports. In addition, post season play can be tracked by the fans, much like "March Madness." For more information on STUNT, visit http://usacheer.net/.

About USA Cheer
The USA Federation for Sport Cheering is a not-for profit organization and is the national governing body for all disciplines of cheerleading. USA Cheer exists to serve the entire cheer community, including club cheering (All Star), traditional school based cheer programs and the new sport of STUNT. USA Cheer has three primary objectives: help grow and develop interest and participation in Cheer throughout the United States; promote safety and safety education for cheer in the United States; and represent the United States of America in international cheer competitions. 

About the NAIA: The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) is the governing body for athletics programs at colleges and universities throughout the United States and Canada. The long-held mission is to advance character-driven intercollegiate athletics while promoting the education and development of well-rounded students and productive citizens through sport participation. The association offers equitable access and opportunities to more than 60,000 student-athletes for the chance to compete in its 23 national championship events held annually throughout the country.

Today, the NAIA strengthens its commitment to student-athletes and strives to enrich their college experience by supporting academic achievement and character development. NAIA Champions of Character is the association's innovative flagship program designed to instill character values in student-athletes, coaches and youth in the communities it serves. To learn more visit www.NAIA.org.

SOURCE USA Cheer