Cheerleaders aren’t just on the sidelines of games anymore, they’re headlining their own competitions. While cheerleading does typically accompany games like football and basketball, these days elite cheerleading squads go head-to-head across the United States battling it out for major clout on the cheerleading circuit.
Cheerleaders know that cheerleading is more than chanting and waving pom-poms in the air. Not only is the sport itself demanding, but it also requires cheerleaders to do jaw-dropping stunts. Without further ado, below are the top 15 best groups of cheerleaders in the USA. In this article, we’ll learn about the following groups:
- Florida Tech Cheerleading Team
- Cheer Athletics Claw 6
- University of Central Florida Cheer Team
- Navarro College Cheerleading Team
- Denver Broncos Cheerleaders
- Celtics Dancers
- Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders
- Seahawks Dancers
- Tennessee Titans Cheerleaders
- Houston Texans Cheerleaders
- California Allstars Smoed
- Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
- United States National All Girl Premier Team
- United States National Coed Premier Team
- Indianapolis Colts Cheerleaders
Florida Tech Cheerleading Team
One of the collegiate cheerleading teams to find themselves on this list is no other than the recent International Cheer Union (ICU) University World Champion. The Florida Tech cheerleading team recently scored the top spot.
Better known as the Panthers, the cheerleaders secured the win under coach Alexa Sumner. The ICU World Cup was held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex located within the Walt Disney Resorts in January 2020.
The Panthers have not just one, but three world titles under their belt. These are the Elite Small Coed Team Cheer, Dance Team, and the Dance Team Pom Doubles tournaments. Personally selected by USA Cheer, Florida Tech definitely did not disappoint with their impressive showing for the season.
Cheer Athletics Claw 6
Spread across different parts of the United States, including Texas, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Colorado, Cheer Athletics is considered one of the premier cheerleading programs in All Sar cheerleading.
In total, Cheer Athletics has 24 World Championships titles, making them quite distinguished in the world of All-Star Cheerleading. One team, in particular, has seen more success than the rest and that’s the Cheer Athletics Claw 7 team.
They won first place in the International Large Open in 2016 and 2018, and second place in the International Open Coed 6 in 2015 and 2017.
University of Central Florida Cheer Team
Another team that hails from Florida is the cheer team from the University of Central Florida called the Knights, the cheerleading team took home the Division IA National Championship trophy at the 2020 UCA National Championships beating out the current national champion, Kentucky, and Alabama.
The University of Central Florida’s win marked the end of the team’s national title drought in more than 10 years. The squad last made waves after winning national titles in 2003 and 2007 under coach Linda Gooch.
Navarro College Cheerleading Team
For avid viewers of Netflix, you may be quite familiar with Navarro College, and for good reason. Besides appearing on the show Cheer, the cheerleading team is undoubtedly one of the most talented groups of cheerleaders you can ever come across.
The Bulldogs, after all, now have 14 national championships under their name.
Led by Coach Monica Aldama, the junior college has continued to make waves after moving past personal and professional challenges. Despite the team’s controversies, the genius behind the Bulldogs’ success cannot be denied that with numerous titles, they are Corsicana’s pride and joy.
Denver Broncos Cheerleaders
When it comes to the pros, the NFL is home to undoubtedly some of the greatest groups of cheerleaders you can come across. The cheerleaders from the Denver Broncos makes the list primarily because they provide an impressive list of cheerleader packages for events, allowing fans to get up close and personal.
Besides performing during games, the Denver Broncos Cheerleaders give younger cheerleaders the ability to cheer with them on the field, even expanding to include women with disabilities.
When they are not performing on the field, they also tour military bases to perform for US troops and to represent the country in different events.
Celtics Dancers
When it comes to NBA, the Boston Celtics may have been the last squads to incorporate dancers on their teams, but they have certainly made up for the lost time.
Despite coming relatively late into the game, this squad instantly became a fan favorite.
For each match, the Celtics cheerleaders command around $600 each. With a total of 17 cheerleaders in total, this green squad not only makes appearances at home games but also off the court for various events. From commercials to photoshoots, they can be invited for just about any event.
Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders
The official cheerleaders of the Philadelphia Eagles, this squad gets their own part of the Eagles’ homepage. They have their own photos on gameday against various teams and have a comprehensive website filled with photos and brief info about their members.
The Philadelphia Eagles are one of the more advanced squads to include a male cheerleader on its team.
Its male members also perform the same choreography as its female members.
Seahawks Dancers
One of the teams to break traditions in the National Football League is the Seahawks Dancers. The cheerleading squad for the Seattle Seahawks is one of just six teams like the Eagles to add male performers on their squads.
As a matter of fact, the Seahawks Dancers was the second team, after the Baltimore Ravens, to make their co-ed squad permanent.
Part of the team’s evolution and acceptance of males onto their team signals their movement into a new era of gameday entertainment.
Tennessee Titans Cheerleaders
The Tennessee Titans Cheerleaders are the main squad made to support the Tennessee Titans in the NFL. With around 46 years of performance credit, the squad has managed to rack up some impressive events.
Among these notable events were performing for home games at the Nissan Stadium with their mascot and the junior squad and, of course, participating in the Super Bowl Tour.
They have also visited various locations to perform, including the likes of Kuwait and Diego Garcia.
Houston Texans Cheerleaders
One of the newcomers, having been established in 2002, the Houston Texans Cheerleaders currently have around 30 cheerleaders in their roster. Members of the squad introduce themselves on the Texans’ website, providing photos of the official members as well as giving us a closer glimpse with bios.
Apart from performing during games, this squad also make themselves available for charity events. They have also allowed their fans a closer peek into their lives by allowing them to go into the gym and see how they work out.
They also have a junior and all-stars program for young cheerleaders.
California Allstars Smoed
One of the more elite cheer squads to join the ranks is the California Allstars Smoed. Otherwise simply called Smoed, which stands for Small Coed, this California-based team has won numerous titles thanks to their complex routines and seamless executions.
A part of the California Allstars gym, this cheer squad has won consecutive World Champion titles from 2012 to 2015 at the Cheerleading Worlds.
They ranked sixth in 2016 and fourth place in 2017 before regaining their footing once more in 2018. They have also been featured in reality television.
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
Often touted as America’s Sweethearts, and rightly so, the Dallas Cowboys has certainly endeared themselves to the public. With more than 60 years of performances and history, this squad is considered one of the teams that have had an extensive number of appearances on the green and off of it too.
The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders are one of the most lucrative teams in the business, especially with their numerous sponsorships. Besides this, they have also raked in views not only by producing their own reality television show, but also have two movies with the squad starring in them.
The Dallas Cowboys are very much in demand, with the team participating in a number of charity events in past. They have also made appearances on television for the likes of Saturday Night Live, Jay Leno, and many others.
United States National All Girl Premier Team
This is one of the best groups of cheerleaders in the whole of the United States. As a representative of the country, the national girl’s premier team is made up of female cheerleaders from different universities.
Among the institutions represented by this team including the University of Mississippi, Indiana University, Oklahoma State University, and many others.
Since 2009, they have had consecutive wins in the ICU Cheerleading Championships with nine golds and two silvers under their name.
United States National Coed Premier Team
Not one to be missed, of course, is the National Co-ed Premier Team. This cheerleading squad is one of the world’s heavyweights, especially after winning a number of World Championships titles.
As a matter of fact, since 2009, the team has snagged one silver (in 2015), while all other performances until 2019 have garnered gold at the ICU Cheerleading Championships. That is quite impressive, to say the least.
This can be attributed to their elite moves and stunts, all of which are seamlessly executed each and every time.
Indianapolis Colts Cheerleaders
Last but certainly not least on this list is no other than the NFL pros, the Indianapolis Colts Cheerleaders. This squad has some serious creds under their name, including having performed at the Super Bowl twice, once for XLI and XLIV.
Plus, they are also the first-ever cheerleading team to ever grace the NFL.
Similar to the other NFL cheerleading squads on this list, the Indianapolis Colts Cheer Squad also participates in the Junion Cheerleaders program, giving young girls access to participate and foster a deeper connection with cheerleading.
The Bottom Line
Cheerleaders play a vital role in sports and competitions. They’re not just pretty girls and boys in skimpy outfits but rather it takes a lot of discipline and talent to even make it on a good cheerleading team.
We might see them cheer for a few hours on the field or in competitions but hours and hours of work go into one single performance. It certainly isn’t easy contorting your body and flipping through the air while wearing a massive smile.
