How cheer routines are scored
A panel, a sheet, a raw score and deductions. The sheet decides what counts, and all-star, school and rec sheets count different things.
The basic arithmetic
Judges score each category on the sheet. Those add up to a raw score. Deductions for falls, boundary steps, time and legality come off it, and what is left is the final score. Most results are shown as points or as a percentage of the sheet’s maximum.
All-star, school and rec judge different things
- All-star (USASF, the United Scoring System, IASF): building carries the most weight, then tumbling and jumps, then overall.
- School (UCA, high school and NFHS-style state sheets): crowd leading counts — sharp motions, voice, signs, whether a crowd would follow — and so do safety and legality.
- Recreational (Pop Warner and rec divisions): judged against what is right and safe for the level, so a clean, well-drilled routine scores well without elite skills.
Difficulty, execution, deductions
Most sheets give a category two numbers: difficulty, for what was attempted, and execution, for how clean it was. Deductions are separate and come off the total. The USASF sheet, explained goes through one in detail.
How BaseCount estimates a score
Up to 50 stills are taken across the whole routine. Each category on the sheet you pick is scored from 0 to 10 against fixed anchors, then weighted the way that sheet weights it. The model names each mistake it saw; the points come from a fixed deduction table. The total adds up from the parts, and it tells you how many categories it could actually see.
It is an estimate from stills, not a panel. That is why it keeps the judged score you enter beside its own, and shows you the gap.
BaseCount is not affiliated with or endorsed by any governing body or event producer named here.