🎯 Small Team vs Large Team (S3.6)
- janie724
- Oct 28
- 2 min read
Episode released on October 7, 2025
In this new episode of the Kick’s Cheer Podcast, Janie, joined by Nadia and Keaven, dives into a question that sparks curiosity among coaches, parents, and athletes alike: is there really an advantage to being a large team rather than a small one in cheerleading?
💡 Spoiler: what truly matters isn’t the number of athletes, but the participation ratio and the quality of execution.
📊 Small Teams, Large Teams: Clearing Up the Confusion
Those famous letters on competition schedules A, AA, AAA don’t represent levels of difficulty. They’re simply used to split teams when there are too many in the same division.
That means a team of 8 athletes can compete against a team of 24 without being at a disadvantage. Why? Because judges always score proportionally:
A team of 8 athletes should present 2 stunts.
A team of 24 athletes should present 6 stunts.
👉 What really matters is that every athlete contributes and that the routine matches the expected level.
🤸♀️ The Participation Ratio: The True Scoring Factor
Judges don’t reward volume, they reward the percentage of athletes involved in each element. For example:
A small team where 100% of the athletes perform a level-appropriate skill will earn a top score.
A large team where only half perform that same skill will lose points.
The participation ratio is therefore the key to maximizing your score, not the size of your team.
🎭 The Visual Effect: Through the Audience’s Eyes
It’s true, for the audience, a team of 24 or 30 athletes on the floor looks impressive. Transitions, pyramids, and energy feel bigger and bolder.
But for the judges, the scoring grid doesn’t change: two cleanly executed stunts by 8 athletes can be worth just as much, or even more, than six messy stunts by 24 athletes.
👉 Clean execution always wins over quantity.
🏅 The Coach’s Role and the Choreography
A good coach knows how to make the most of their team size, big or small. That means:
Understanding the judging sheets.
Prioritizing technical quality.
Optimizing transitions and formations.
Adapting choreography to maintain visual impact, even with fewer athletes.
With smart choreography, a small team can surprise everyone and dominate its division.
🎄 Save the Dates
📌 Kicksmas Contest (October 20–27, 2025): 10 school teams will win free registration for Kicksmas, taking place on December 6 in Gatineau. Follow Kick’s on social media to enter!
📌 Super Kicks Weekend France (November 15–16, 2025, Paris): a major international premiere featuring conferences, performances, and world-class cheerleading.
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