🎙️ The time I judged NCA (S3.24)
- janie724
- Feb 24
- 3 min read
Episode of February 24, 2026
In this episode, we take you inside a competition everyone's talking about… but few people truly understand from the inside: NCA. And when Janie tells a story, you know: there will be laughter, unexpected twists, and we suspect it won't be a walk in the park.
Let's be clear from the start: if you want an entertaining and informative episode, listen until the end. Because the anecdotes... they never end.
🏆 What exactly is NCA… and why is it so big?
The NCA is a prestigious, massive, and frankly intimidating competition — even for someone who has been judging for years.
It's not a world championship. You don't need a bid to register. But it's still one of the biggest competitions in cheerleading.
When it was in Dallas, the event took place in a huge convention center:
6 large halls (A to F)
+ an “arena” for the big names
Judging days from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
An almost military-style organization: buses for judges, reserved areas, separate meals, etc.
To give a simple image: it's like taking several Kick's Celebrations at the same time, which run non-stop for 3 days.
🥪 The reality when you judge: you run... even to eat
Being a judge at NCA is not "VIP relaxation". It's intense.
When you are assigned to a remote location (e.g., room F), you quickly realize that:
You have very little time to eat.
You have to walk 5 to 10 minutes to get to the buffet
You eat quickly… then you go back to judging
And no, you're not always treated like a king: sometimes, it's just logistics that decides for you.
💥 The big shock: "You're using a computer... but not what you think you're doing."
This is the moment when everything changes.
Janie arrives ready. She has been preparing all year to judge the difficulty of the stunts, just like in Canada.
But in the United States, surprise:
“Computer” does not mean the same thing
She finds herself judging the execution of the stunts.
And what's more... it's in English, with comments to write quickly.
Result :
zero reference point
enormous pressure
and a chief judge who comes to correct her after the first team
And the worst part? She also has to enter the other judge's scores on the same computer, while the competition is proceeding at an electrifying pace.
It takes him about 10 teams just to get back on his feet.
✈️ NCA anecdote, Janie's version: the missing passport
As if that wasn't enough…
At the hotel, they ask for identification. Janie opens her bag: the travel pouch is not there.
Inside :
passport
Nexus card
a credit card
She quickly realized: she had put it in the seat pocket on the plane… and forgotten about it.
She rushes to the airport, fills out the lost and found forms… but nothing turns up. Then Air Canada finally says: “we found it”.
But: it is… in Toronto.
And then Air Canada refused to send it back to Dallas because “the passport cannot travel without the passenger” (yes, it sounds absurd, but that’s what they said).
😷 Quick flashback: “the last competition before the 2020 crash”
That NCA was also the last competition just before everything shut down in 2020.
At that time, the atmosphere was still:
jokes about masks
“It will be sorted out in two weeks”
No one realizes what's happening
We all know what happened next.
🧠 The “full-out question” segment: does technology really help in judging?
The answer is clear:
It's not "easier"
It's more precise
And therefore… more demanding
Because today:
The routines are tighter.
The scores are decided by nothing
The coaches expect zero mistakes
And with replays… you can't hide anymore
Before, it was your word against the coach's. Now, everything is filmed, analyzable, and reviewable.
So yes: it helps. But it also puts judges under constant scrutiny.
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