The Spirit Celebration Christmas Classic in Dallas, Texas is one of the final Worlds Bid events during 2015, and with 14 total bids being given out, it is certain to be both intense and chock full of talent glittered talent.

Twas the week before Christmas, and inside every gym
All the cheerleaders were practicing, until the lights went quite dim
Sparkling bows were hung by their trophies with care
In hopes that a Worlds Bid would quickly be theirs!!!

The Southern states typically produce exceptionally talented and competitive athletes and their cheer programs are both deep and wide. Many gyms host satellite locations in suburbs to increase their talent pools. Expect to see maxed out difficulty in even the most beginner levels. A few programs/teams to keep your eye on this weekend as you are viewing our livestreaming event on FloCheer.com are the United Elite Allstars, Champion Cheer, Texas Cheer All Stars Cutez, Oklahoma Twisters and probably the most well known cheer program of all time, Cheer Athletics.

GYMS TO WATCH:

UNITED ELITE ALLSTARS
The United Elite Allstars from the Dallas suburb, Rockwall, is a relatively newer program with not more than seven seasons under their belt. They teach very clean stunting technique and based on some of their performances from last year, their competitors shouldn’t count on them to sacrifice too many points on stunt falls or bobbles. They present a clean motion style with medium paced routines and plan on seeing several teams in the lower levels. Check out their Senior L2 for a glimpse of what to to expect from UEA.

CHAMPION CHEER
Another suburban Dallas gym, Champion Cheer, resides in the affluent Southlake. What truly stands out, in regards to their International Open Coed L6 team, is their male lineup. Initially the judges will notice they have several handfuls of elite tumblers but after a closer look it’s their bases that stand out. These guys look like the offensive line of the Dallas Cowboys, and with their home base so close to God’s stadium, as diehard Cowboy fans like to call it, they very well could be moonlighting as cheerleaders!

TEXAS CHEER ALL STARS & THE TEXAS CUTEZ
This Texas based program in the Carrollton/Lewisville area is very supportive of their cheerleaders and encourages self esteem and acceptance. All levels of athletes are welcome and they give ample focus to their well respected Special Needs program. Their owner, Angela Patton, teaches graduate courses at the University of North Texas for Special Education in addition to owning TCA. This program embodies the spirit of a true cheerleader. Their special needs athletes are celebrated, and encouraged by the other Texas Cheer All Stars teams. Many of their leveled athletes assist coaching the Texas Cutez, which is winning combination of learning from two perspectives. You will see amazing choreography at the competition, but the Texas Cutez, and the generosity of helpfulness from the other members of their gym, will mark your heart forever.

OKLAHOMA TWISTERS
One of the only out-of-state programs to compete at the Christmas Classic will be the Oklahoma Twisters from Norman, Oklahoma. Norman is home to several strong gymnastics gyms in addition to to University of Oklahoma (OU). The Twisters are in their twentieth competition season. They believe that in order to be successful, it isn't always about the hours that they put into practice, but it's more about the effort that they put into each practice. Their teams have one practice/week for two hours with additional tumbling and a skills class so it’s possible for athletes to participate in various activities and sports other than competitive cheerleading. Watch their International Open in Trials at Worlds in 2015.

CHEER ATHLETICS
One of the most decorated programs in allstar cheer history will be in full force at the Christmas Classic with 34 teams performing.They have team members who drive hours and some that even fly in for practice. They have multiple Cheer Athletics satellites with three Texas locations in Austin, Plano, and Frisco as well as Charlotte, North Carolina. This particular video is of their 2015 Senior Large Coed’s winning World Championship Cheetahs routine. To an inexperienced eye it appears that every team member pulls their weight with the majority performing standing fulls in the opening. With a closer look you can see that several are doing standing tucks but CA is strategic in their placement, and with skills happening so quickly, the judges will strain to know the exact number actually executed. Their use of diagonals and creative loading shoulder sits, transitioning from the tumbling section into small visual pyramids, is just a sample of the choreography that sets this program apart from most others.