DCA

WHAT IS DCA?

DCA stands for DuPage Cheer All Stars which is the all star cheer branch of DuPage Cheer and Power Tumbling. We consider ourselves the "cheerleader's gym" for tumbling, stunting and full support for recreational and high school teams, as well as have a few all star teams of our own. We are unique in what we do: a power tumbling gym that just focuses on the tumbling needed by cheerleaders....and we also run an all star cheer program that fits with the community's recreational and high school seasons, as well as run very successful full season teams for those who have chosen to do all star instead of their recreational or HS teams. We have built a program that has the standards of a cheer gym including high level competitions, professionally choreographed original routines with all star music, professional accredited coaching staff, all star uniforms (midriff covering) and a demand for hard work and dedication from all our DCA athletes. This pushes them to be the best cheerleader they can be and gives them the opportunity to be part of something BIG that represents the mission and core values of this gym.

FULL SEASON

We run 2-3 full season teams from May - following April. Practices start in May with choreography in May or early June and continue through summer. We do understand families need a little break from cheer as well as time to vacation and as a family so we have come up with a summer schedule that keeps our athletes in shape and progressing and learning while still giving families time to be a family. The school year practice schedule starts mid August with 6-9 hours a week in the gym (depending on team) and includes 1.5 - 2.5 hours of cheer tumbling per week. Competitions are mostly local Chicago-based with at least 1 away competition (some teams will travel 2-3 times). Overnight competitions are a fun way for girls to bond and parents to get to know other parents and the girls LOVE to get away so we do try to offer at least 1 away competition for every team (easy car travel). Some of our teams may also attend competitions where bids are offered for US Finals with the idea that if that team(s) wins a bid, they will travel to the US Finals in April/early May. All full season teams will compete at 6-10 competitions during the season. This is a big commitment for athletes as well as families and the idea of full season all star cheer should be discussed as a family to ensure you can commit both financially as well as time -wise for the season. Try outs usually happen in April but we reserve the right to add athletes to teams throughout the year if we see fit and is a positive addition to a team. If you are interested in trying out or would like more information, please call the gym to set up an evaluation. 630-588-9000

SHORT SEASON

DCA cheer offers several short season all star teams for all ages. DCA short season is for the girls who just LOVE to cheer and want to continue after their recreational or high school season is over. For the 14 and under girls season starts up right after IRCA staff in December with tryouts, choreography and then is intense requiring lots of hard work and determination for 4 months but is a ton of fun! For the high-schoolers, the program starts after IHSA state sometime in mid-February and continues through end of April. This is an even shorter season and again is intense requiring a lot of hard work. All-star cheer has its own set of rules and regulations and is governed by the USASF (usasf.net) and this is why we have to have try-outs so we can ensure the right skill level for each team. Creating an all-star team is like a puzzle and all the pieces have to fit together just right. And with a short season, we only have from December - April (or Feb - April for HS) to have our teams learn a professionally choreographed routine and be ready to compete against teams that have been practicing since June! Sounds tricky? Yes, but our dedicated coaching staff is passionate about cheer and we provide the teams with all the resources they need to be a successful team no matter who they are competing against. Usually try outs for short season start mid October with individual evaluations and then a final call try out will happen in early December. High school short season has try outs closer to February. For more information on short season please call the gym or check back in October or November for try out dates.