Meet The Judges

The Cheerleading Worlds judges are often those nominated by member Event Producers who send bid-winning teams to Worlds and/or are judges in good standing who have previously judged the Worlds event. Applicants must confirm their ability to sit on the judging panel based upon established criteria and must undergo an approved background check, complete athlete abuse prevention education, and sign a statement of confidentiality and ethical behavior as a person serving in any Worlds judging capacity. A Judge Selection Committee comprised of Worlds officials, Event Producers and industry experts, looks for well-rounded judging panels that include diversity, geographic locations, judging backgrounds and expertise and other criteria/qualifications. Upon review of each prospective judge’s application, committee members rate and review each applicant with their qualifications to adjudicate the Worlds event. Upon selection, judges undergo virtual and onsite training and once at the event will take an oath to remain impartial, evaluating all teams fairly without prejudice or bias based on their performance at Worlds.

Official/Admin

Robin Bolden

Robin Bolden, from Atlanta, GA, has been in cheerleading for over 30 years, including 15 years of All Star choreography and coaching. She was a UCA head instructor for nine years. Robin was NFHS technical judge and is a certified USASF/IASF legality judge. As a presenter at coach conferences, Robin shares her knowledge about the rules and point deductions. In 2011, Robin spoke at the Atlanta USASF Regional Meeting on behalf of the IEP. Several companies including Jam Brands, Future Cheer, ATC, Canadian Cheer Evolution, NCA and AASCF hire her for her expertise as a legality and deduction judge. She has been a legality judge for several world bid qualifying panels and The Cheerleading Worlds since 2008. Robin was nominated for Spirit Industry Trade Association Outstanding Cheer Judge for 2010. Cheer Biz Magazine (February-March 2013 issue) featured her in the Judges’ Table article. Robin is a member of the USASF and IASF rules committees. Robin was selected as one of the Cheer Biz News 35 under 35 Influential People in Cheerleading Class of 2013. In the 2016-2017 season, Cheer Replay, an innovative deduction and review system, launched with Robin as one of the contributors. She has been part of the IASF Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee since 2020. At the 2022 Cheerleading Worlds, Robin was recognized and received an award for her commitment and dedication to rules and education by the IASF.

Scott Bouchard

Scott Bouchard is the Former head coach for the five-time NCA Division II/III All-Girl National Championship Team, The University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth. Scott has judged, coached and choreographed for high school, college and All Star for 29 years. He has been a credentialing instructor for the USASF in the Northeast since its inception. Scott most recently served on the USASF rules committee and has been part of numerous boards and committees throughout his career. He is a certified legality official thru the USASF and judges numerous local, national and international All Star competitions, including The Cheerleading Worlds. In addition, he a former brand manager and owner of the event producing company Advanced SPIRIT Association. He believes teams are most successful when coaches create an environment for athletes where they continuously strive to accomplish individual and team goals while having fun along the way!

Crystal Chambers

Crystal’s love for cheerleading begun at age 10 on a Pop-Warner team. She eventually cheered in junior high, high school and briefly at Sam Houston State University. An NCA staff member for four years and even joined an open division squad while working on her masters degree. Crystal judged high school cheer tryouts and later began to judge for high school and All Star cheerleading competitions. She’s currently in her 29th year of judging cheer and dance and currently serves as a head panel judge and score rep for multiple independent brands within the U.S, Mexico, London and Canada. Currently a third year member of the prestigious The Cheerleading Worlds panel. A senior independent consultant working as a senior project manager for a Canadian IT/cybersecurity company in Houston, TX., Crystal loves to travel and learning culture along the way. She is a Green Bay Packer fan and loves all things Disney!

Panel

Emily Ferrell

Emily Ferrell is a former cheerleader and dancer who has been in the industry for over 25 years. Emily has been a judge for 15 years, and in 2017 was the recipient of Varsity’s “Perfect Partner” Award. She is a certified judge and AccuScore official who has previously had the opportunity to judge The Cheerleading Worlds, The Summit, D2 Summit, as well as CHEERSPORT Nationals, NCA All-Star Nationals, and UCA International All-Stars Championship. In her professional career, she is the Vice President for a Logistics and Transportation in Atlanta, GA.

Dana Fielding

Dana Fielding is the director of Rules and Scoring for the USASF and director of The Cheerleading Worlds. She has been involved in cheer for over 30 years as a coach, judge and legality official. Dana currently serves on the ICU Governing Council. She oversees all legality official training and coaches education both nationally and internationally and has been involved in The Cheerleading Worlds for the past 10 years.

Andrei Grier

Andrei Grier was a former cheerleader at the University of South Carolina. He also served at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte as the head cheerleading coach for eight years, where his team quickly became a nationally ranked teams. Andrei later went to serve as the head cheerleading coach at the University of South Carolina, where the excellence continued. He is the former owner of Cheers’ Cheerleading, where he coached many teams year after year to state and national championship titles. Andrei has been known for his award-winning choreography in cheer and dance. He brings to the table 24 years judging experience on a national level and is a 16-year veteran for The Cheerleading Worlds.

Marcy Kuzemchak

Marcy Kuzemchak, the director of the IASF, offers two decades of experience in the international All Star industry. She previously served as the chair of the Cheer Canada Officials Development Committee and was the scoring director for an international event producer, bringing 15 years of expertise in comparative scoring systems. Since 2022, Marcy has been a lead scoring official at The Cheerleading Worlds and enjoys adjudicating and speaking at events worldwide. Beyond adjudication, Marcy has an extensive coaching background, having spent 20 years as an All Star coach. She also dedicated a decade to coaching a national team program, developing elite athletes on the international stage.

Katie Morgan

Originally from Plymouth, MI, Katie now resides in Tuscaloosa, AL. She cheered for Plymouth-Salem High School from 2000 to 2004, finishing in the top 10 all four years at the UCA High School Championship. She also competed and qualified for partner stunts from 2002 to 2004. Katie went on to cheer at the University of Alabama from 2004 to 2007. After her time at Alabama, she began judging and coaching in 2006. She has since judged at both the high school and All Star levels for UCA and NCA.

Tyler Phillips

Tyler Phillips serves as the senior event manager of Scoring & Rules for the USASF. He started his career in 2010 as the director of scoring and the Midwest customer service representative for CHEERSPORT and Universal Spirit. Tyler was the camp director for multiple years and oversaw camp operations for CHEERSPORT’s Skills and Choreography Camps. You will often find him serving as the scoring official at many in-season All Star events, which utilize the USASF scoring system. He is a USASF legality-certified official and has had the pleasure of judging multiple international Worlds bid events throughout his tenure.

Kyleigh Skolnik

Kyleigh Skolnik has been in the All Star industry for over 20 years. She came from an era where All Star had just begun to take off, competing in the sport for 12 years. Once she graduated high school, Kyleigh went on to cheer for North Carolina State University for four years. Upon graduation from college, she started working full time for the All Star industry. During her time, Kyleigh has run competitions, coaches education conferences, judged in all categories and acted as the head judge for multiple event brands. Kyleigh has also commentated and announced at many of the larger marquee events including The Cheerleading Worlds.

Stand Directors

Mike Burgess

Mike Burgess

The president and brand manager of the United Spirit Association, Mike is a graduate of UCLA with a bachelor’s History and a masters in education and is a former member of the Bruin Cheerleading Squad. Mike has judges at the local, national and international level. He is a former USASF board member . Mike has been in the cheerleading/dance/band industry for nearly 40 years.

Lisa Hemmie

Lisa has dedicated over 37 years to the spirit industry as a gym owner, athlete, coach, international judge and guest speaker. Her expertise has taken her across the globe, judging for top event producers. Passionate about the sport’s evolution, Lisa has served on multiple national advisory boards, advocating for consistency in best practices and maintaining industry certifications to ensure athlete safety and excellence. Beyond cheer, Lisa thrives in the entertainment industry, is the founder of American Sports & Entertainment and has contributed her expertise to major Red Carpet events. She also dedicates her time to various charitable initiatives, with a passion for supporting military families and children. A California resident with an unstoppable spirit, Lisa is committed to working with children and positively shaping their future.

Scott Williams

Scott is the Varsity Southeast Region logisticssupervisor and has been involved in cheerleading for 43 years. A graduate of Appalachian State University, he holds a master’s degree in child and adolescent psychology. At ASU, he was captain, four-year varsity letter cheerleader and national championship squad member. He is recognized internationally as a coach, choreographer, judge and speaker.

Venue Scoring Manager

Tiffany Releford

Tiffany Releford is a native of Columbia, MD, with over 20 years of cheerleading experience. She was a three-time NCA All-American in high school and cheered for three years at the University of Maryland College Park. She cheered for NFL Europe in Barcelona, Spain and performed in the opening ceremony of the 1999 Olympics. Tiffany also cheered for the Baltimore Ravens, a National Football League team, for four years and was the Ravens 1999 Pro-Bowl Cheerleader (the team’s first probowl cheerleader) as well as part of the Superbowl XXXV cheerleading team. While with the Ravens, Tiffany traveled to the Middle East on a USO tour and visited other local military bases to entertain our troops. Tiffany judges international, local, regional and national competitions a year, including having served as a head Judge and official at the Cheerleading Worlds. When not cheering, Tiffany is a partner at the firm Ice Miller, LLP.

Allison Stallings

Allison Stallings is a former competitive cheerleader at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where she earned her degree in psychology and communications. After years of coaching recreational, All Star and collegiate cheerleading, she found her true passion in judging and scoring. She worked in the cheerleading industry for over 20 years as a judge coordinator, scoring director and customer service representative. She is honored for this to be her 18th year at The Cheerleading Worlds.

Jodi Sweet

Jodi is a graduate and former cheerleader of the University of San Diego. A former head instructor and cheerleading program director for the United Spirit Association, she has been involved with competitive cheerleading for over 40 years. Jodi has judged and directed numerous competitions at the high school and college levels, both nationally and internationally, including The Cheerleading Worlds consecutively from 2004-2025. She has judged regional and national competitions for USA, NCA, ACA, PacWest, All Star Challenge, All Things Cheer, CHEERSPORT and Organizacion Nacional de Porristas (ONP), to name a few. Currently, Jodi is the judge operations specialist, for the west for Varsity All Star.

Building

Tracy Bonyad

Tracy, from Montreal, Canada, boasts a remarkable 30-year journey in the cheerleading industry, with an impressive 16 years dedicated to judging. Her expertise extends across prominent Canadian event producers/provincial associations such as Cheer Quebec, CheerExpo, Canadian Cheer Evolution, Newfoundland & Labrador Cheerleading Athletics, Kick’s Cheer & Events, Ontario Cheerleading Federation and Sapphire Productions. Crossing borders into the USA, Tracy has left her mark as a judge for NCA, CHEERSPORT, Universal Spirit, Champion Spirit Group and The ONE. Notably, she has served as panel judge at The Cheerleading Worlds and the British Cheerleading Association since 2015, showcasing her discerning eye and commitment to the global cheerleading community. Tracy’s wealth of experience reflects her unwavering dedication to fostering excellence in cheerleading competitions on both national and international stages.

Yvonne Charron

Yvonne has been involved in the cheerleading industry for over 30 years as an athlete, coach, All Star club owner and judge. She is a former Eastern Michigan University cheerleader and head cheer coach/spirit coordinator. She worked for UCA as a head instructor and was the state director for Michigan. Yvonne’s judging experience spans across recreational cheerleading, All Star, high school and college. She has had the privilege of judging many prestigious events across the country including JAMfest, CHEERSPORT, Cheerpower, COA, UCA, NCA, The Summit, The D2 Summit, International Summit, The Quest, The U.S. Finals and Youth Summit. In addition, Yvonne has crossed the border into Canada judging for Canadian Cheer Evolution, Ontario Cheer Federation and Quebec Cheerleading Federation. She has been honored and recognized as Varsity’s 2022-2023 Top Veteran Judge of the year for the Midwest Region.

Marco Daniels

Marco has been involved in judging for the past 18 years with both national federations and the All Star community in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the UK, France, the USA and Australia. As an athlete and coach, he has competed in and won numerous national and international events. Outside of judging, Marco works to further promote the sport of Cheerleading in Germany and Europe.

Stephany De Rosa

Stephany is a seasoned cheerleading professional from Montreal, Canada, with 25 years of experience in the All Star cheerleading community. She has attended The Cheerleading Worlds since 2010, participating as both an athlete and a coach, while maintaining a deep passion for the sport. Following the conclusion of her All Star coaching career, Stephany transitioned to becoming a certified judge in Canada, gaining extensive experience with the Cheer Canada comparative scoring system. She has traveled across the country to collaborate with various Canadian event producers, where she is known for her dedication to fair and consistent judging. Stephany is committed to providing constructive feedback to coaches, helping to elevate the growth of cheerleading in Canada. She is honored and excited to adjudicate at The Cheerleading Worlds for the first time, bringing her enthusiasm, expertise and commitment to this prestigious event.

Jeannette DeGraffenried

Jeannette has over 30 years of experience in judging. She taught cheer for 21 years, tumbling for over 23 years and dance for 23 years. She has judged The Cheerleading Worlds for the past seven years. She has judged for USA, NCA, UCA, ACA, PacWest, American Championships, CHEERSPORT, Winners’ Choice and JAMZ. Jeannette has had the opportunity to go to Japan, New Zealand, Australia and Mexico to judge their cheer nationals. She cheered at Weber State University and at Utah Valley State College, where she was captain her second year. She was also a member of ACT – Athletes Coming Together. Jeannette graduated from Utah Valley State College with a degree in business. She was the cheer advisor/coach for Utah Valley State College for eight years where she took her team to USA and NCA’s nationals and placed in the top 10 three times. Jeannette has choreographed for high school and college teams. She has also worked with the United Spirit Association for over 25 yrs. She was a cheer head instructor and has helped choreograph for NFL half-time shows. Jeannette also received USA’s “Rookie of the Year”!

Lance Emery

Lance brings over 30 years of judging experience in All Star, college and high school cheerleading. Since 2006, he has been a judge at The Cheerleading Worlds. Lance has officiated Worlds qualifying events across the United States, Canada, Australia, England and New Zealand for organizations such as NCA, USA, Canadian Cheer Evolution, Canadian Cheer for the Cure, Future Cheer (UK), JamFest (UK), ICC British Open (UK) New Zealand Cheersports and the Australian All Star Cheerleading Federation. Lance continues to contribute to the sport of cheerleading in the state of Illinois, where he serves on the Illinois High School Association’s Competitive Cheerleading Advisory Committee. He is also a head official for the Illinois High School State Championships. A former Purdue University cheerleader and International Cheerleading Foundation head instructor, Lance is currently a Chief People Officer for Aon, leading Human Resources for several of their global businesses. He resides in the suburbs of Chicago.

Jeri Francis

Jeri Francis is a highly respected authority in the field of All Star cheerleading, bringing over two decades of extensive experience to the sport. Based in Jacksonville, FL, she has been a pivotal member of the USASF since its inception, assuming various influential roles including consultant, coach, choreographer, judge and scoring director. With advanced training and numerous certifications, Jeri has officiated at the highest levels of recreational, school and All Star cheerleading, notably at multiple Cheerleading World Championships. Her expertise has taken her globally, serving as a judge for prestigious competitions in Japan, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, France, Canada and the United Kingdom. As a trusted partner of the Swedish Cheerleading Federation, she has played a key role in advancing judges’ education and training programs internationally. Jeri’s unwavering dedication, profound expertise and commitment to excellence have established her as a leading figure and respected leader in the global cheerleading community.

Suzanne Garrett

Suzie has over 30 years of cheerleading experience. In New Jersey, where she grew up, she cheered at the rec, high school and college level. Her coaching career started in Maryland where she coached at nationally ranked high school team, at three different All Star gyms and coached and choreographed routines for her local recreation program. As a Southwest Florida resident, Suzie works full time as a middle school instructional coach at a K-8 school for the arts, coaches a middle school cheerleading team and is also the Athletic Director for her school. She has been judging for over 20 years for many different Varsity brands, Independent Event Producers, high schools in Maryland, Delaware and Florida and for YCADA Pop Warner. She has judged numerous National and International Events, as well as The Cheerleading Worlds, The Summit, The D2 Summit and The One.

Tracy Gatlin

Tracy Gatlin has over 25 years experience in the cheer industry as an athlete, coach and judge. Tracy has experience as a high school, All Star and collegiate cheerleader. She has 13 years of coaching experience in the All Star and high school communities. Some of her favorite high school coaching memories include winning the Maryland regional championship in a division of 20 teams and two runner-up state championship titles. Tracy has also coached All Star teams to national ranked titles. She has 22 years of judging experience as a panel, head and in Accuscore. She also event and floor manages several local, regional and national cheerleading competitions. Tracy holds an master’s in leadership in education: administration and supervision and is currently an assistant principal in Anne Arundel County, MD. She lives in Pasadena, MD, with her husband, two sons and daughter.

Courtney Hansen

Courtney has been involved in the cheerleading industry for over 29 years following her transition from competitive gymnastics. She is a former Brigham Young University cheerleader and has coached and choreographed for teams across the Western United States, including a national championship coed high school squad. She has worked for the United Spirit Association as an instructor, judge and head judge for 25 years. Additionally, she has judged many prestigious All Star events for NCA, UCA, ACA, JAMZ as well as The Summit. Courtney has also had the opportunity to judge internationally in Canada, Mexico and Japan. She has judged The Cheerleading Worlds since 2015.

Britney Holder

Britney Holder has been involved in the cheer and dance industry for over 18 years with coaching and choreography experience. Britney has been granted the opportunity to travel abroad to the United Kingdom for the past seven years, where she served as a judge for Future Cheer Internationals, a cheer and dance worlds bid event. In addition, she has stood in virtually as a building judge for the Australian Allstar Cheerleading Federation (AASCF) and CheerBrandz. As an AACCA certified coach, Britney has coached The Tennessee State University Cheerleading team for the past 10 years. Britney also has served as a building judge for prestigious events such as The Cheerleading Worlds, The Summit, The D2 Summit, NCA Nationals, Cheersport Nationals, The Majors, JamFest Super Nationals, etc. Britney was nominated and selected as the 2021-2022 Best All Around Building judge for Varsity Brands. Challenging young/adolescent girls, women and kids to utilize their creative talents through the arts, Britney holds the role as the creative choreographer, specializing in dance for Creative Girls Rock, a nonprofit organization located in Nashville, TN. Currently, Britney holds a bachelor of science degree in psychology, master of science in counseling psychology, post-masters in school counseling and is currently in pursuit of her doctorate in developmental psychology, specializing in childhood and adolescent development. As a licensed professional School Counselor, Britney loves building relationships, advocating, educating, nurturing and challenging the young minds of our youth to ensure they become positive inclusive adults within society.

Amy Howe

Amy Howe is from Tulsa, OK. She has over 35 years experience as a cheerleader, coach and judge. Amy was a cheerleader at Oklahoma State University winning back-to-back NCA Collegiate National Championships. Amy was a long-time coach in Oklahoma winning numerous State and National titles along the way. Amy has judged for the past 16 years and was honored as the Top Veteran Judge in the Southwest region for Varsity All Star in 2022. Amy judges competitions all over the U.S. and internationally throughout the season. This is Amy’s eighth year judging The Cheerleading Worlds..

Tricia Howe-Schramm

Tricia’s passion for cheer started early with highlights including captain at Western Illinois University, camp director for Dynamic Cheerleaders Association and as coach/choreographer. Since 2006 Tricia has dedicated herself to adjudicating, sharing her knowledge and expertise in Canada, England, New Zealand, Australia and the U.S. including The Summit, The Majors, US Finals, ACP, NCA, UCA, USA, ACA, Canadian Cheer, AASCF, Cheer Sports NZ, Future Cheer, Jamfest Europe, ICC and virtual cheer judging. Since 2014, Tricia has judged The Cheerleading Worlds and, since 2022, NCA College Nationals and in 2022. She has also officiated Illinois High School Competitive Cheerleading since 2019 and served as a State Cheerleading Official since 2024.

Hannah Jones

Hannah’s extensive experience in cheerleading showcases her deep passion and expertise in the sport. With over 25 years of involvement, she has worn many hats – from athlete to coach, program director and trainer and now a respected judge in the cheerleading community. Her judging journey began at smaller regional competitions in the UK and over time, she has expanded her reach to regional and international events. Judging at renowned competitions like The Summit, NCA, CHEERSPORT and the Cheerleading Worlds is a testament to her skill and reputation in the cheerleading world.

Lisa Knipp

Lisa, a former member of the Indiana University dance team, has been coaching and judging in the cheerleading industry for over 35 years. The Indiana Coach of the Year Award, numerous Indiana State Championships and high national rankings are a few of her esteemed coaching accomplishments. It has been Lisa’s honor and privilege to judge for The Cheerleading Worlds, Varsity Spirit School Brands including NCA, UCA and USA; Varsity Spirit All Star Brands including ACA, Cheersport, Jamfest, One Up, Sea to Sky, Spirit Sports, NCA, UCA, USA, The Majors and The Summit Championship; International Brands including BCA and the Australian All Star Cheerleading Federation.

Fred Loertscher

Fred is a former head cheerleader and assistant coach for Washington State University. He was part of the United Spirit Association’s instructional staff for 15 years. He has performed and codirected several half-time shows from college bowl games to the NFL and NBA. Fred has judged high school, college and All Star nationals for ACA, NCA, USA, UCA, Spirit Sports and ASC. Internationally he has been judging ONP’s Mexico Nationals, Future Cheer’s England Nationals, AASCF’s Australian Nationals and Cheer Evolution’s Canadian Nationals since 2012. Fred has judged The Cheerleading Worlds since 2007 and served as a head judge since 2012.

Randy Lyons

Randy Lyons has been involved with competitive cheerleading for over 25 years as an athlete, coach, choreographer and judge. He judges competitions across the USA, Canada, Australia and Europe for organizations such as British Cheerleading Association, Celtic Spirit-Ireland, Varsity All Star, Varsity Europe, International Cheer Union, Australian All Star Cheerleading Federation and Canadian Cheer. He has been honored to be selected as a judge for The Cheerleading World’s for the past 14 years as both panel judge and panel lead judge. Randy was captain of the cheer teams at the University of Central Arkansas and the University of North Texas and was named a Collegiate All-American cheerleader. Randy has coached and choreographed routines for high schools, universities and All Stars winning multiple choreography awards at national level competitions in the USA. Randy currently lives in Portland, OR and spends much of the year feeding his passion of traveling the world.

Stephanie Maciaszek

Stephanie is from Augusta, GA and is the director of outreach at Wellstar MCG. She has close to 30 years of experience in the cheerleading industry. Stephanie cheered at the collegiate level at Georgia Southern University where she received a degree in exercise physiology. During her summers in college she worked with both NCA and CCA where she received leadership and dedication awards. Stephanie has judged for multiple companies over the years that include: NCA, UCA, Spirit Cheer, All Star Challenge, Cheersport, Jams, Summit and Worlds. Stephanie has two children and a supportive husband and weekends she is not judging she is relaxing and enjoying making memories with them.

David McCoy

David McCoy has devoted over 30 years to the cheerleading world, excelling as an athlete, coach, choreographer and judge. He graduated from Purdue University where he was a member of the NCA College National Team. In the All Star cheerleading circuit, David has coached teams at all levels, leading them to numerous national titles at prestigious events. Over the past 18 years, he has judged for multiple cheerleading brands across the United States and Canada, contributing his expertise to the sport’s growth. David is a USASF certified legality official and is certified in all judging categories. Currently residing in Pennsylvania, David also works as a nursing administrator, demonstrating his versatility and commitment to excellence in both cheerleading and healthcare.

Melissa Moisan

Melissa has 30 years of experience in the cheerleading industry. She spent 15 years as a coach and instructor and the last 22 years judging throughout Canada, USA and Europe, having judged internationally since 2013. Melissa spent nine years as the technical director with the Quebec Cheerleading Federation. In this role she had various mandates to insure the safe practice of cheerleading. She oversaw the creation of judges and coaches training and certifications, coordinated judges and staff, implemented security and safety guidelines for practicing cheerleading and for event sanctioning. Melissa is a legality and panel certified judge. She was involved in the creation of the Cheer Canada Federation, she also participated in its development of their scoring system, the judges methodology and tools. Melissa is very honored to participate as a panel judge for The Cheerleading Worlds.

Andrew Morgan

From his first time watching The Cheerleading Worlds on ESPN in 2004, Andrew Morgan knew he wanted to be involved in cheerleading. As an athlete, coach and now judge, the sport has provided him with many opportunities to share his passion, love and knowledge within the cheerleading community. As a high school cheerleading coach of 10 years, he has assisted in leading many athletes to win state and national championships in the state of Kentucky. In this sixth year of judging andrew is a certified Varsity All Star judge has judged both All Star and school events for various brands such as NCA, UCA, USA, Cheersport, US Finals, The Summit and The D2 Summit. Residing in Western Kentucky, he is an elementary special education teacher and an aspiring school administrator. He is truly honored to have been chosen as a judge for The Cheerleading Worlds.

Joe Murphy

Joe Murphy has been involved with cheerleading for over 27 years. Joe is a former University of North Carolina at Charlotte cheerleader and captain. He has been judging competitive cheerleading for over 24 years at various levels including All Star, collegiate, school and recreational cheer. He has coached gymnastics for over 15 years and has judged many events on both the regional, national and international levels including: The Cheerleading Worlds since 2009, British Cheerleading Association, Chiliean Cheer Association UCA, Cheersport, Universal Spirit Association, Encore,One up, Jamfest Spirit Festival, The American Championships, ECA, All Star Challenge, Cheer LTD. Pac West/Spirit Express and Spirit Unlimited. .

Angela Olshefski

Angela Olshefski is from Downingtown, PA, and has over 30 years of experience as an athlete, coach and judge. As a seasoned judge of 14 years, she has had the privilege of judging prestigious events in the US including The Majors, NCA All Star Nationals, CHEERSPORT, Jamfest Super Nationals, The Summit, The D2 Summit and has also had the opportunity to judge in the UK. Angela is a long-time high school coach with both state and national accolades as well as a former college coach. Outside of cheerleading, Angela is a manager of sales operations and enablement for a global life sciences organization.

Lauren Peetz

Lauren Peetz has been involved in the cheerleading industry for 30 years as an instructor, coach, speaker, choreographer, gym owner and judge. She cheered competitively at Florida International University, was the head cheerleading coach and spirit coordinator at Georgia Tech and has been a contributing writer for both American Cheerleader Magazine and Cheer Biz News. In addition to judging for various brands across the U.S. including the Cheerleading Worlds, the Summit, the D2 Summit and NCA College Nationals, Lauren has also judged internationally in Australia, Germany, Costa Rica and Canada. She has been a choreographer and show director for the Hula Bowl halftime show and has appeared on the David Letterman Show and MTV’s Real World Road Rules Challenge. Lauren has a master’s degree in exercise physiology.

Tam Pham

Tam has been involved in the cheerleading industry for 20 years as an athlete, instructor and judge. Her experience as a judge has lead her to opportunities not only in the United States but also in Australia, Canada, Japan and the United Kingdom. She has judged at multiple world qualifying events, within the U.S. and internationally and has been a part of the prestigious panel at The Cheerleading Worlds since 2016. She travels to Australia on a regular to join their expert panel of judges throughout the season. Outside of cheerleading Tam works as a registered dental hygienist and enjoys spending time with her husband, son and dog.

Jodi Powell

Is a South Florida native with over 30 years of judging experience, including Chile’, England, Scotland, Canada and all over the United States. She is a former All Star coach and program administrator. Jodi has had the honor of judging some of the most prestigious events, include JAMZ, NCA Nationals, Cheersport, UCA, USA, The Summit, The One and The Cheerleading Worlds. She works as a Paralegal and loves to travel the world.

Christina Rheault

Christina Rheault has more than 30 years of experience in cheerleading, she has been a dedicated judge for two decades. After 16 years coaching high school and All Star cheer teams, Christina transitioned to judging in 2013, retiring from coaching to focus fully on officiating. She has served as an official at The Cheerleading Worlds for eight years. She has judged for several prestigious U.S. event producers, including Varsity All Star, Cheer & Dance Extreme, JAMZ, CCC and AmeriCheer. Christina’s expertise has also taken her internationally, judging competitions in South America, Canada and Germany. She has also officiated at multiple events for Future Cheer in England and for the Australian All Star Cheer Federation. As an IASF-certified safety judge, Christina is dedicated to maintaining her certification annually and typically judges 25-35 events each year.

Kyle Schmitt

Kyle Schmitt has 23 years of knowledge and experience in All Star Cheerleading. She is a former All Star coach and current veteran judge since 2012. Kyle has had the honor of judging the most prestigious events in the industry including The MAJORS, CHEERSPORT Nationals, NCA, UCA All Star Nationals, ATC International, The Summit, The D2 Summit and The Cheerleading Worlds. In addition to panel judging, Kyle has extensive experience serving as an Accuscore representative for Nfinity Champions League. Throughout her career Kyle has received national praise as one of the highest-rated judges in the industry, including awards for Varsity’s Best All Around Judge of the Year in 2018 and 2019. In her spare time, she practices law in Jacksonville, FL.

Shawn Simmons

Shawn Simmons is a 20-year industry veteran who has judged The Cheerleading Worlds and numerous international and national events including The Summit, D2 Summit, NCA All Star Nationals and CHEERSPORT Nationals. Shawn is a current USASF Connection Leader and former member of the USASF National Advisory Board. He is a doctoral candidate at the University of Southern California and is a marketing communications manager. A New Orleans native, Shawn currently resides in Massachusetts with his dog, Penny.

Suzi Stavas

Suzi is from Oregon and she has more than 30 years experience coaching and judging at the high school and All Star level. Suzi has judged a plethora of events throughout the United States, Canada, Australia and Japan including Summit, D2 Summit and Worlds. She has been honored as the Oregon Cheerleading Coach’s Association Coach of the Year, Member of the Year and Hall of Fame member. She has also been awarded the NFHS Region 8 Coach of the Year. Suzi is a former high school English teacher with a master’s degree in education. She now runs a cheer company that offers cheerleading camps, clinics and choreography for high school teams throughout the Northwest.

Dante Tennant

Dante is a graduate of Valdosta State University where he received his bachelor’s in music education and master’s in higher education leadership. He is the former director of spirit programs and head cheerleading coach at Middle Tennessee State University and Vanderbilt University. Dante began his collegiate coaching career at his alma mater, Valdosta State. During his 10 years there as head coach, he led VSU to four NCA Collegiate National Championships. In addition to collegiate coaching, Dante was a member of the NCA Staff for 13 years and he has been judging All Star, high school and college cheerleading for 15 years.

Tumbling

Candi Childers

Candi Childers from Lincoln, AL, has been involved with judging cheerleading competitions for over 40 years. She has worked with over 35 different event producers nationally and internationally. Within the past few years, she has worked several events in Australia, Canada, Chile’, England and Scotland. Candi has served on a Worlds panel for 20 years. She has been married to her husband Tom for 44 Years. She is excited to serve on this prestigious event.

Adam Denison

Originally from Kentucky, Adam has been involved in the All Star cheerleading industry for over 20 years as an athlete, coach, camp instructor, choreographer, tumbling director and judge. As a coach, his All Star teams won over 50 national titles at some of the world’s largest events and since 2015, he has judged Worlds divisions at NCA Nationals, The Majors, UCA Nationals, CHEERSPORT Nationals, The All Out Grand Nationals, Jamfest Super Nationals and more. He has adjudicated for over 20 event producers across North America, Costa Rica and England and was named Varsity All Star’s Best Overall Tumbling Judge for the 2022-2023 season. Now based in Nashville, TN, Adam works full-time as an agent-manager for over 25 internationally touring music artists. In his third year as a Cheerleading Worlds panel judge, he is honored to be surrounded by such exceptional talent on the mat and on the judges’ stand.

Erin Gardner

Erin has been involved in the cheerleading and dance industry for more than 35 years. She started as an All Star cheerleader and continued her career into the professional level, while also being a technically trained dancer starting at the age of 2 and performing with a semi-professional company throughout high school. Upon graduation, Erin coached and choreographed for national champion rec, school and All Star teams all over the country and continued her passion by becoming a judge. She judges for various companies including Cheer and Dance Extreme, Future Cheer-UK, The One and Varsity, as well as being a judge at The Cheerleading Worlds since 2016. She holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s degree in systems engineering and program management. Erin currently works as a civilian for the U.S. Army and has two beautiful children and a crazy pup.

Genee’ Glascoe

Genee’ Glascoe, PhD, is a seasoned professional with over 20 years of industry experience as an athlete, coach, consultant and judge. She has made her mark at some of the most prestigious events, including CHEERSPORT, JAMfest Super Nationals, The Summit, The D2 Summit, The Youth Summit and others. She has been nominated as an all-around tumbling judge for Varsity Brands. Dr. Glascoe holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology, a master’s in counselor education, mental health track and a doctorate in counselor education. Currently, she is an assistant professor and develops future mental health therapists. Along with being a professor, she is a licensed professional counselor. With her diverse background and passion for the industry, she hopes to inspire the next generation.

Tanner Griffith

Tanner brings a wealth of experience as a former gymnast and Division 1 collegiate cheerleader, having dedicated 12 years to gymnastics before transitioning to collegiate cheerleading at Texas Tech University and Southern Methodist University. With over a decade of judging experience, Tanner brings a blend of athleticism and technical expertise to the forefront. His judging resume includes prominent events such as NCA All Star Nationals, UCA All Star Nationals, Cheer Sport and Jamz Nationals, alongside international competitions in the UK, Colombia and Costa Rica.

Alyssa Grosscup

Alyssa Grosscup has over 25 years of cheerleading experience as an All Star athlete, UCA instructor and college competitive cheerleader at the University of South Florida all-girl team. She has judged for over a decade both nationally and internationally for prestigious events such as NCA, UCA, USA CHEERSPORT and JAMFest Nationals, as well as end-of-season events including U.S. Finals, International Summit and The Summit. Recently, she was awarded top veteran in the West Region for Varsity Brands. Alyssa is a trained Accuscore Official, specializing in tumbling and jumps on panel. While she was raised in the South, she currently resides in the Pacific Northwest where she works for a health beverage brand as the senior manager of commercial planning.

Jordawn Howard

Jordawn Howard is a former University of Louisville cheerleader where she was a four-time NCA All-American and two-time NCA Collegiate National Champion. She was also a member of a USASF cheerleading world champion team in 2007. Jordawn was an NCA instructor and head instructor for three years before transitioning to the judging world. In her 15 years as an industry judge, Jordawn has traveled nationally and internationally for events on five continents. Jordawn has also had the honor of being voted “Best Panel Judge” by her peers at the JAM Brands two years in a row as well as “Best All-Around Tumbling Judge” by her peers at the Varsity Brands. Jordawn has been a panel judge at the The Cheerleading Worlds since 2017 and is thrilled to be back for 2025! When not on the judging stand, you can usually find her in a local theater performing or choreographing, or on the track working on setting future pole vault records.

Destani Jameson

Destani Jameson brings over 20 years of industry experience, with 15 years specifically dedicated to All Star cheerleading. Her comprehensive background includes roles as an athlete, coach and veteran judge. Destani has had the privilege of judging some of the most prestigious events in the industry, including NCA Allstar Nationals, CHEERSPORT National Championship, Jamfest Super Nationals, International Summit, Summit, D2 Summit and more. In addition to judging, she serves as an Accuscore official for Varsity All Star. Throughout her cheerleading career, Destani has earned numerous accolades for her exceptional performance, including most valuable cheerleader, best allaround and leadership awards. She holds a bachelor’s in political science and communication arts, along with an MPA in public administration specializing in financial management and consulting. Currently, she serves as a program manager at a tech company. Destani is looking forward to her second year at The Cheerleading Worlds.

Hayden Lockwood

Hayden has been a cheerleading judge for over 16 years, officiating events across Australasia as both a panel and head judge. Since 2017, he has served on the panel at The Cheerleading Worlds. A former national representative in both gymnastics and cheerleading, Hayden brings over 20 years of coaching experience in gymnastics, cheerleading and tumbling.

Cloè McLenan

Cloé has been involved in the cheerleading industry for 25 years as an athlete, instructor and judge. After being a competitive gymnast, diver and power tumbler, Cloé shifted towards cheerleading and has been actively involved since. She has spent time as an athlete, coach and judge, both at the All Star and scholastic level. Over the past 14 years, she has judged many events at the national and international level. She is excited to be here judging her fourth Cheerleading Worlds.

Shannon Morris

Shannon is a resident of Gloucester, MA. She has been involved in a variety of roles in cheerleading, dance and gymnastics for over 30 years, as a competitor, choreographer, coach and clinician in addition to judging nationally and internationally for cheer and dance. She has been honored to judge multiple Worlds qualifying events, The Cheerleading Worlds as well as judging Summit, D2 Summit and U.S. Finals. She is the former CEO and partner at Gymco Sports in Grand Rapids, MI. As a former competitive gymnast, cheerleader and dancer, Shannon brings with her not only years of training and experience, but also a passion and desire to see athletes of all ages and levels excel. When she is not judging she teaches tumbling, manages a yoga studio and works as an adaptive physical education teacher at Children’s Center for Communication and The Beverly School for the Deaf.

Brandon Norbeck

Brandon lives in Campbell, CA, where he works for Apple, Inc. Before starting cheerleading he competed as a club gymnast for 12 years. He cheered at University at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. Since that time he has spent over 25 years in the industry as a coach, choreographer and judge. He has over 20 years of experience as a judge and has been honored to serve as a judge at NCA All Star Nationals, NCA College Nationals and The Cheerleading Worlds. He has also had the honor of judging internationally in Columbia, The United Kingdom, Canada and Australia.

Tiffany Smith

Tiffany has been involved in the cheerleading industry for over 30 years as a competitor, coach and judge, transitioning from competitive gymnastics. She has experience with All Star, college, high school and recreational cheerleading. Tiffany has severed as head judge, panel judge, scoring representative/AccuScore and safety judge, for state, national and international competitions. She has been judging for the past 18 years and has judged The Cheerleading Worlds since 2013. Outside of judging, Tiffany spends her time directing a gymnastics program in New York.

Ro Whittington

Rosann brings over 35 years of cheerleading experience to the cheerleading industry including as a coach, judge and former cheerleader and gymnast. She has been judging for over 25 years with various cheerleading companies including Varsity and Pro Spirit as well as judging independently. Rosann has had the honor of panel judging for The Cheerleading Worlds, CHEERSPORT, NCA All Star Nationals, NCA High School Nationals, JAMZ, The Summit, D2 Summit as well as internationally.

Overall

Charlotte Allen

Charlotte Allen lives in Somerville, AL. She is a retired teacher and cheerleading coach of 28 years. She was inducted into the 2008 American Cheerleading Magazine Hall of Fame of Cheerleading Coaches. She was also honored by receiving the Herkie Legacy Award. In 2023, Varsity selected her as the Top Overall Judge. She has been a cheerleading judge for 30 plus years on all levels of cheerleading for NCA, UCA, CheerSport, Universal Spirit, JamFest Brands, CheerLtd, Americacheer, COA, ACA, WCA, USA, Jamz, NCA College Nationals, All Star Challenge, Cheer America, Mid Atlantic Cheer, GSSA, America’s Best and many more. In addition to these companies, she also judges internationally in countries such as Chile, Australia, England and Canada. She also has had the privilege of judging The Cheerleading Worlds from 2006 to the present and the 2013-2022 Summit and D2 Summit. In 2021, Charlotte was selected as a head judge for Worlds. For the past 36 years, Charlotte as worked cheerleading and dance camps during the summer for Varsity.

Mark Bond

Mark has been involved in the cheerleading world for over 35 years as an athlete, coach, choreographer and judge. He is a graduate of Fairmont State University where he cheered for four years and was an NCA Collegiate All-American. He later received his master’s from West Virginia University. He is a former NCA head instructor, from 1988-2000. Mark has coached all levels of cheerleading in both the school and All Star settings. He has had the pleasure to judge for multiple event producers across the U.S. as well as Future Cheer, AASCF, BCA, Canadian Cheer Evolution and The Cheerleading Worlds. Mark currently resides in West Virgiinia where he is an elementary library/media specialist.

Tiffany Bryant

Tiffany Bryant has been an international judge for Canadian Cheer, British Cheerleading Association, Quebec Cheerleading Federation, Australian All Star Cheerleading Federation and the 2019/2022 ICC British Open & Battle of Champions competition in Nottingham, England. Tiffany has been a Worlds judge since 2008, serving in the capacity of mini-head and cheer panel judge; during the season, she works for IEP’s, Cheer & Dance Extreme and JAMZ. She has adjudicated for several national cheer companies, now under the Varsity umbrella (ACA, American Cheer Power, CHEERSPORT, Spirit Celebration & NCA). During her 20 plus years in the industry, she has performed panel/head/safety duties; and been a presenter at several coach/cheer clinics. Tiffany resides in Northern Virginia, has been an elementary school counselor for 29 years and is honored to judge alongside her esteemed colleagues during The Cheerleading Worlds 2025!

Opal Bush

Opal is a certified judge with 20 years of experience in the industry as a choreographer, coach and judge. She has been honored to judge prestigious brands such as The Cheerleading Worlds and Varsity national events. Opal is a former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader and was featured on the DCC poster, calendar and multiple Cowboys commercials. She is a former University of Alabama homecoming queen and a nationally ranked Crimson Cabaret Dance Team member. She was also awarded Best Overall Judge last year at the Varsity judges convention.

Sanaa ElRassi

Sanaa, from Montreal, Quebec, has dedicated over four decades to the cheerleading industry. With 42 years of experience, she has coached for 25 years, served as a lead instructor for coaches and judges for 15 years and judged for 27 years. She’s also been an integral part of the Cheer Canada Officials Development Committee for seven years, helping develop a national, standardized judging methodology. Additionally, Sanaa contributes to the training and certification program for Cheer Quebec judges and mentors new judges to improve their ajudicating skills. Since 1999, she has judged at local, provincial, national and international events across Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. Some of the organizations she’s worked with include Canadian Cheer Evolution, Quebec Cheerleading Federation, British Cheerleading Association, Ontario Cheerleading Federation and CheerSport. One of her most esteemed roles is being a Cheer panel judge at The Cheerleading Worlds since 2014.

Beth Hadley

Beth Hadley, from Sydney, Australia, grew up training in all styles of dance. She competed in all levels of cheer until the age of 24. Beth represented Australia at The Cheerleading Worlds three times during her time as an athlete. Beth was a dedicated coach and choreographer for 12 years, with many of her teams winning Australian national titles. After retiring as an athlete and coach she began judging for numerous event providers across Australia, New Zealand, Europe and the USA including Aussie Gold, Cheercon, AASCF, ATC, NZCU, The One, NCA, UCA,Cheersport and Future Cheer UK. Beth has previously created and presented training materials for judges’ education to a range of event providers across Australia. Between her weekends judging, Beth is a dedicated elementary school teacher. In 2023 she achieved a goal of hers to judge at The Cheerleading Worlds for the first time and is thrilled to be back in 2025.

Mia Heitland

Mia brings more than 30 years of cheerleading industry experience to her role as a judge. She has been an athlete, coach, gym owner and judge. She is a long-time member of Cheer Canada’s Official’s Development Committee, guiding the development of judges training across the country. Mia has been honoured to adjudicate major events across North America and around the world, including in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. Some highlights include Canadian Finals, the ICU Pan American Championships, NCA All Star Nationals and The Varsity Summit, International Summit and D2 Summit. When not travelling to competitions, Mia lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Stacy Kuecker

Anastasia (Stacy) Kuecker has over 25 years of cheerleading experience, including 15 years of coaching recreational cheerleading and high school cheer. She has been judging 16 years for companies such as USASF, Varsity, CSG, JAMfest, NCA, UCA, CHEERSPORT, WSF, The Majors and many others. Stacy has judged the International Summit, D1 Summit, D2 Summit, Youth Summit, Regional Summit, U.S. Finals, JAMFest Japan, Feel the power in Canada, ACDC CAMPEOATO NACIONAL and is returning for her second year judging The Cheerleading Worlds. She has a love for the sport of cheer, having coached and watched her own three daughters excel in the sport. She loves watching the progression of the sport year after year. She is very blessed to continue to be a part of the sport she loves.

Shannon Louis

Shannon has been involved in the cheerleading industry for more than 25 years. During those years, she has coached both game day and all levels of All Star cheerleading. Shannon has been lucky enough to judge all over the United States and internationally. Even after all her years judging The Cheerleading Worlds, it is still an honor to be invited back each year. At home, in Cincinnati, Shannon is a first grade teacher. She and her husband, Dan, are the proud parents of their three sons.

Erica Neal

Erica Neal, from Lancaster, OH, serves as the early intervention team lead. Her dedication to cheerleading began at the age of five, initiating a lifelong commitment to the sport. With over 35 years of experience as an athlete, coach, choreographer and judge, Erica has made significant contributions to the industry. She has developed training materials and resources that have guided judges across various levels of competition. She is certified to assess overall performance, point deduction and building. Her judging expertise is sought after both nationally and internationally. In the U.S., she judges for renowned event producers like Greater Midwest Cheer Expo, Jamz, Cheer & Dance, Champion Cheer Central, Cheer Derby, Champions League, Cheer and Dance Extreme and UCA. On the global stage, she has judged for Canadian Cheer Evolution, Cheer Challenge Chile, British Cheerleading Association, the Australian All Star Cheerleading Federation and the International Cheerleading Coalition (ICC). Additionally, Erica has been a judge at The Cheerleading Worlds for nine years.

Heather O’Brien

Heather O’Brien has been involved in the cheerleading industry for over 20 years as an athlete, coach and judge. She has worked for a variety of IEPs across the country and is a scoring administrator and judge coordinator. She is also USASF safety certified through USASF Heather is a special educator in Maryland and is a region director for Maryland High School Cheerleading.

Alex Padron

Alex Padron began his cheerleading career in 2002, transitioning from a five-year career as a gymnast in Houston, TX. Throughout his competitive years, Alex was an All Star, high school and collegiate athlete. Following college, Alex began coaching local high school and All Star teams, along with technique classes. For the past nine years Alex has judged for a variety of brands such as NCA, Cheersport, UCA, Cheer Power, Spirit Sports, Athletic Championship, ACA, The Summit and DII Summit.

Karen Snyder

Karen Snyder is a cheerleading professional with over 35 years of knowledge. She’s experienced a wide variety of roles in the cheerleading industry as an athlete, coach, All Star gym owner, choreographer, consultant and judge. Because of her experience and education in scoring, she’s had the privilege to judge throughout the Continental United States, Hawaii, throughout Europe and in Canada. Since 2008 Karen has served in many capacities as a panel judge, head judge, judge trainer, stand manager and AccuScore official for several Worlds qualifying events as well as The U.S. Finals and The Majors. She has been honored to judge The Cheerleading Worlds since 2013.

Karen Stearns

Karen Stearns is a resident of Florida where she has been the Compliance Officer for 26 years at American Heritage High School and was also their Athletic Director overseeing 19 different sports and 56 teams, amassing 46 state titles in 10 years. She coached their varsity cheer competition squads for 13 years and has over 30 years of experience coaching All Star, high school cheer and as a gym director. Karen has judged national and international competitions throughout the United States, Canada and Europe for several companies such as British Cheerleading Association, Canadian Cheer Evolution, Winners Choice, US Cheerleading Association, CHEERSPORT, Universal Spirit, American Championships, American Cheer Power, UCA, Cheer Expo-Canada and is proud to serve as an adjudicator for The Cheerleading Worlds.

Shawndra Winter

With nearly 20 years of experience, Shawndra Winter is a dynamic professional in coaching and choreography across All Star, recreational, high school and collegiate cheerleading teams, as well as club gymnastics, power tumbling and trampoline. A seasoned judge on the global stage, she has evaluated top-tier competitions in Australia, Canada, the UK and the USA. Since 2007, she has proudly served as an overall and tumbling judge at The Cheerleading Worlds. Passionate about empowering athletes, coaches and professionals, Shawndra thrives on helping others leverage their strengths, break through performance barriers and achieve success. When she’s not traveling and sharing her expertise, she brings the same strategic energy to her role as a lead content strategist for Business Acumen at PwC.

Quality

Jeff Bailey

Jeff Bailey is an All Star certified judge from Manhattan Beach, California. He has over 30 years of experience in the cheer and dance industry as a judge, judge stand manager, event director and coach. Jeff has had the opportunity to judge for numerous prominent All Star brands, including TSN, the United Spirit Association (USA), The American Championships, GSSA, Aloha, Mid Atlantic Championships, PacWest, Spirit Sports and All Star Challenge. Jeff has also been instrumental in assisting with the production of pregame and halftime shows for the Pro Bowl, World League and collegiate bowl games. Additional professional experience includes director of Los Angeles Clippers NBA Dance Team, choreographer for feature film and television specials and coach and choreographer for junior high, high school and college cheer teams.

Jessi Christian

Jessi has been judging cheerleading and dance competitions for 25 years. She has judged nationally and internationally in Australia and in Mexico City. She was an instructor for the United Spirit Association for 10 years. She was a head Instructor for seven of those years. While instructing for USA, she won the Hardest Working Award, the Leadership Award and the Unity Award. Jessi cheered competitively in high school and in college at the University of San Diego. While instructing for the USA, she assisted with the production of numerous half time shows, including The Sparx, UCLA and the Pro-Bowl in Honolulu, Hi,

Albrey Conker

Albrey is a seasoned cheerleading professional with over two decades of experience. As an accomplished All Star athlete, she has won multiple national titles, including NCA, UCA, CHEERSPORT and The Cheerleading Worlds, while representing a prestigious All Star program. At the University of West Georgia, she was part of the All-Girl Cheerleading Team, earning three consecutive UCA national Ttitles. She transformed an underperforming program as head coach and All Star director, leading them to numerous titles and end-of-season event bids. Since beginning her judging career in 2014 with All Star Challenge, she has become a respected building, safety and score support judge, consistently serving on multiple Worlds panels and was selected to judge The Cheerleading Worlds in 2024. In 2020, she expanded her expertise as a USASF safety oOfficial. Outside cheerleading, she excels as a district manager for Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine in Atlanta.

Sara Francks

Cheerleading has been a central part of Sara’s life for 30 years. She cheered at Brigham Young University, where she served as a captain and was a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Board. She has been involved with the United Spirit Association since 1999, starting as an instructor at USA’s camps and having the opportunity to be a head instructor and teach at the elite and College/Pro camp level. Sara has traveled to Guatemala, Japan and Singapore to participate in cheerleading events and has judged nationally and internationally with multiple companies for All Star, school-based and college levels. She is honored to be selected as a judge for The Cheerleading Worlds since 2008. Sara lives in the Philadelphia area and is a proud mom of four daughters. She is the senior vice president of operations for a global hearing healthcare group and recently earned her executive MBA from Villanova University.

Jolene Harris

Jolene brings over 35 years of experience in the cheerleading world. She served as an instructor with the United Spirit Association for several years and also held the position of head Instructor for USA. With more than 25 years of experience as a judge, Jolene has officiated at a wide range of competitions, including regional, national and prestigious events such as the Summit, D2 Summit and The Cheerleading Worlds. She has also provided training for judges in both high school and All Star cheerleading. Additionally, Jolene enjoys traveling to Japan to judge the USA-Japan National Cheerleading Competitions and has also judged in Canada.

Tabitha Lowe

Tabitha’s cheerleading career began in 3rd grade on a recreational team, where routines were learned from UCA DVDs in her coach’s living room. She joined her first all-star team in 2008, began judging in 2012 and is currently in her 13th season as a scoring admin and judge. Tabitha previously worked full-time as an operations manager for Varsity at the Gainesville office. She now serves as the scoring admin for Choice Events, as well as a panel judge, head judge and scoring admin for TCLM events. In addition to her cheerleading roles, Tabitha is a personal trainer and is working toward her physical therapy doctorate. All Star cheerleading has instilled in her a dedication to skill progression and precision, a passion for athletics and a commitment to safety—values that have shaped a fulfilling career both within and outside the cheerleading industry.

Becca Mason

Becca has been involved with the United Spirit Association for the last 27 years and has been judging regional and national cheer and dance competitions for 25 years. Becca has cheered and danced for over 25 years and has competed nationally as an All Star and at the collegiate level, in both. She has judged several years for The Cheerleading Worlds, traveled to Japan to judge USA Japan Nationals, twice to Mexico City as a judge for ONP Nationals and has also had the opportunity to judge for the Australian All Star Cheerleading Federation for their Winterfest, National Championships and The Pinnacle.

Deduction

Jessica Barton

Jessica is a certified USASF/IASF safety/legality official with 11 years of experience. She has 24 years coaching in All Star cheerleading and gymnastics. Jessica has had the privilege of judging some of the most prestigious cheerleading events, including USA All Star Nationals, CHEERSPORT, JAMZ Nationals, Cheer Power, JAMfest Cheer Super Nationals, Spirit Sports, Athletic Championships, ACA, The Summit and DII Summit, as well as The U.S. Finals and international competitions.

Stephanie Baxter

Stephanie Baxter has been involved in cheerleading for 26 years. Throughout her cheerleading career, she has travel across the U.S. as well as Mexico, Japan and China teaching cheer clinics and judging national cheerleading competitions. She has coached nationally ranked high school cheerleading teams for five years. Stephanie was the assistant cheer coach at the University of Utah from 2015-2016 and became the head cheerleading coach 2016. Stephanie is a current USASF certified legality cheerleading official.

Astrid Berger

Astrid Berger lives in Germany and has over 25 years of experience in the cheer industry as an athlete, coach, and judge. She has judged numerous national and international events for Varsity and National Federations and shares her knowledge at judge trainings. Astrid holds an M.S. in Communication and Media Science and is currently the Head of Cabin Crews at one of Germany’s leading airlines.

Dean Cavero

Dean Cavero brings over 29 years of expertise in the All Star and collegiate cheer industry as a distinguished competitor, coach, choreographer and international judge. With a stellar track record of championship titles and accolades, Dean is committed to nurturing the next generation of athletes, infusing them with his passion for the sport. As a mentor and leader, he takes pride in shaping the future of cheerleading both domestically and internationally, having judged competitions in multiple countries.

Sheila Dawson

With over 28 years of experience in All Star cheerleading, Sheila Dawson is a former gym owner, coach and collegiate cheer and dance coach. For the past two decades, she has focused on ensuring accuracy and fairness as an adjudicator and AccuScore official at premier national and international events, including The Cheerleading Worlds, The Majors, NCA All Star Nationals, The Summit, CheerSport, JAMfest Cheer Super Nationals, The Global Games and The Australian Majors. Her expertise and dedication have earned her prestigious accolades, including Varsity’s Most Dedicated Judge of the Year (2018 and 2019), Varsity’s Top Midwest Veteran Judge (2021-22) and back-to-back recognition as AccuScore Official of the Year (2023-24). These honors reflect her passion for the industry and her unwavering commitment to the integrity of scoring.

Kari Ganske

Kari Ganske, a high school English/ESOL teacher, has been involved in cheerleading since 2002 as a coach, competition director, judge, and the Maryland State Co-Director for Public Schools. She is a certified safety judge through NFHS and USASF; has served as safety, panel, head, and AccuScore at the local, state, regional, national, and international levels serving MPSSCC, CDE, Spirit Sports, CHEERSPORT, Epic Brands, Cheer Canada, and ICC in England. She is honored to be a USASF World Championships judge for the eighth time. When she isn’t judging, Kari can be found chasing her children with a camera, writing cozy mysteries, or reading voraciously.

Candice Gunn

Candice Gunn is from Richmond, VA, and has been involved in cheerleading for over 25 years. She cheered for high school and at the collegiate level when she attended Virginia Commonwealth University. While in college, Candice staffed camps for Spirit Xpress and worked competitions for All Star Challenge. During this time she began judging for numerous USASF-affiliated brands including All Star Challenge, CANAM, Cheersport, UCA, JAMfest, Spirit Xpress, Winners Choice, All Day Cheerleading, Panel 9, NCA and IASAF, The Majors and Universal Spirit. She loves serving as a deductions judge for The Cheerleading Worlds. She is a very happy and experienced cheer judge.

Nicole Haight

Nicole has been involved with cheerleading and gymnastics for more than 37 years as an athlete, coach, gym owner and judge. She has been a USASF certified safety official since 2007 and has judged nationally for 19 years for various USASF member event producers. Nicole frequently serves as a judge stand manager or in AccuScore and she has been honored to judge The Cheerleading Worlds since 2008. She is currently a member of the Varsity All Star Fashion Design Team and she resides in Charlotte, NC.

Chantelle Johnston

Chantelle has been involved in the All Star cheerleading industry for 25 years. Starting as a competitor, then a coach and then graduating into the role of a camp director and a judge. In 2011 she began managing arenas for The American Championships and still works in this role as an Arena Manager for Varsity’s Southeast Region. She has had the privilege of traveling to London to judge at Future Cheer Internationals and has judged at both The Summit and D2 Summit. This will be her eighth year of having the privilege to judge at The Cheerleading Worlds.

Julie Mihaljevic

Julie Mihaljevic has been involved in cheerleading industry for over 40 years. She coached at an All Star program in Lancaster, PA, for nine years, where she earned numerous national titles. For the last 22 years, she has judged events for Advanced Spirit Association, Cheer & Dance Extreme, Epic Brands, Mardi Gras Spirit, NCA, ACA, All Star Challenge, Cheer Alliance Canadian Cheer Evolution, Cheer Expo and the BCA. She is excited to return to The Cheerleading Worlds for her 16th year.

Ryun Nacario

Ryun is a USASF and Varsity certified judge from Salt Lake City, UT. Ryun has been involved in the cheerleading industry for over 20 years as a coach, judge, gym owner and choreographer. He is a United Spirit Association head Instructor and has been judging for the last 19 years for multiple different Varsity brands including USA, NCA, WSF, Spirit Cheer, PacWest, Athletic Championships, American Championships, Cheersport and Spirit Sports. He has judged internationally in Canada as well as, a point deduction and legality judge for The Summit, D2 Summit and The Cheerleading Worlds for over 10 years.

Austin Seeley

Austin Seeley has been involved in the cheerleading industry as a competitor, scoring director, AccuScore Official and judge for over 20 years. Austin has been involved in some of the largest events in the cheerleading industry including The Cheerleading Worlds, The MAJORS, JAMfest Cheer Super Nationals, CHEERSPORT Nationals, The Summit and many others. He has served as an AccuScore official at most of these events as well as internationally. When not involved in cheerleading, Austin enjoys traveling, being an uncle and loving Beyonce.

James Smith

James Smith, Sr. has been in the professional cheer and dance world for the last 20 + years. He served as a Head Instructor for 13 years for the National Cheerleading Association and also served as a district, regional, and Worlds judge, along with several other professional cheerleading companies for over 20 years. He has been a choreographer and consultant for several teams in the local and surrounding areas of Louisiana. He was a cheerleader at Grambling State University where he was titled collegiate All-American cheerleader two years in a row. He served as the head coach and director of the SU Cheerleaders for 24 years leading them to three National Black College Championships, two SWAC cheerleader championships and a 3-time Black College Cheer Coach of the Year, and countless other awards and accolades.

Tori Lockwood

Victoria (Tori) Lockwood is from Ohio where she serves as a high school cheerleading coach at her alma mater. Her love of cheerleading and dance started at the early age of six. Tori began as a competitive school and All Star athlete. She now invests in choreographing and critiquing routines. She has experience in judging point deduction and overall. She has judged across the Midwest and East Coast for Greater Midwest Cheer Expo, Cheer Derby, Champion Cheer Central, Choice Events and Champions League. The greatest joy of her life is being a wife to Josiah and mom of two sassy, sweet girls, Ruby and Stella. Tori is honored to be a part of The Cheerleading Worlds.

Taylor Knox

Taylor has been involved in the cheerleading industry for over 25 years and has been judging for over 10 years. She is a USASF certified legality official in both cheer and dance and has judged on the west coast for companies such as JAMZ, CHEERpros, World Class Cheerleading and USA. Taylor competed both All Star and college as an athlete, has coached high school, All Star and college and even won Worlds in 2008. On top of judging she is currently the head of legality and scoring at CHEERpros as well as the operations manager.

Legality

Jessica Adler

Jessica has been involved in the cheerleading industry for over 20 years, having started as an athlete and coach. She has been judging for nine years as an IASF and USASF legality official throughout Canada, the USA, Europe and Australia, during which time she has also served on various committees for Cheer Canada and her Provincial Sport Organizations. Outside of Cheerleading, she has a bachelor of science degree in marine biology and is working on a degree in accounting. This is her fifth year as a legality official at The Cheerleading Worlds and is honoured to be here!

Kristi Boaz Harr

Kristi is a former cheerleader for the University of Houston where she won two NCA collegiate national titles. She is a certified legality official and has judged The Cheerleading Worlds for over 15 years.

Svenja Breisch

Svenja Breisch has been involved in cheer for 20 years as an athlete, sport director, judge and legality official. She runs the legality training for judges and coaches nationally and has judged many events at the national and international level for All Star as well as national federations. Svenja is a certified IASF and ICU legality official. Born and raised in Germany, she lives in Georgia with her husband and travels the world professionally as a flight attendant.

Jill Bugner

Jill Bugner is cheerfully returning to The Cheerleading Worlds and is annually amazed at the athleticism, commitment and spirit of the teams in attendance. She has served as an official since 2017. She has judged regional and national championship events in the United States in addition to events in Canada and the United Kingdom. Prior to becoming a judge, she was a high school and college cheerleader and All Star coach.

Marvin Cabra

Marvin Cabra is a passionate Colombian judge, choreographer and coach with 25 years of experience in the cheer and dance industry. He serves as the director of educational projects for Capital Cheer Colombia, creating learning opportunities for judges and coaches across Latin America. As scoring director for Capital Cheer Colombia’s season championships and an IASF legality official for 2024-2025, he brings extensive knowledge of rules and scoring systems to the competitive scene. Marvin has judged events in Ecuador, Colombia, Mexico, the USA and the UK and his choreography has been showcased internationally. He has also been a speaker at industry conferences, sharing his expertise with the cheer and dance community. Whether judging, choreographing or educating, Marvin is dedicated to elevating the sport and supporting the growth of athletes, coaches and judges throughout the region.

Everth Campos

Everth Campos is a distinguished Colombian cheerleading judge and coach with over 15 years of experience in the field. His extensive career encompasses judging, coaching and developing educational programs in cheerleading and performance cheer for the Colombian National Federation and neighbor federations. Throughout his career, Everth has judged numerous top-tier events in Australia, North and Central America, the UK, Europe and Latin America. He has served as a legality official at The Cheerleading Worlds since 2022 and a panel judge for the International Cheer Union (ICU) at the Pan American Championship in 2017-2019, the European Championship in2023 and ICU World Cheerleading Championship for over four years. Everth’s multifaceted contributions as a judge, coach, educator and author have significantly impacted the global cheerleading community, inspiring athletes and professionals worldwide.

Andre Carter

Andre is the director of Cheer Rules for the USASF and a member of the USASF Rules Committee. Andre was formerly an instructor for the International Cheer Union, the director of Education for the USASF, the assistant director of Rules, Safety and Judging for the USASF and served on the USASF Worlds Judge Selection Committee and Athlete Registration System Technology Team. Andre has experience with All Star, high school and college championships and has judged for companies in the United States, as well as in Australia, Costa Rica, Chile and England. Andre has also served as a legality official at Worlds and multiple all level end of season events. In addition andre has worked for a major event producer, cheer music production company and a camp and choreography company.

Orry Clayborne

Orry currently serves as the scoring experience specialist for Varsity All Star Northeast Region. He previously held the title of event director and judging coordinator for Universal Cheerleaders Association. Orry maintains numerous certifications and is a certified legality official for NFHS, USA Cheer, USASF and IASF. He has judged both nationally and internationally for All Star, recreational cheerleading, high school and college events including UCA College and High School Nationals, NCA College and High School Nationals, ICU World Cheerleading Championship and The Cheerleading Worlds.

Valérie Ethier

With 25 years of experience in cheerleading, Valérie began her journey in 2000 as an athlete, quickly becoming a coach and judge. Based in Montreal, Quebec, she has judged for 14 years across Canada, focusing on legality, after panel experience during few years. Valérie has been a coach trainer for the Fédération du Québec and spent eight years on the board. Her passion, commitment to the sport and fair competition makes her proud to judge at The Cheerleading World Championship.

Amanda Fairhall

Amanda has been involved in cheerleading in the U.K. for over 30 years. She has been a member of the USASF and IASF cheer rules committees for the last decade. In her current role with Future Cheer, she looks after 18 events per season in the U.K., Ireland, Spain, France and Amsterdam, overseeing all aspects of scoring for cheer and dance. Amanda has judged all over the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Malaysia, Australia and at ICU worlds and The Summit. She has also regularly worked as part of the legality officials team The Cheerleading Worlds. Amanda is excited to be able to return to Orlando for The Cheerleading Worlds for 2025l.

Khris Franklin

This is Khris’s 25th year judging and her 14th year at The Cheerleading World as either a building judge or a safety judge. She has had the opportunity to judge, coach and teach cheerleading throughout the United States and internationally. The majority of her cheerleading background is in the college world, having cheered at SFA and spent much of the last 15 years coaching at TVCC.

Celeste Johnson

Celeste has 26 years of experience in the cheerleading industry. Her roles over the years have included being a gym owner, All Star director, consultant and speaker. Celeste has been certified as a legality judge by USASF since 2009 and is a part of the USASF the Mentoring Program since 2012. She has served as the NACCC Executive Committee Southwest Region Representative from 2013 to 2015. She also served on the NACCC Small Gym Committee and the USASF Disciplinary Committee. Currently, Celeste is one of the USASF’s member support specialists. In addition to her USASF roles, she judges for several All Star brands.

Jessica Legette

Jessica has been actively involved in cheer and dance for over 30 years as an athlete, coach, choreographer, judge and clinician. She has judged internationally for various companies and also for The Cheerleading Worlds.

Stephen Mills

Stephen Mills is from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Stephen has been involved in the cheerleading industry for over 25 years. He has been judging for 16 years as an IASF and USASF legality official. Stephen has judged for a variety of event producers and Worlds bid events throughout Canada, USA and Europe. He has been a member of the local Provincial Sport Organization and assisted in Cheer Canada committees. Stephen is honored to be judging The Cheerleading Worlds with so many amazing judges.

Ian Pudge

Ian has been a USASF, IASF and NFHS certified legality/safety official extensively through both Canada and the U.S., as well as Australia (AASCF) and England (FutureCheer). He has judged The Cheerleading Worlds on multiple occasions, as well as national championships and Worlds bid events for a wide variety of event producers. Originally from Toronto, Ontario, he currently lives in Chicago.

Legality

Brittany Rick

Brittany has 15 years of judging experience at the local, regional, national and international level. She has been USASF safety certified for 13 years. She is a former UCA staff member where she was an instructor and head instructor for eight years. Brittany is a graduate of Marquette University where she was a member of their cheerleading team.

Eric Rodriguez

Eric Rodriguez is a certified USASF/IASF legality official. Over 25 years of his life has been dedicated to All Star, college and school cheerleading. His combined experience as an athlete, coach, choreographer and judge has led him to judge many of the national and world bid events across the world including : NCA, UCA, Cheer Sport, Spirit Sports, Athletic Championships, Encore, Cheer America, JAMZ Nationals, CCC Nationals, Jamfest Super Nationals, Future Cheer (United Kingdom) , AASCF (Australia), Costa Rica, ATC International, Varsity Canada, International Summit, D2 Summit, The Summit and ICU. This is his 11th year judging The Cheerleading Worlds.

Nicole Rollins

Nicole Rollins has been with Varsity for over 20 years. She started as a UCA staffer and worked as core staff, college staff, curriculum team member and material DVD. Nicole competed at UCA Nationals in high school and college. She cheered for University of Memphis from 2003-2007. She began judging in 2008 and has judged regionally, nationally and internationally for high school, college and All Star competitions. Currently, Nicole is the UCA scoring director.

Austin Seeley

Charles Taylor III

Charles is a former member of the San Antonio Spurs Coyote Crew. He attended the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, TX, where he later coached both the large and small coed teams. With over 20 years of experience, he has had a full career in cheer and dance as an athlete, coach, gym owner and event producer, earning numerous awards and titles along the way. He is a USASF and IASF certified legality judge in both cheer and dance. He has had the privilege of serving as a judge for many prestigious competitions around the world including the ICU World Championships and The Cheerleading Worlds.

Jason Trost

Jason is a USASF certified legality official from Charlotte, NC. With over 15 years of experience as both a coach and a judge, he has had the opportunity to judge many of the top events across the country as well as internationally. Jason is honored to be returning, again, to The Cheerleading Worlds. Full time, Jason works in learning and development for EY.