Editing Cheerleading (section)

==Cheerleading in Canada==
[[File:School. West Hill High School Cheer Leaders BAnQ P48S1P09553.jpg|thumb|High school cheerleaders in [[Montreal]] in 1943]]
Cheerleading in Canada is rising in popularity among the youth in co-curricular programs. Cheerleading has grown from the sidelines to a competitive activity throughout the world and in particular Canada. Cheerleading has a few streams in Canadian sports culture. It is available at the middle-school, high-school, collegiate, and best known for all-star. There are multiple regional, provincial, and national championship opportunities for all athletes participating in cheerleading. Canada does not have provincial teams, just a national program referred to as Team Canada, facilitated by Cheer Canada. Their first year as a national team was in 2009 when they represented Canada at the International Cheer Union World Cheerleading Championships [[International Cheer Union]] (ICU).<ref>{{cite web|title=CCU "About"|url=http://www.teamcanadacheer.com/index.php?componentName=AwardSection&scid=73773|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130630093806/http://www.teamcanadacheer.com/index.php?componentName=AwardSection&scid=73773|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 30, 2013|access-date=28 March 2013}}</ref>

===Competition and governance in Canada===
Cheer Canada acts as the Canadian national governing body for cheer, as recognised by the International Cheer Union.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Cheer Canada {{!}} Canada's National Sport Organization for Cheerleading |url=https://cheercanada.ca/ |access-date=2023-09-26 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=International Cheer Union |title=International Cheer Union: Members - Americas - Canada |url=https://cheerunion.org/membership/nations/americas/?staff_id=26 |access-date=2023-09-26 |website=cheerunion.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=International Cheer Union |title=International Cheer Union Membership Letter - Cheer Canada |url=https://cheerunion.org.ismmedia.com/ISM3/std-content/repos/Top/Staff/Canada/NGB_Letter_Canada.pdf |website=International Cheer Union}}</ref> There are a number of provincial sports organizations that also exist in Canada under Cheer Canada, each governing cheer within their province which BC Sport Cheer,<ref>{{Cite web |last=BC Sport Cheer |title=BC Sport Cheer |url=https://bcsportcheer.ca/home |access-date=2023-09-26 |website=BC Sport Cheer |language=en-CA}}</ref> Alberta Cheerleading Association,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Alberta Cheerleading Association |url=https://www.albertacheerleading.ca/ |access-date=2023-09-26 |website=Alberta Cheerleading Association |language=en-US}}</ref> Saskatchewan Cheerleading Association,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Saskatchewan Cheerleading Association {{!}} Building Safer, Stronger Cheerleading |url=https://sca.ca/ |access-date=2023-09-26 |language=en-CA}}</ref> Cheer Manitoba,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cheer Manitoba {{!}} Provincial Sport Organization for Cheerleading in Manitoba |url=https://www.cheermanitoba.ca/ |access-date=2023-09-26 |website=Cheer Manitoba |language=en}}</ref> Ontario Cheerleading Federation,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ontario Cheerleading Federation |title=Ontario Cheerleading Federation - Home |url=https://ontariocheer.ca/ |access-date=2023-09-26 |website=ontariocheer.ca}}</ref> Federation de Cheerleading du Quebec,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fédération de Cheerleading du Québec |url=https://www.cheerleadingquebec.com/fr/index.html |access-date=2023-09-26 |website=Fédération de Cheerleading du Québec |language=fr}}</ref> Newfoundland and Labrador Cheerleading Athletics, Cheer New Brunswick<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cheer New Brunswick |title=Cheer New Brunswick - About Us |url=https://www.cheernewbrunswick.com/about-us |access-date=2023-09-26 |website=CNB |language=en}}</ref> and Cheer Nova Scotia.<ref>{{Cite web |title=PROVINCIAL ORGANIZATIONS {{!}} Cheer Canada |url=https://cheercanada.ca/about/provincial-organizations/ |access-date=2023-09-26 |language=en-US}}</ref> Cheer Canada and the provincial organizations utilise the IASF divisions and rules for all star cheer and performance cheer (all star dance)<ref>{{Cite web |title=ALL STAR CHEER {{!}} Cheer Canada |url=https://cheercanada.ca/education/all-star-cheer/ |access-date=2023-09-26 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=PERFORMANCE CHEER {{!}} Cheer Canada |url=https://cheercanada.ca/education/performance-cheer/ |access-date=2023-09-26 |language=en-US}}</ref> and the ICU divisions and rules for scholastic cheer.<ref>{{Cite web |title=SCHOLASTIC CHEER {{!}} Cheer Canada |url=https://cheercanada.ca/education/scholastic-cheer/ |access-date=2023-09-26 |language=en-US}}</ref> Canadian Cheer (previously known as Cheer Evolution) is the largest cheer and dance organization for Canada, and currently comply to Cheer Canada's rules and guidelines for their 15 events.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Events |url=https://canadiancheer.com/events/ |access-date=2023-09-26 |website=Canadian Cheer |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Scoring & Divisions |url=https://canadiancheer.com/events/scoring-and-divisions/ |access-date=2023-09-26 |website=Canadian Cheer |language=en-US}}</ref> Varsity Spirit also hosts events within Canada utilising the Cheer Canada/IASF rules.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Varsity Spirit - Canada |url=https://www.varsity.com/canada/ |access-date=2023-09-26 |website=Varsity.com |language=en-US}}</ref> There are currently over 400 clubs and schools recognised by Cheer Canada, with over 25,000 participants in 2023.<ref name=":3" />

===Canadian cheer on the global stage===
There are two world championship competitions that Canada participates in. The first is the ICU World Championships where the Canadian National Teams compete against other countries. The second is [[The Cheerleading Worlds]] where Canadian club teams, referred to as "all-star" teams, compete within the IASF divisions. National team members who compete at the ICU Worlds can also compete with their "all-star club" teams at the IASF World Championships.<ref>{{cite news|title=Canada looks for fourth straight gold medal|url=http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/canada-looks-for-fourth-straight-cheerleading-gold-medal-1.798435|access-date=2 April 2013|date=19 April 2012|archive-date=2 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130902213624/http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/canada-looks-for-fourth-straight-cheerleading-gold-medal-1.798435|url-status=live}}</ref> Although athletes can compete in both [[International Cheer Union]] (ICU) and IASF championships, crossovers between teams at each individual competition are not permitted. Teams compete against the other teams from their countries on the first day of competition and the top three teams from each country in each division continue to finals. At the end of finals, the top team scoring the highest for their country earns the "Nations Cup". Canada has multiple teams across their country that compete in the IASF Cheerleading Worlds Championship.<ref>{{cite web|title=United States All Star Federation|url=http://www.usasf.net/|publisher=USASF|access-date=2 April 2013|archive-date=5 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130405135511/http://usasf.net/|url-status=live}}</ref> In total, Canada has had 98 International podium finishes at cheer events.<ref name=":3" />

The [[International Cheer Union]] (ICU) is built of 119 member nations,<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Recognized World Governing Body of Cheerleading: Member Nations |url=https://cheerunion.org/membership/nations/ |access-date=2023-09-26 |website=cheerunion.org}}</ref> who are eligible to field teams to compete against one another at the ICU World Championships in a number of divisions in both cheerleading and performance cheer, with special divisions for youth, junior and adaptive abilities athletes.<ref>{{Cite web |last=International Cheer Union |date=2023 |title=2024 ICU Junior World & World Cheerleading Championships - Rules & Regulations Information |url=https://cheerunion.org.ismmedia.com/ISM3/std-content/repos/Top/Championships/WCC/24/docs/ICU_WC_2024_Rules.pdf |website=International Cheer Union}}</ref>  Cheer Canada fields a national team, with up to 40 athletes from around the country for both a senior national all girl and senior national coed team training at three training camps across the season in Canada before 28 athletes per team are selected to train in Florida, with 24 athletes going on to compete on the competition floor at ICU Worlds.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Canada |first=Cheer |title=Senior National Team • Call for applications {{!}} Cheer Canada |url=https://cheercanada.ca/2023/08/09/senior-national-team-call-for-applications/ |access-date=2023-09-26 |language=en-US}}</ref> In the 2023 ICU World Championships, Canada won a total of 4 medals (1 gold and 3 silver) with teams entered in the Youth All Girl, Youth Coed, Unified Median, Unified Advanced, Premier All Girl, Premier Coed, Performance Cheer Hip Hop doubles, Performance Cheer Pom Doubles and Performance Cheer Pom divisions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Recognized World Governing Body of Cheerleading: 2023 ICU Junior World & World Cheerleading Championships Medal Count |url=https://cheerunion.org/championships/cheerleading/23wccresults-medalcount/ |access-date=2023-09-26 |website=cheerunion.org |archive-date=2023-09-26  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230926023226/https://cheerunion.org/championships/cheerleading/23wccresults-medalcount/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=International Cheer Union |title=2023 ICU Junior World & World Cheerleading Championships Results - Cheer Rankings |url=https://cheerunion.org/championships/cheerleading/23wccresults-ch/ |access-date=2023-09-26 |website=cheerunion.org |archive-date=2023-09-26  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230926021717/https://cheerunion.org/championships/cheerleading/23wccresults-ch/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=International Cheer Union |title=2023 ICU Junior World & World Cheerleading Championships Results - Performance Cheer Rankings |url=https://cheerunion.org/championships/cheerleading/23wccresults-pc/ |access-date=2023-09-26 |website=cheerunion.org |archive-date=2023-09-26  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230926021728/https://cheerunion.org/championships/cheerleading/23wccresults-pc/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In total, Team Canada holds podium placements at the ICU World Championships from the following years/divisions: 
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!
!Year
!Place
!Team
!Source
|-
|{{gold01}}
|2023
|1st
|Adaptive Abilities Unified 
|<ref name=":4" />
|-
|{{silver02}}
|2023
|2nd
|Youth All Girl Median
|<ref name=":4" />
|-
|{{silver02}}
|2023
|2nd
|Youth Coed Median
|<ref name=":4" />
|-
|{{gold01}}
|2022
|1st
|Adaptive Abilities Unified Median
|<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=International Cheer Union |title=International Cheer Union: 2022 World Cheerleading Championship Rankings |url=https://cheerunion.org/championships/results/22wccresults/ |access-date=2023-09-26 |website=cheerunion.org |archive-date=2023-09-26  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230926021718/https://cheerunion.org/championships/results/22wccresults/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
|{{silver02}}
|2022
|2nd
|Youth All Girl Median
|<ref name=":5" />
|-
|{{silver02}}
|2022
|2nd
|Youth Coed 
|<ref name=":5" />
|-
|{{bronze03}}
|2022
|3rd
|Junior Coed Advanced
|<ref name=":5" />
|-
|{{silver02}}
|2019
|2nd
|Coed Premier
|<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=International Cheer Union |title=International Cheer Union: 2019 World Cheerleading Championship Rankings |url=https://cheerunion.org/championships/results/2019results/ |access-date=2023-09-26 |website=cheerunion.org}}</ref>
|-
|{{silver02}}
|2019
|2nd
|Special Abilities Traditional
|<ref name=":6" />
|-
|{{silver02}}
|2019
|2nd
|Junior Coed Advanced
|<ref name=":6" />
|-
|{{silver02}}
|2018
|2nd
|Junior Coed Advanced
|<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |title=The Recognized World Governing Body of Cheerleading: 2018 World Cheerleading Championship |url=https://cheerunion.org/championships/results/2018results/ |access-date=2023-09-26 |website=cheerunion.org}}</ref>
|-
|{{bronze03}}
|2018
|3rd
|Coed Premier
|<ref name=":7" />
|-
|{{gold01}}
|2017
|1st
|Junior All Girl Advanced
|<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |title=The Recognized World Governing Body of Cheerleading: 2017 World Cheerleading Championship |url=https://cheerunion.org/championships/results/2017results/ |access-date=2023-09-26 |website=cheerunion.org}}</ref>
|-
|{{silver02}}
|2017
|2nd
|Junior Coed Advanced
|<ref name=":8" />
|-
|{{bronze03}}
|2017
|3rd
|All Girl Premier
|<ref name=":8" />
|-
|{{gold01}}
|2013
|1st
|Coed Elite
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Recognized World Governing Body of Cheerleading: 2013 World Cheerleading Championship Results |url=https://cheerunion.org/championships/results/wcc13/ |access-date=2023-09-26 |website=cheerunion.org}}</ref>
|-
|{{gold01}}
|2012
|1st
|All Girl Elite
|<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |last=International Cheer Union |title=International Cheer Union 2012 ICU World Cheerleading Championships Rankings |url=https://cheerunion.org.ismmedia.com/ISM3/std-content/repos/Top/2013_Website/Championships/World%20Championship%20Medal%20Tables/PDfs/ICU_WCC_Results_2012.pdf}}</ref>
|-
|{{gold01}}
|2012
|1st
|Coed Elite
|<ref name=":9" />
|-
|{{gold01}}
|2011
|1st
|All Girl Elite
|<ref name=":10">{{Cite web |last=International Cheer Union |title=2011 ICU World Championships Rankings |url=https://cheerunion.org.ismmedia.com/ISM3/std-content/repos/Top/2013_Website/Championships/World%20Championship%20Medal%20Tables/PDfs/ICU_WCC_Results_2011.pdf}}</ref>
|-
|{{gold01}}
|2011
|1st
|Coed Elite
|<ref name=":10" />
|-
|{{gold01}}
|2010
|1st
|All Girl Elite
|<ref name=":11">{{Cite web |last=International Cheer Union |title=2010 ICU World Cheerleading Championships |url=https://cheerunion.org.ismmedia.com/ISM3/std-content/repos/Top/2013_Website/Championships/World%20Championship%20Medal%20Tables/PDfs/ICU_WCC_Results_2010.pdf}}</ref>
|-
|{{gold01}}
|2010
|1st 
|Coed Elite
|<ref name=":11" />
|-
|{{silver02}}
|2010
|2nd
|All Girl Partner Stunt
|<ref name=":11" />
|-
|{{gold01}}
|2009
|1st
|All Girl Elite
|<ref name=":12">{{Cite web |last=International Cheer Union |title=2009 ICU World Cheerleading Championships |url=https://cheerunion.org.ismmedia.com/ISM3/std-content/repos/Top/2013_Website/Championships/World%20Championship%20Medal%20Tables/PDfs/ICU_WCC_Results_2009.pdf}}</ref>
|-
|{{gold01}}
|2009
|1st
|Coed Elite
|<ref name=":12" />
|}