ICA - Illinois Cheerleading Association

Don’t miss out on your State 2022 Merch! It’s available online now for a limited time!

Missed out on your ICA State 2022 Merchandise? It's available ONLINE NOW for a LIMITED TIME! https://www.cheershoppe.com/category_s/886.htm

Orders will close at 7:00 AM on Monday, December 12th. Orders WILL NOT be accepted past that date/time. - NO EXCEPTIONS! In addition, we cannot guarantee that any orders placed after Monday, December 5th will be delivered by Christmas.

Orders can either be shipped to your home or picked up at our Woodfield Mall location. Customers that choose the pick up option will be contacted when those items are ready to be picked up.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! We hope you have a day filled with love! We are so grateful for our athletes, managers, coaches, and families! 🦃♥️

Attending Spirit Spectacular this weekend at West Aurora High School? The spectator and team entrance is door 14A

Slight adjustments have been made to the CHEERCAGO schedules for BOTH SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. Please check your times on the newly posted and finalized schedules!

Competing against the numbers? Save this graphic for a helpful tool so you always know what you need for a bid to State!

COMPETITION SEASON IS FINALLY HERE! 📣😍

Who is competing with us today?! CHECK IN!

Order of Performance:https://download2339.mediafire.com/xjxgmp6prjng/cbexm3xi7hpj8ax/FirstLook2022FINALOOPRev2.pdf

Watch Live: watchspirittv.com

Thankful for these wonderful and knowledgeable coaches (and their athletes) for taking the time to present at Cheerleading University!

We’re ready for Cheer Madness 2022… ARE YOU?

HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT!

We could not wait for our Advisory Board Meeting to announce our NEWEST Competitive Division - CDOG

Please note that ALL grade levels within this division WILL require a spotter with a collar wristband.

CHEERS!

FINAL FLING ANNOUNCEMENT***

For those attending Final Fling at Plainfield South High School, do not park in the grass. Cars will be towed!

There is ample parking on both sides of the school.

Thank you for your cooperation and good luck to all competing teams!

EVENT REMINDERS:
→Masks must be worn at all times at the event this weekend.
→Masks must cover noses/mouths unless actively eating/drinking.
→There is NO exception to this rule (sorry!)

If you don't want to wear masks for ANY reason (medical, personal, comfort, etc.), we have the option of Spirit TV - discounted with code SPIRITTV2021.

Let's keep things fun this weekend for everyone! Cheers!

COMPETING AGAINST THE NUMBERS? Save this graphic for a handy reference this weekend and SECURE THAT BID! 🏆

FIRST LOOK IS THIS WEEKEND!!! WHO'S GONNA BE THERE? Dust off the cheer cobwebs and SOUND OFF for your team/athlete in the comments! 📣⬇️

(Man, I almost made a bad dad joke about 2020 vision... then I remembered it's 2021... anyone else with me on that? YIKES! 👀)

FLASHBACK FRIDAY!!!

Share one of your favorite CHEER memories in the comments!

Pictured in our memory - 2013 IRCA STATE Balloon Drop! We cannot wait to get back to dumping balloons someday!

ICA - Illinois Cheerleading Association updated their business hours.

ICA - Illinois Cheerleading Association updated their business hours.

We had such a blast at Libby’s Lip Syncing competition!!! Thank you to all performers, you all are the absolute BEST!!! -Bob

https://www.recreationalcheer.com/index.php?componentName=Section&action=sub&scid=54921§ionid=53928&offset_Section=0

Remembering and honoring those that made the ultimate sacrifice.

Attention Coaches & Managers!!!

We have created a PRIVATE Facebook group for you to join and use as a coaching resource.

We hope it sparks discussion, provides assistance for questions, and is a positive tool in your coaching education!

Please be sure to answer the membership questions (you will be denied if you don't answer all four!) and be patient with us as we approve membership requests. This group is NOT open for parents.

http://www.facebook.com/groups/icaidacoaches/

A message from Robert Kolder, Executive Director -

Hello Organizations and Teams!

First, 2020 is “squarely in our rear view mirror”. We have emerged focused and ready to greet 2021 head-on!

Here is some fun information that you may not know:

The Illinois Recreational Cheerleading Association AND The Illinois Dance Association have been the ONLY Organization(s) that hosted Cheer & Dance Competitions in 2020 and Early 2021 in the State of Illinois!

Our COVID-19 program has been regarded as the “MOST EXTENSIVE EVENT PROGRAMMING IN PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS” according many Sport Organizations and the following Governmental Agencies:

We have been reviewed and APPROVED to host competitions by the VILLAGE OF HOFFMAN ESTATES AND THEIR HEALTH DEPARTMENT.

We have been reviewed and APPROVED to host competitions by the NOW ARENA IN HOFFMAN ESTATES, ILLINOIS.

We have been reviewed and APPROVED to host competitions by the COOK COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH.

We have been reviewed and APPROVED to host competitions by the ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH.

We have been reviewed and APPROVED to host competitions by the ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC & DEVELOPMENT.

We have been reviewed and APPROVED to host competitions at NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY.

And MOST IMPORTANTLY, The Illinois Recreational Cheerleading Association AND the Illinois Dance Association HAVE BEEN reviewed and APPROVED to host our Spring 2021 Events with:

STUNTING OR NON-STUNTING competing teams.
AND up to FORTY (40) SPECTATORS (per team) to watch and cheer on their individual teams INSIDE THE ARENA closely following our COVID-19 protocols for each Event!

As you may recall in our discussions, the NOW Arena is being turned over to the Cook County of Public Health for COVID-19 related vaccinations starting soon. As such, the facility will no longer be available to us for Spring 2021 Events.

We are pleased to announce that we have secured the NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY CONVOCATION CENTER for Spring 2021 Events (with one small date change to follow).

Once again, we will be following our COVID-19 programming for teams entering the Arena and NEW protocols have been developed to allow “small group spectators” in as well.
The dates are as follows:

Spring Ahead 2021 – Saturday, March 13, 2021.

Spirit Speggtacular 2021 – SUNDAY, March 28, 2021 (DATE CHANGE).

Top Dawg 2021 – Saturday, April 10, 2021.

We cannot begin to thank the Village of Hoffman Estates and the NOW Arena for hosting us last season and we are SO PLEASED to return to the CONVOCATION CENTER in less than a month’s time!

On Sunday, February 21, 2021 at 1:00pm we will once again be hosting and informative ZOOM Meeting to discuss these important changes to our Spring 2021 programming to keep everyone informed. Managers and Coaches please complete the “Google Doc” link to register for this meeting sent via email.

We have many “returning Organizations” scheduled for our Spring Events and we are so happy to welcome you back to Cheer & Dance.

ALL REGISTRATIONS must be received into our offices by 15-February-2021 via email or mail. It is important to have your Registration received by that date to ensure that your athletes will receive a Medal from each competition. We are at a point whereby they must be ordered.

If you are considering coming back – NOW is the time. We miss you and your athletes greatly!

Lastly, the process of securing a new facility at the last minute is a “monumental feat” and I am EXTREMELY grateful to our IRCA/IDA team for making this happen!

WE ARE BACK AND READY TO COMPETE AGAIN!

Robert Kolder, Executive Director

So many great memories despite the hurdles of 2020! Spring Season here we come!!!

Reminiscing IRCA - Illinois Recreational Cheerleading Association ‘s 13th Annual State Championship! After so many ups and downs in IL, it was so refreshing seeing teams compete and have fun!!!
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Did you compete? Share you’re favorite state memory below!!!
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Cheerleading is back on in IL!!!!! To celebrate, we will be offering in-store shoppers 21% off all tees and hoodies during the IRCA - Illinois Recreational Cheerleading Association State Championship Pop-up Shoppe 1/31!

State orders are available for pick-up or delivery! Orders that pay for shipping prior to 12/16 have guaranteed delivery for the holidays! 💗

Cheering about the fact that we can still be a virtual family 💗

Kelly from Antioch Vikings Youth Football & Cheerleading sent us an IRCA love story and we wanted to share it with everyone! This cheerleading community is why we do what we do!!!

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I wanted to send you what I think is a great IRCA love story. The reason why this organization is amazing and is needed now, more than ever. Long email, but I hope it is worth the read.

As you know, our Vikings organization decided to not move forward with our fall cheer season. This was not a decision that our VP of Cheer (Alissa Franke) was ever happy with. She pushed very hard to give our Vikings Cheerleaders a season. The Viking Board met and voted to not move forward with the season. Our cheer organization relies very heavily on area schools for practice space as we don't have dedicated space. The schools were not going to let us practice in their facilities, I believe that, along with safety concerns, is what led to the Boards decision. Alissa continued to believe, if there is a will there's a way!!!

It was difficult for all of us to see the "order of performance" come out for the first competition and NOT see the Antioch Vikings listed.

Now, let's CUT TO the email from you, opening the door for organizations to join for the remaining competitions and State. I think that was all Alissa needed, a crack in the door and she busted through it!! She was on a mission to be able to give SOMETHING to the girls who wanted it. This is where it gets good.............

We had 12 girls who wanted to be on the team ranging from 5th grade to 8th grade, we took them all. We had exactly 1 week and 30 minutes from our first practice to our posted competition time. I have never seen anything like it. A routine was put together and the "dream team" came together to help these girls prepare (no worries, the "dream team" stayed within our professional hour allotment parameters 😀). We have Alissa and myself, two team moms, nearly 10 teen coaches (all State Champions from 2020), the Godmother of Antioch Cheer, Robin Gwinn (coached Antioch Varsity Cheer for 20 years), a former Antioch Varsity Coach Matt Dawes did our music AND the Vikings Organization would NEVER be complete without the famous Beth Piper ALWAYS with encouraging words and pride for both the Vikings Organization and the IRCA. We are blessed with an amazing cheer community.

This next part is the icing on this wonderful cake........As mentioned above, we don't have dedicated cheer space and without being allowed in schools, we don't have a place to use our mats. During our 1 week of practice, we did not have space that resembles the IRCA cheer floor (we practiced on a hard floor with no mats, outside or on a gymnastics floor). Alissa has created friendships with other coaches in the IRCA throughout the years being at competitions and the IRCA summer camp. The Schaumburg Vikings, Jen Henschel, offered to open their cheer facility to our team for practice. Can you believe that!!! OPENED THEIR gym to the Antioch Vikings so we could practice before our competition last Sunday and this Sunday. Over the years our two teams have competed fiercely, but we have ALWAYS cheered each other on. Had we not had Schaumburg, we would not have practiced on a dead floor or anything that resembled the IRCA floor until the minute we stepped out to compete. The confidence our girls gained from practicing on full mats prior to completing on Sunday is immeasurable.

The IRCA organization is an amazing organization. It has always held itself to a very high standard, but ALWAYS keeps the athletes at the center. In a time when so much has been taken away from kids, your organization has given a piece back to them, a sense of normalcy, something to focus on and goals to achieve. The IRCA could have easily closed the door to those who said no from the start, but you didn't. You left the door open and we could not be more thankful for that. You have helped create a community who reaches out and helps during a time of need. A community who competes fiercely against one another, but ALWAYS cheers each other on. I want to thank you for all of it. I know that this season has been tremendously difficult on the IRCA and will continue to be, thank you for forging ahead and keeping doors open.

P.S. we took first in our grouping at Cheerabiean and got a REAL bid to State 🙂

--
Kelly Sheehan

Who else is excited for the Cheeribbean set-up?! 😍☀️🌴

Want a sneak peek of IRCA - Illinois Recreational Cheerleading Association
Cheeribbean floor set-up?! Follow on Instagram and watch our story!!!
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It’s been a few years since we have had Spirit Spectacular and decorated the arena for a themed event. From Zombies at Cheerminus to construction equipment at Cheer Build, we have had so much fun and made some incredible memories!
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In a time when we all need a vacation, we couldn’t think of a better excuse to bring the island to us! So put on your swimwear and flip flops because we are going to the Cheeribbean!!!!
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Tune in from home Sunday, November 1st starting at 8am! Here is the link:
http://www.recreationalcheer.com/index.php?componentName=Section&action=sub&scid=54921§ionid=53928&offset_Section=0

Final Fling event merchandise pre-orders close Sunday, November 1st at 8 am. Visit ircashoppe.com and order now!

Skip the lines and guarantee your size for Final Fling on November 8th! Visit https://www.spiritwearshoppe.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=678 to pre-order event merchandise with competition pick-up! Last chance to order is Sunday, November 1st at 8 am- DON'T MISS OUT!

The 2020 State Championship Bow will be posted on our website later today! Want a sneak peek? Check out the Cheer Shoppe’s Instagram story!

Want a sneak peek of the IRCA - Illinois Recreational Cheerleading Association State Championship bow? Follow on Instagram and check out our story…. It’s posted right now!

Welcome back Platinum Cheer Association and Antioch Vikings!!!

We are looking forward to watching your athletes and all other teams compete at Cheeribbean November 1st at the NOW Arena!

Interested in tuning in? Here is the link to view:
http://www.recreationalcheer.com/index.php?componentName=Section&action=sub&scid=54921§ionid=53928&offset_Section=0

We are so excited for Cheeribbean and love this logo! Click the link below to pre-order for November 1st event pick-up!

CHEERIBBEAN IS 10 DAYS AWAY! We are offering a themed t-shirt, hooded sweatshirt and glitter cheer bow. Order now at: https://www.spiritwearshoppe.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=740 to skip the lines and pick-up November 1st inside The Cheer Shoppe!

Cheer Pink orders close tonight at 11:59 pm! Click the link below to order! 💗

LAST CHANCE TO ORDER CHEER PINK!

Cheer Pink orders close tonight at 11:59 pm! Don't miss out, here is the link to order:
https://www.spiritwearshoppe.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=675