USASF ATHLETE CREDENTIALING

Setting the Standards. Raising the Bar.
All Star safety, education, competitions, and sportsmanship are soaring to new heights because of the U. S. All Star Federation and its commitment to the highest training and competition standards. Because the USASF requires its members- athletes, coaches, gyms, and events providers alike- to abide by established guidelines, All Stars now have the opportunity to train and compete in competitions and championships across the country in a safer and more exciting environment.

Elevating the Athlete.
The USASF has brought an unparalleled training program to the All Star community. Our credentialing program develops training through proper skill progressions for athletes, allowing them to become credentialed up to the skill level they have currently mastered. By providing athletes and parents with knowledge and preparation for testing, tryouts become a smoother process and athlete motivator. Many programs incorporate athlete credentialing into their tryouts, choreography clinics, and quarterly skills checks to encourage athlete skill consistency. Periodic testing encourages athletes to move on to a higher level and promotes future training.

Athletes can be credentialed in any of three different categories: Stunts, Tosses, and Tumbling. Within each category, athletes can be tested as a Top, Base, and/or Backspot. Assessments must be provided by a fully credentialed USASF coach in their gym, of which Synergy has 4!

Benefits to Cheer About.
The USASF is a non-profit organization striving to maximize the positive life  experiences of All Star Cheerleading. Membership benefits for athletes include:
* $1,000,000 Athlete Catastrophic Insurance*
* USASF Access to Athlete Credentialing
* USASF Membership Patch and Credentials Certificate
* USASF Monthly e-Newsletter
* Access to purchase patches for Levels completed
*Athletes catastrophic insurance takes approximately two weeks to process and will not be active until their tests and payment have been successfully processed by the insurance company.

What Athlete Credentialing Does and Does Not Do.
The Credentialing program brings a road map of predetermined goals for each athlete to set their sights on. Many if not all cheer gyms already have a similar goal setting and achieving system already in place at their gym. Quality coaches know the value of having their athletes learn in progression while focusing on attainable goals. The USASF Athlete Credentialing program helps standardize this system across the industry for all gyms and athletes. This helps coaches, athletes and parents understand and follow a consistent path to success regardless of which gym they are currently attending.

The Athlete Credentialing program does not automatically determine which team an athlete is placed on within their gym.
Example 1: If an athlete credentials up to a 3 Star, this does not restrict him/her from being placed on a level 4 or 5 team. This is left up to the discretion of his/her coach. This does, however,  limit what the skills that the coach should request from this particular athlete. The skills performed should  remain within the credentialing boundaries of the athletes credentials.
Example 2: If an athlete credentials up to a 5 Star, this does not restrict him/her from being placed on a level 4 or lower team. This is left up to the discretion of his/her coach.

Although the Credentialing Stars (1-5) coincide with the level rules of the USASF, the Stars are a separate program designed for the main purpose of keeping athletes safe by learning through progressions.