Questions regarding scoring?
SCORING
Questions regarding scoring?
Championship Events Judges:
Adam Denison
Originally from Kentucky, Adam has been part of the All-Star Cheerleading industry for over 20 years — as an athlete, coach, camp instructor, choreographer, tumbling director, and judge. During his time coaching, his all-star teams won over 50 national titles at some of the world’s largest events. Since beginning his judging career in 2015, Adam has adjudicated The Cheerleading Worlds, The Majors, NCA All-Star Nationals, UCA Internationals, CheerSport Nationals, and for over 20 brands in the United States, Costa Rica, and England. Adam now lives in Nashville, Tennessee and works full-time in the Entertainment Industry as an Agent-Manager for over 20 internationally-touring music artists.
Ann Marie Dearsman
Ann Marie is a certified judge from Port Richey Florida. She has been in the cheer industry for over 28 years as a Coach, Choreographer, Gym Owner and Judge. Ann Marie has Judged for many prestigious brands in the USA and Canada such as American Championships, All Star Challenge, American Cheer Power, Cheersport, UCA, NCA, Jamfest Super Nationals, Redline, Open Championships, Champions League, The ONE, The Quest, The Summit and The Cheerleading Worlds.
Brandy Small
Brandy is an educator currently residing in Atlanta, Ga. She is a “newbie” to ACC events, however, as a former athlete turned coach and now judge, Brandy is excited to apply her knowledge and learn new things this year! Brandy judges floor safety and tumbling for high schools across the state of Georgia. When she is not judging, Brandy is spending time with friends and family and watching her daughter cheer on the sidelines on Friday nights
Britney Holder
Britney Holder has been involved within the cheer and dance industry for over 18 years having coaching and choreography experience. Her passion for the sport and art began at a young age as a competitive gymnast and dancer. Upon graduating high school, Britney was recognized in a publication entitled “Who’s Who Among Student Athletes,” and cheered collegiately on a coed team for The Tennessee State University. In the previous years, Britney has trained with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and has worked with several competitive all-star cheerleading teams within Tennessee. Britney has been granted the opportunity to travel abroad to the United Kingdom for the past 5 years (omitting Covid-19 year), 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.
Britton Springer
Britton Springer, a native of Southern California, holds a degree in Exercise Science Sports Medicine. With 20 years of experience as an Allstar cheerleading coach, choreographer, and judge, she has had the privilege of traveling extensively throughout the United States, as well as to Canada, Norway, the Philippines, Australia, and more, coaching and judging talented athletes.
Caitlin Valerio
Caitlin has been involved in the cheer world as an athlete, coach and judge for over 20 years. She has had the privilege of coaching high school for 8 years before moving into all-start and guest coaching, choreographing, and judging for the last 7 years. She currently enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter, and two dogs, Minnie and Sebastian.
Candace Anthony
Candace Anthony has been involved in the cheerleading world for more than 15 years as an athlete, coach, and now judge. She has had the honor of judging many prestigious events including NCA All-Star Nationals and CHEERSPORT Nationals. Candace currently resides in Northern Virginia where she works as Financial Analyst for the Department of Defense. She is looking forward to a great season ahead.
Candace Jones
Candace Jones Operario has judged for Varsity Brands for the past 7 years. Specializing in tumbling execution and difficulty. She has also judged major competition such as All reach the beach Nationals and the D2 Summit. She was also asked to judge Cheer Sport Nationals .She has coached all allstars levels 1-6 for 20+years.Candace also volunteers to help local rec programs and is currently the coach of a local high school coaching Varsity/ JV Cheer and Gymnastics, with 18years of high school coaching experience each year she falls more in love with the kids and the sport. She has coached gymnastics for the past 8 years.
Christina Henriques
Christina has over 20 years of experience in the cheerleading industry - from athlete to coach and choreographer to judge. She has been a certified judge for 9 years in the categories of tumbling and overall, and has judged at prestigious events including Cheersport and Summit. Christina also works as a scoring official at a number of northeast competition events. This is her third season with Champions League.
Darryl Lyons
A native of North Little Rock, Arkansas. A graduate and former two year cheerleader and captain of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. A former Head instructor for both NCA and UCA. Has been head coach an a number of colleges and universities including Drury University, The University of Arkansas Razorbacks, Mississippi State University, and most recently Georgia State University. He has won numerous titles with, college, high school, and All Star Programs across the nation. He has also judged for Varsity Brands, several independent event brands, as well as internationally for FEDEPA in Costa Rica.
David Williams
David Williams has over 20 years of experience in tumbling, cheerleading and dance. Starting his tumbling career as a competitive gymnast, he later transitioned to dance while in high school. After only a few years of dance training, David was selected to attend numerous dance intensives at the Juilliard School in NYC and the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago. After high school, David attended the University of North Carolina Greensboro, where he completed his Dance Minor and became a Varsity Cheerleader. While attending UNCG, David was named an NCA All-American and also had the privilege of competing at NCA College Nationals. Upon completing his degrees, he went on to Assistant Coach both the cheer and dance teams at Methodist College in Fayetteville, NC and later Jacksonville University upon his relocation to Florida. David has worked with numerous National Championship All-Star and Collegiate Cheerleading and Dance Programs conducting clinics, as well as consulting on choreography for competition routines. He has also coached a team to win the prestigious Varsity Triple Crown and Summit Championship back to back years as well as achieve a Silver Medal at the Cheerleading Worlds in their first attempt!
Denee Hill
Denee is a former cheerleader and has coached middle and High School competitive cheer for 6 years. Her experiences as a former cheerleader and coach provide her with knowledge and skill within the sport. In her current role, Denee works alongside the scoring team at the Champions League. Denee is committed to providing the highest level of accuracy, consistency, and transparency in her role.
Erica Neal
Erica Neal is from Lancaster, Ohio and works as a Developmental Specialist. Erica’s passion for cheerleading began at the early age of 5 and from there she was all in. She has over 29 years of cheerleading experience as an athlete, coach, choreographer, and judge. Erica has helped develop training materials and resources for judges throughout the industry. Erica is a TRU Triple Threat Judge and a certified judge for Varsity. She judges nationally for Greater Midwest Cheer Expo, Jamz Cheer & Dance, Champion Cheer Central, Cheer Derby, Champions League, Winner’s Choice Championships. She has judged internationally for Canadian Cheer Evolution, Cheer Challenge Chile, and Cheer Brandz. Erica has judged the USASF Cheerleading Worlds for eight years.
Erin Blette
Erin is a California native raised and residing in Massachusetts. Erin has over 20 years of cheer industry experience, and continues to cheer as a cheer geriatric on the sidelines of a semi-pro football team. Erin has over 14 seasons of judging experience, including high school and all star cheer. She has specialized in the penalty and deduction aspects. While she loves all things cheerleading, clean stunting is her absolute favorite. Erin has a doctorate in education and spends her days as a special educator, dual season high school cheer coach, and collegiate cheer coach.
Jeannette DeGraffenried
Jeannette has over 30 years’ experience in judging. She taught cheer for 21 years, tumbling for over 23 years and dance for 23 years. She has judged the USASF World’s for the past seven years. 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”! When she’s not judging she works as a medical assistant at a fertility and hormone clinic.
Jill Spearman Macklin
Jill has 38+ years of cheerleading experience, including as a high school and college cheerleader. She served as head coach for nearly 30 years at her Alma Mater, where she coached the sideline team and founded the competitive cheer team. A former cheer camp manager with companies like AmeriCheer and Varsity Spirit, Jill has hosted over 30 cheer clinics and founded the Dan Emmett Music and Arts Festival Cheerleading Competition in 2005. She also taught cheerleading in Malaysia and coached Upward cheerleading for 7 years and a middle school program for 13 years. Jill has been judging cheer competitions for over 30 years, both in the U.S. and internationally, including prestigious events like US Finals, D2 Summit, and All Star Worlds. A certified judge in all categories, she specializes in tumbling and deductions. Jill holds a master’s in education, is a licensed social worker, and works for the USDA. She lives in Ohio with her husband, Cephas.
Jordawn Howard
Jordawn is a former University of Louisville cheerleader where she was a 4-time NCA All-American and 2-time NCA Collegiate National Champion. She was also a member of a USASF World Champion team in 2007. Jordawn was an NCA instructor and head instructor for three years before transitioning to the judging world. In her 13 years as an industry judge, Jordawn has traveled both nationally and internationally including to competitions in the U.K., Canada, Japan, Australia, and Chile. Domestically, Jordawn has judged for several prestigious events including the US Finals, D1 and D2 Summit, and the USASF Cheerleading Worlds.
Karen Snyder
Karen is a cheerleading professional with over 30 years of experience including a wide variety of roles as 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, Canada, and throughout Europe for the past 15 years. She has served in many capacities as a panel judge, head judge, judge trainer, stand manager, and scoring official. She has judged several World Qualifying events, and has judged The Major’s since it’s inception. She has been honored to judge The USASF Cheerleading World Championships since 2013. She and her husband enjoy traveling and spending time with their adult children and first grandson, Tripp.
Kelley Carr
Kelley Carr joined the Premier Athletics family after relocating from Ohio in 2013. She established North Coast All Star Cheer and Dance, Inc. in Berea, Ohio in 1998. During her time there she managed the coaching staff, tumbling class instruction, designed curriculum, planning travel, as well as, was the head coach of a number of teams ranging from level 1-5. Currently, Kelley is a USASF Credentialing Instructor. She is a certified panel judges for a number of events throughout the United States. Kelley is credentialed levels 1-5, CPR and certified through the Special Olympic course for coaching cheerleading, First Aid & CPR certified, and has completed Concussion training. She has coached the Father Ryan High School competitive program for 6 years and is certified through USA Cheer. Kelley runs the International Baccalaureate Program at Hillsboro High School and has master’s degree in Special Education and Reading.
Kelly Jones
Kelly Jones is a Texas native and currently lives in Louisville, Kentucky. She has been judging for Varsity and independent brands for the past 8 years and is certified in multiple scoring systems. Kelly has had the honor of judging several prestigious events such as NCA All Star Nationals, All Star Worlds, and D2 Summit. She has worked in the cheer industry for over 39 years. She began her career cheering at TVCC and graduated from The University of Texas with a Bachelor’s of Elementary Education. She worked as an NCA summer camp head instructor for 12 years. Kelly is a retired school teacher after dedicating 30 years in the classroom. She enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, judging competitions and speaking at international coaches conferences.
Kelsea Giantonio
Kelsea is originally from Connecticut and currently resides in Tennessee. She has been in the cheer industry for over 20 years and is the head cheer and dance coach at Vanderbilt University. She cheered at the University of Massachusetts and went on to coach at Tennessee Tech University and The Ohio State University, before arriving at Vanderbilt. She began judging for Nfinity in 2023 and is excited to continue judging this season.
Kristin Marcum
Kristin Marcum is from Charleston, South Carolina. She has a degree in Physical Therapy from MUSC and spends her days working as a pediatric physical therapist. She has over 18 years experience in the cheer industry together as an school/rec coach, all star cheerleading coach and judge. She is looking forward to continuing to be apart of the Champions League events this season. When she is not judging, she is traveling with her 9 year old daughter for cheer competitions or watching her 5 year old son’s baseball and soccer games.
Maeghan Roberson
Maeghan is a special education teacher from Houston, Texas. She was an all-star cheerleader from the age of 5-18, and was also a HS JV and Varsity cheerleader. Maeghan has vast experience as a certified judge for all-star and school cheer for 15+ years. Also judging from coast to coast for multiple event producers including WCC, American Cheer Power, ECC, SCA, Open Championships, and more. When she is not teaching or judging, she enjoys spending time with her husband and 3 children whose ages range from 7 to 21.
Matt Smith
Matt Smith has been involved in the All Star Judging industry for over 10 seasons - all of which he has spent time as a panel judge and USASF Safety judge. Originally from Ohio, Matt currently is an All Star Gym Director and Coach at East Celebrity Elite outside the Boston-area of Massachusetts. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his better half Mike and their animals Dean, Blair, and Rae.
Michael Martinez
Michael Martinez has over a decade of coaching experience. As a former College cheerleader and All Star Gym owner, Michael brings a wealth of knowledge in building and tumbling technique. The current Cheerleading coach at Rutgers University, Michael will bring this diverse understanding of the various aspects of competitive cheerleading to judging. This will be Michael’s first year as a judge for Nfinity.
Raeven Williams
Raeven Williams has an extensive background in the cheer and dance world, with over 10 years of experience. Starting as an athlete, she transitioned into coaching and choreography after graduating college, and she’s recently begun judging competitions. Raeven has successfully trained many athletes, guiding them to pursue cheer at the collegiate level. Now residing in Mississippi, she balances her dedication to cheer with her career as a forensic chemist. She’s excited for the upcoming season and all the opportunities it brings!
Robbie Gregory
Robbie is the owner of Pro Cheer International Skills training company and Tumbling Director and Team Coach at Palm Beach Lightning All Stars. He is a former University of Louisville and Gym Tyme cheerleader, World and Collegiate Champion, Nfinity Legend and veteran Generation Next Staff. Robbie has over 30+ years of tumbling experience and 25+ years coaching experience.
Rosann Whittington
Rosann brings over 30 years of cheerleading experience to the cheer industry. She is a former cheerleader, coach and choreographer at all levels, for which she has earned numerous State and Nationals titles.Rosann has been judging for over 20 years at the local, state, national and international levels. She has judged for serval prestigious events such as, NCA All Star and High School Nationals, CHEERSPORT Nationals, JAMZ Nationals, The Summit, The Cheerleading Worlds as well as cheer events in Canada and the UK.As a veteran judge, Rosann brings a wealth of experience and professionalism to the judging panel.
Rubin Ortiz
Ruben is a Texas native with over 15 years of judging experience. He was a high school cheerleader, all-star cheerleader and collegiate cheerleader at The University of Texas at Austin. Ruben comes with extensive judging experience and has judged at the regional, state, national and international level.
Serena Harris
Serena is a graduate of the University of Delaware with a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise and Sport Science with a Concentration in Fitness Management and a Minor in Coaching Science and also holds a Master’s degree in Exercise Physiology. Before moving into judging full time, Serena coached on the high school level as the Assistant Head Fall, Winter and Competition coach at Christiana High School in Newark, Delaware for 16 years- (1997-2013) where they took home 9 State Championship titles under her tenure. While coaching on the High School level Serena was an open level all star athlete and coached at the historic Diamond State Wildcats, where she also served as the head tumbling instructor for 2 years. Before retiring from All Star coaching and cheer, Serena held the head coach position at Wesley College for the 2005 season, later moving into judging full time. Serena has been judging for the last 18 years and currently serves as a nationally certified judge for Nfinity Champion’s League, Varsity Spirit Brands, multiple IEP’s, as well as a certified judge for DSCA- the Delaware State governing body for competitive cheer.
Shaunte Strong
Shaunte is a Certified Judge and has been a part of cheerleading for decades, starting with rec cheer as a young girl. She began judging in 2015 with Varsity All-Star as a way to ensure that she could be a part of the fundamental aspect of cheerleading, and bring diversity to the judging panels. It was important to her to show athletes, that anyone, regardles of their physical attributes, hair texture, gender, or sexual orientation, could be a part of a sport that was so near and dear to her. As a judge, she prides herself on thorough feedback and education, to ensure all programs have adequate knowledge to be their best. She has had the pleasure of judging all over the US and internationally, for events such as UCA, NCA, Jamfest Super Nationals, US Finals, Summit, and D2 Summit, and has been a part of the Champions League family for 3 seasons. She was recently named Region 4-5A Coach of the Year for Georgia High School, and looks forward to continuing to bring her expertise in providing valuable feedback to programs!
Shawn Simmons
Shawn Simmons is a 19-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, Louisiana native, Shawn currently resides in Massachusetts with his dog, Penny.
Shelby Roberson
Shelby is originally from Springfield, Illinois but has lived and worked in Houston, Texas for 20+ years. He works as a Quality Assurance Coordinator for a luxury home builder. Shelby was a HS varsity cheerleader as well as a collegiate athlete, playing D1 basketball. He has 5+ years of experience as a certified judge for all-star and school cheerleading in the Texas and Louisiana regions. When not working or judging, he enjoys spending time with his wife and 3 children ages ranging from 7 to 21. Also is an avid sports enthusiast who coaches multiple sports for his youngest son.
Sierra Boardman
Sierra is originally from Maine where she grew up doing competitive cheerleading and gymnastics. After high school, Sierra worked for NCA for 12 years as a Head Instructor teaching camps across the United States, and even one in Japan. She has been coaching all stars at East Celebrity Elite since 2008 and she currently coaches levels 1-6. Outside of coaching she also does choreography for youth and high school teams around New England. Before going to the gym in the evening Sierra works at a local animal shelter where she is an Animal Care Specialist and Adoption Counselor. Sierra currently resides in Massachusetts.
Stephanie Karg
Stephanie has more than 15 years in the cheerleading industry. From athlete to coach and now judge. She has traveled to over 10 States judging various local, state, regional and All Star events including Regional Summit When not on the riser, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, watching her son’s hockey games, going to the gym and snuggling with her dogs Marvis and Lily!
Taraya Bell
Taraya is a highly respected cheerleading professional with 25+ years of experience, boasting credentials as a former all-star cheerleader, NCA instructor, gymnast, and dancer. A renowned coach and judge at all levels, she's a multi-time State and National champion. Certified and experienced, Taraya shares her passion and expertise, inspiring athletes to excel.
Tina Poston
Tina was born and raised in Southern California. She graduated from Grand Canyon University in Arizona with a degree in film production. Tina has an impressive career in the entertainment industry, having worked for Paramount and Nickelodeon before joining the NFL. She is a four-time Emmy-nominated producer in 2024, with two of her projects winning Emmy Awards in 2023.
Tina’s passion for entertainment and connecting with audiences is evident in her work. She has been deeply involved in the Cheer and Dance industry for over 20 years, cheering and coaching competitive teams from middle school to college, as well as all-star teams. Tina has choreographed for national championship high school and all-star teams across the western United States.
For over 15 years, Tina has been a part of the Varsity Brand, starting as a Summer Camp Cheer Instructor. She has been judging competitions for 12 years, both domestically and internationally. Tina has the privilege of judging at prestigious End of the Year events such as the Varsity Summit, D2 Summit, Youth Summit, The Rec Summit, The Celebration, Japan Nationals, and WASF.
William Tyrone Shelton
Tyrone has been involved in cheerleading for 37 years. He started as a Senior in high school (1987-88) at Warren Central High School located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Next, he cheered at Ball State University for 4 years (1990-1994) where he served as captain for 3 years. Tyrone was Program Director and Co-owner of United Spirit All Stars Cheerleading Training Center in Noblesville, Indiana from 2002-2010. He has also been the sole owner of Indiana’s Finest Cheerleading Consultants from 2007 to present day. He started judging All Star Cheerleading competitions in 2000. He has judged for Jamfest, CHEERSPORT, Spirit Sports, American Cheer Power, Team Champion, COA, WSF, UCA, Infinity and Star Spirit. Tyrone currently judges Tumbling, Building, and Point Deduction. Tyrone has also been an Indiana High School Cheerleading competition judge since 2006.