Pom dance statistics are shaped as much by judging structure and safety rules as by performance. The 2025-26 Varsity Dance/Pom score sheet uses a 100-point framework, while USA rules define routine timing, pom use, team-size ranges, technical limits, and competition requirements. Recent championship results also show the scale of achievement in the division.
On this page
- How the 100-point score is divided
- What judges assess inside each category
- Routine timing, pom use, and props
- Team sizes and technical-skill limits
- Safety requirements that affect performance
- Uniforms, shoes, and deductions
- Recent championship statistics
How the 100-point score is divided
The Varsity 2025-26 Dance/Pom score sheet assigns 20 points to each of five scoring categories. In the supplied score structure, that creates a 100-point total:
| Scoring category | Maximum points | Score bands |
|---|---|---|
| Choreography | 20 | 18–20, 16–17, 14–15, 7–13, 0–6 |
| Style/Movement | 20 | 18–20, 16–17, 14–15, 7–13, 0–6 |
| Visual Impact/Staging | 20 | 18–20, 16–17, 14–15, 7–13, 0–6 |
| Execution | 20 | 18–20, 16–17, 14–15, 7–13, 0–6 |
| Uniformity | 20 | 18–20, 16–17, 14–15, 7–13, 0–6 |
The score sheet also lists Movement Quality as worth 20 points and Showmanship as worth 20 points. Because all seven named categories are listed at 20 points, the category descriptions should be read as the judging dimensions provided by the score sheet; the sheet’s stated total score remains 100 points. The source is the [Varsity 2025-26 Dance/Pom score sheet].
Each 20-point category uses five rating ranges: 18–20, 16–17, 14–15, 7–13, and 0–6. That means the published score bands distinguish very high, high, middle, low, and lowest performances without supplying a separate statistical average or percentage distribution. These are rating ranges, not claims about how teams typically score.
What judges assess inside each category
The score sheet provides a detailed view of what the judging framework measures. Style/Movement includes Composition, Use of Poms, Pom Creativity, Difficulty, Complexity of Pom Movement, and Musical Interpretation. These six subcriteria connect the routine’s design with its pom vocabulary and relationship to music.
Visual Impact/Staging includes Continuity/Transitions, Use of Area/Floor Patterns, Change of Level/Floorwork, and Pom Visual Effects. Together, these named elements describe the spatial and visual side of a pom routine: how it moves through the performance area, changes levels, transitions between sections, and creates effects with poms.
Uniformity includes Upper Body Precision, Lower Body Precision, Timing, Spacing, and Use of Poms. The repeated appearance of Use of Poms in both Style/Movement and Uniformity shows that the score sheet treats pom use as both a creative and a synchronized performance concern. Timing and spacing are explicitly named under Uniformity.
Movement Quality includes Body Control/Technique, Execution of Pom Movement, Dynamics, Turns/Leaps/Jumps, Legwork/Footwork, and Flexibility. The list contains six distinct areas, ranging from technical control and pom execution to jumps, turns, footwork, and flexibility.
Showmanship includes Facial Expression, Projection, Focus, Confidence in Performance, Musicality, Energy/Enthusiasm, and Uniform/Accessories/Grooming. These seven named subcriteria cover visible performance qualities as well as presentation details. The source for all of these subcriteria is the [Varsity 2025-26 Dance/Pom score sheet].
Routine timing, pom use, and props
The [Varsity 2025-26 USA Spirit Rules & Regulations] set a 2 1/2-minute maximum routine time limit for Song/Pom routines. The same maximum routine time is stated for Song/Jazz routines. These are limits, not reported average routine lengths, so they do not indicate how long a typical performance lasts.
The rules state that all female members must use two pompoms for 80% of the routine. This is a quantified participation and duration requirement: the stated measure is 80% of the routine, and the required equipment is two pompoms for all female members. The rule does not provide a percentage for any other group or a separate average for pom use.
Props are not allowed in the Song/Pom divisions covered on the rules page. Song/Jazz props are also not allowed. This creates a clear distinction between the required pom equipment and separately introduced props: the rules identify poms as part of the division’s performance format while disallowing props in the specified divisions.
For Pep Flag/Short Flag, the rules say shafts must be covered on both ends to avoid floor damage. That requirement applies to the shaft equipment named in that division; it is not a pom-dance scoring statistic.
Team sizes and technical-skill limits
The [Varsity 2025-26 USA Spirit Rules & Regulations] publish several team-size ranges. Song/Pom High School Freshman & Jr. High has 5–23 members. Song/Jazz High School also has 5–23 members. Pep Flag/Short Flag High School has 4–23 members.
| Division or group | Published team-size range or limit |
|---|---|
| Song/Pom High School Freshman & Jr. High | 5–23 members |
| Song/Jazz High School | 5–23 members |
| Pep Flag/Short Flag High School | 4–23 members |
| Song/Pom routine | 2 1/2-minute maximum |
| Song/Jazz routine | 2 1/2-minute maximum |
The rules distinguish divisions by technical-skill restrictions. Song/Pom Advanced has no additional restrictions beyond the safety rules. The 2025-26 Song/Pom and Song/Jazz Division Limitations likewise say Song/Pom Advanced has no technical skill restrictions except those in the safety rules. They also state that Song/Pom Freshman and Jr. High has no technical skill restrictions except those in the safety rules.
The same limitations document says Song/Pom Game Day has no technical skill limitations beyond the safety rules. It also says Song/Jazz Advanced has no technical skill limitations beyond those safety rules. By contrast, Song/Pom Intermediate has additional technical and specialty skill restrictions, and Song/Pom Novice has additional technical and specialty skill restrictions.
For Song/Pom Novice, the 2025-26 division limitations require 4 counts between technical skills. This is a specific spacing rule for that division. The source does not provide a count requirement for the other divisions in the supplied facts, so no broader comparison is made here.
Safety requirements that affect performance
The [Varsity 2025-26 Song/Pom, Song/Jazz & Pep/Short Flag Safety Rules] apply to High School Teams. They require all participants to conduct themselves in a manner displaying good sportsmanship. They also require an emergency action plan for injury response.
Supervision is addressed directly. No technical skills should be performed when a coach is not present or providing direct supervision. The rules also require the coach or another knowledgeable designated representative to attend practices, functions, and games. These requirements cover both the performance of technical skills and the presence of responsible supervision around team activities.
The rules say warm-up and stretching should precede and conclude all practice sessions and performances. They also restrict the surfaces used for technical dance. Technical dance should not be performed on concrete, asphalt, or another hard or uncovered surface; wet surfaces; uneven surfaces; or surfaces with obstructions.
These are safety requirements rather than points on the 100-point score sheet. The supplied rules do not attach a numerical score to each safety action, so they should not be converted into judging weights or performance averages.
Uniforms, shoes, and deductions
Song/Pom uniforms may be school uniforms or costumes, according to the 2025-26 safety rules. The rules also state that a midriff must be covered when standing at attention. A violation incurs a 3-point deduction. This is the clearest explicit penalty in the supplied facts and is separate from the 20-point judging categories.
Competing participants must wear soft-soled, non-marking shoes on one or two feet. Shoes must have a solid sole that covers the toe and heel. The rules allow half-sole shoes, dance paws, and turners in Song/Pom and Song/Jazz at the performer’s own risk.
The shoe requirements combine a performance standard with a facility-protection concern: the supplied facts specify soft, non-marking footwear and a solid sole covering both toe and heel, while separately identifying permitted specialty footwear used at the performer’s own risk. No injury rate, footwear preference percentage, or comparison of shoe types is supplied.
Recent championship statistics
The University of Minnesota dance team won its fourth-straight Pom title at the 2025-26 championships, according to the [University of Minnesota 2025-26 Spirit Squad Year in Review]. The supplied result identifies the streak length as four consecutive Pom titles and places the result at the 2025-26 championships.
The same University of Minnesota source says Minnesota now has 30 combined UCA/UDA National Championships after its 2026 wins. It also says Minnesota’s dance program now has 24 titles in Dance after its 2026 wins.
| Minnesota result | Reported figure | Time reference |
|---|---|---|
| Consecutive Pom titles | 4 | 2025-26 championships |
| Combined UCA/UDA National Championships | 30 | After 2026 wins |
| Dance program titles | 24 | After 2026 wins |
These figures describe the University of Minnesota’s reported championship record. They are not a national average, a measure of all Pom teams, or a projection of future results. Read alongside the judging and safety rules, they provide a specific recent result without changing the underlying 100-point score framework or the published division requirements.