Varsity Spirit has reversed course on a previously announced structural change to its all star cheer divisions. While the company had initially planned to eliminate Flex divisions beginning with the 2026–2027 season, Varsity has now confirmed that the format will remain in place for one additional year.
Under the updated timeline, Flex divisions will continue to be offered during the 2026–2027 competition season and will instead be eliminated starting with the 2027–2028 season.
Varsity had originally informed program leaders that Flex divisions would be removed next season as teams began planning rosters and competition schedules for the upcoming cycle. The revised decision gives programs an additional year to transition before the division structure changes.
Flex divisions were introduced to provide programs with more roster flexibility by allowing a wider range of athlete ages within a single team. The format has helped smaller programs field competitive teams when strict age divisions created roster challenges or when age distribution within a gym made traditional team structures difficult.
According to Varsity Spirit, the long-term plan remains to return to traditional age divisions in order to better align competition structure with athlete development across the sport.
The company has stated that matching training and competition environments to an athlete’s stage of development supports long-term growth. Traditional age ranges allow coaches to design skill progressions and performance expectations that align more closely with athletes’ physical, cognitive, and social development.
Varsity Spirit has also cited team culture and competitive balance as factors in the decision. Age-based divisions create clearer evaluation standards and are intended to maintain fairness across events.
Competing within age groups also strengthens team culture and fairness,” the company previously noted. “This structure supports equitable evaluation, clear leadership pathways, and a consistent long-term athlete development model.”
Flex divisions have become a familiar part of the all star landscape over the past several seasons. For many gyms—particularly smaller programs—the format allowed athletes across broader age ranges to remain on the same team when filling traditional divisions proved difficult.
At the same time, the model has generated discussion among coaches and gym owners. Some have supported the ability to keep athletes training together, while others have raised concerns about developmental gaps when significantly younger and older athletes compete on the same roster.
With the updated timeline, programs will still have the 2026–2027 season to utilize Flex divisions before transitioning fully back to standard age-based divisions in 2027–2028.
For many gyms, the extra year will allow additional time for roster planning and team restructuring ahead of the eventual change.
Varsity Spirit acknowledged that division structure plays a significant role in how programs organize teams and build rosters each season. Because Varsity operates many of the largest competitions in the sport, changes to its division formats often influence roster strategies and team construction across the all star cheer industry.
Additional details about future division structures and event schedules are expected to be announced as programs prepare for upcoming competition seasons.
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