University High School stands out in the Irvine Unified School District as the only school with a Pep Squad that features both competitive Cheer and Song/Pom teams. All other IUSD schools only offer a Cheer program.
That combination is exactly what sets University High's program apart. In the Irvine Unified School District (IUSD), while most high school pep squads focus entirely on traditional cheerleading or sideline support, Uni High bridges both worlds by fielding distinct, competitive tracks for both Cheer and Song / Pom.
Football & Basketball Games
Both Cheerleaders & Songleaders
cheer side by side with each other at Football and Basketball Games.
Both are able to tumble.
Cheerleaders:
Do athletic stunting
(building pyramids),
tossing, and power moves.
Songleaders:
Perform dance routines with complex dance technique, synchronized turns, leaps, and sharp pom placements.
What is the difference between Cheerleading and Songleading?
Competition Team Cheer
Competition Team Song
What do Competitive Cheerleaders do?
Competition cheerleaders perform highly athletic, 2.5-minute routines that combine high-energy dance, tumbling, jumps, and complex stunting. Unlike sideline cheerleading, which focuses on crowd engagement at games, competitive squads spend months refining their choreography for a panel of experts who judge them on difficulty and execution.
A typical competitive routine is structured around several key elements:
-
Stunting and Pyramids: Bases lift, throw, and catch flyers in the air, while teams build multi-level pyramids.
-
Tumbling: Athletes perform dynamic passes, including back handsprings, tucks, and layouts across the floor.
-
Jumps and Dance: Routines feature synchronized jumps (like toe touches) and high-energy, fast-paced dance sections.
What is Song / Pom?
Song athletes are heavily trained dancers.
A competitive Song choreography routine requires absolute synchronization, advanced technical skills like triple/quad turns, switch leaps, and high kicks.
Because they are moving poms at lightning speed, every angle of the arm and body has to be identical across the entire team to create the intended visual impact.
Example "Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders"
University's Song Team Competes in
Song / Pom and Lyrical / Jazz.
Our Song team is came in First place
at Nationals 2026.
