$194,000 RAISED FOR ST. JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL® AT CHEERSPORT NATIONAL ALL STAR CHAMPIONSHIP IN ATLANTA, GA

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Feb. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Varsity Spirit – the global leader in cheerleading, dance team and band apparel, camps and competitions, and a division of Varsity Brands, the market leader in team sports, school spirit and achievement recognition – is pleased to announce that the 2023 CHEERSPORT National All Star Championship took place on February 18-19, 2023, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA. The championship kicked off on Friday night by raising $194,000 for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital^®.

The CHEERSPORT National All Star Championship, produced by Varsity All Star, a Varsity Spirit brand, hosts over 23,000 athletes each year in downtown Atlanta. Friday night of the championship kicks off with an event known as Friday Night Live. Friday Night Live (FNL) is a fundraiser for St. Jude, where athletes, coaches, and fans team up and rally around the mission of St. Jude – to advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. Since the inception of Friday Night Live in 2015, and with the help and efforts of the top All Star teams across the country, Friday Night Live at CHEERSPORT has raised more than $830,000 contributing to Varsity Brands' total amount of over $12M raised for St. Jude since 2011.

CHEERSPORT welcomed nearly 1,200 teams from across the country to compete to win a CHEERSPORT National Championship at the Georgia World Congress Center. This year's event featured "meet & greets" with Jada Wooten, star of Netflix's CHEER Season 2, Varsity Shop exclusive apparel collection releases, national championship titles, and bids to all of Varsity All Star's End-of-Season Championships.

"The CHEERSPORT National All Star Championship is an event with a longstanding tradition of celebrating the incredible athleticism of young athletes and coming together to support the mission of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital^®," said Bill Seely, President of Varsity Spirit. "Events like Friday Night Live highlight the impact these athletes can have in their community and in support of a cause, which is one of the reasons our partnership with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is so important to us. It is an honor to showcase these amazing teams and create unforgettable experiences for young people while recognizing their hard work, dedication, and talent."

For more information about the CHEERSPORT National All Star Championship, please visit Varsity.com. Varsity Spirit live streamed the championship on Varsity TV, a website dedicated to exclusive live coverage and video libraries of Varsity Spirit cheer and dance competitions. Videos of the routines are available for fans who were otherwise unable to attend, and full results listings are available on Varsity TV.

CHEERSPORT Friday Night Live Teams and their fundraising pages include:

• Cheer Express – Miss Silver
• Cheer Athletics – Miss Meow
• Cheer Extreme – Senior Elite
• Cheer Florida – Sea Warriors
• Elite Cheer – Stars
• Extreme All Stars – Lvl X
• Famous Superstars – Gold
• GymTyme – Rogue
• Mac's All Star Cheer – Senior Starz
• Maine Stars – Glory
• Maryland Twisters – Blackout
• Premier Athletics Knoxville – Jaws
• Prodigy All Stars – Midnight
• Raglan Coast – Steel 6
• Twist & Shout – Diamonds

About Varsity Spirit

Memphis-based Varsity Spirit, the driving force behind cheerleading's dynamic transformation into the high-energy, athletic activity it is today, is the leading global source for all things spirit, including cheerleading, dance team and performing arts. A division of Varsity Brands, Varsity Spirit is a leader in uniform innovation, as well as educational camps, clinics and competitions, impacting more than a million athletes each year. Focused on safety, entertainment and traditional school leadership, Varsity Spirit's employees have been dedicated to celebrating spirit through its brands since 1974. For more information about Varsity Spirit or Varsity Brands, please visit varsity.com or varsitybrands.com.

About Varsity Brands

With a mission to inspire achievement and create memorable experiences for young people, Varsity Brands elevates the student experience, promotes participation and celebrates achievement through three unique but interrelated businesses: BSN SPORTS, Varsity Spirit, and Herff Jones. Together, these assets promote personal, school and community pride through their customizable products and programs to elementary and middle schools, high schools, and colleges and universities, as well as church organizations, professional and collegiate sports teams and corporations. Through its dedicated employees and independent representatives, Varsity Brands reaches its individual and institutional customers each year through competitions, camps and sales.

MEDIA CONTACT: 
Emily Albert
Varsity Spirit
[email protected]

SOURCE Varsity Spirit