Competition season for cheer and dance teams is long: choreography in the summer, months of full-out run-throughs, then weekend after weekend in convention centers waiting for the awards. Recreational dancers have their own big day at the spring recital. Whatever kind of team they are on, cheerleaders and dancers tend to love gifts that are about the team and the routine, not just about themselves. Here are ideas for the athletes, their teammates and the adults who make the season happen.
Small gifts for competition weekends
Many cheer and dance teams have traditions of small gifts before a competition: secret buddies who leave treats, matching hair bows, notes tucked into bags. Ideas that work for any age:
- Snacks that travel well and a refillable water bottle.
- An emergency kit with bobby pins, hair ties, safety pins, makeup wipes and athletic tape.
- A handwritten note about something specific they did well in practice.
- A cozy blanket or hoodie for the cold stretch between warm-up and the performance.
The Competition Season print
The Competition Season puts a team's whole season on one print: the routine, every competition with the placement and score, and the finish, whether that is a Grand Champion title or a trip to Nationals. It works for all-star, high school and rec cheer teams and for dance teams of every style: jazz, pom, hip hop and lyrical. From $45.
It works as a gift from the coach to every athlete, from parents to the coach, or from a dancer to the studio. Collect results after each event rather than waiting until the end; score sheets and awards posts are hard to find months later. Competition and event names print only as the words you type, without event logos.
For a first recital or first team
A young dancer's first recital is a lot like a first T-ball season: the costume, the nerves, the bow at the end and the flowers afterward. Rookie Season is made for firsts like these, with ROOKIE SEASON across the top, the team or studio and the year, their name and age, the coach or teacher, and a list of firsts: first recital, first time on a real stage, first costume with sequins. Grandparents especially love it. From $45.
Milestones worth marking
The Milestone Certificate fits the moments between competitions: a first back tuck, a new stunt hit clean, making the competition team, a first solo. Add the date, the gym or studio, the details and the witnesses, usually a coach and the teammates who cheered loudest. From $24.
Team gifts with your gym or studio logo
Cheer and dance teams love matching, and several of our team items can carry the gym or studio's own logo instead of a number. Use a logo the gym or studio owns or has approved.
- Team Pin Buttons with the logo and the athlete's name, so families can pick out their own section in a crowded arena. From $22.
- Team Stickers for water bottles, makeup bags and laptops. From $11.
- The Team Ornament, a clear acrylic ornament with the logo and each athlete's name, an easy holiday gift from the coach to the whole team. From $24.
Teams ordering these for every athlete get 30% off.
For the coach and choreographer
Cheer and dance coaches often spend more weekends with the team than with their own families. A Competition Season print signed on the back by every athlete is a natural thank-you, and so is a card where each athlete writes one memory from the season. If a choreographer created the routine, mention them by name in your message; they rarely get thanked in public.
For the team parent who ran everything
Every team has the parent who booked the hotel block, sorted the uniform order and kept the group chat calm. A card from the whole team and a Competition Season print with a line of thanks in the message is a fitting way to say it.
Questions to answer before you order
- What is the routine or team name, exactly as the team says it?
- Do you have every competition's date, placement and score?
- How should the finish read: Grand Champion, Nationals qualifier, or something else?
- Will one parent gather everything for the team, so every print matches?
Shop this guide
The Competition SeasonFrom $45
Rookie SeasonFrom $45
Milestone CertificateFrom $24
Team Pin ButtonsFrom $22
Team OrnamentFrom $24
Team StickersFrom $11
Ordering
Personalize each piece on its product page with the team, routine and results. Many cheerleaders and dancers are minors, so their details come from parents, coaches or studio owners, every order is checked by hand, and a proof is approved before printing. Allow about two weeks before the banquet or the last recital. Gyms, studios and teams ordering five or more prints get 30% off; see team orders.
See more in the youth sports collection.