HBCU Cheer Combine Spotlights Cheerleaders as Elite Athletes, Creating Pathways to Premier Collegiate Programs

Fayetteville, Georgia Nov 13, 2025  – When the word “combine” comes to mind, most people envision football—strength drills, scouts with clipboards, and the pursuit of athletic excellence. However, at the CAO HBCU Cheer Combine, the participants, adorned with bows rather than helmets, display equally remarkable power, precision, and endurance.

Now in its fourth year, the HBCU Cheer Combine will take place on Sunday, December 14, 2025, at the Georgia International Convention Center in Atlanta. This unique event stands as the sole professional, athletic-focused recruitment platform where college coaches and recruiters from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) identify cheerleaders for potential scholarships and team positions.

“Cheerleaders are athletes, period,” stated Toni Kendrick, Founder and Director of the CAO HBCU Cheer Combine. “They train, lift weights, run, and perform aerial maneuvers. This Combine provides them with the identical recruiting platform traditionally available to football and basketball players. We are simply directing attention to where it is due.” The 2025 Combine is set to return to Atlanta, reimagining the concept of a student-athlete.

TOP ATHLETES. LEGACY PROGRAMS. GENUINE CHANCES.

During the 2025 Combine, more than 200 high school cheerleaders are expected to demonstrate their strength, stunting abilities, tumbling skills, and endurance before coaches from esteemed institutions including Alabama A&M University, Fort Valley State University, Langston University, Morgan State University’s Acrobatic & Tumbling Program,
Southern University, Talladega College (Cheer & Dance), and Tuskegee University (Dance).

The event includes various skill evaluations, collaborative team-building activities, and live recruitment sessions, during which college coaches evaluate athletic prowess, team spirit, and leadership qualities.

“Here, talent converges with tradition,” Kendrick further remarked. “Cheerleading ranks among the most physically challenging sports, and HBCU cheer programs establish the national benchmark for athleticism, originality, and exactness. This Combine grants athletes the opportunity they merit.”

CREATING EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR FUTURE STUDENT-ATHLETES

The CAO HBCU Cheer Combine was established to remove obstacles regarding access and exposure for cheerleaders of color, many of whom face restricted interaction with college recruiters compared to those in more conventional sports.

This year, the event extends its mission by offering college readiness workshops, mentorship discussions, and direct scholarship interviews, assisting both athletes and their parents in maneuvering through the recruitment and admissions journey.

“When spectators witness cheerleaders launching six feet into the air, maintaining bodyweight stunts, and performing tumbles across an entire floor—that exemplifies athleticism,” Kendrick commented. “They train with the same dedication as participants in any other sport. This Combine aims to ensure that the world acknowledges this fact.”

EVENT INFORMATION
Date: Sunday, December 14, 2025
Location: Georgia International Convention Center
2000 Convention Center Concourse, College Park, GA 30337
Time: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Registration: cheerhbcucombine.com