2026 South Dakota Changes, Clarifications & Reminders
- Restructure tiebreaker for Grand Champion. Criteria: 1) Execution – entire portion; 2) Highest Difficulty; 3) Highest Total Score.
- Change in Difficulty Rubric (emphasizing the importance of clearly defining scoring for connected advanced skills)
- Additions to Dance Rubric (emphasizing opportunities for creativity with clarification of language)
- Decrease the judges’ range from 10 points to five points
- Limit the number of dance routines to any two styles of routines for all competitions
- Reduce the penalty for an illegal dance move on the safety scoresheet from 10 points to one point.
- Safety Scoresheet adjustments for Improper Uniform/Jewelry deductions will now be a one-point deduction, instead of five points, per occurrence for uniforms.
- Place an “X” on the floor for reference
- Ensure that athletes have appropriate warm-up space
South Dakota Modifications to NFHS Rules
- No glitter hairspray is allowed.
- Head judge will be designated for both cheer and dance. Judges scores from low to high shall be no more than five points.