STUNT: A Rapidly Growing NCAA Women’s Sport

02 Mar 2026 in

Arkansas TV Sports recognizes the vital role extracurricular activities play for student-athletes while connecting families statewide by featuring hometown athletes competing in the biggest games of the season. Arkansas TV broadcasts live high school football, basketball, baseball, softball, and volleyball championship games. Learn more at arkansastv.gov/sports and tune in for the 2026 basketball championships, beginning March 12.

Katherine Keith is from Gravette, Arkansas, and a healthcare administration major at the University of Central Arkansas. She spent two years on the STUNT team, both as a player and a team manager.

For many, the first thing that comes to mind when the word “stunt” is mentioned is cheerleading. Although “stunt” is the correct word to describe the basket toss and pyramid builds aspect of cheer, it now also describes one of the most rapidly growing all-female sports in the United States. While STUNT incorporates fundamental skills found in cheerleading, it is an emerging NCAA-recognized sport in which two teams compete in a head-to-head, four-quarter game, performing routines with varying difficulty levels.

Let’s break down a STUNT game:

In Quarters 1-3, there are eight possible routines available to learn for each quarter. A singular routine for these quarters is 30 seconds long. In Quarter 4, routines are 90 seconds long, as these routines are a combination of the routines from Quarters 1-3. Four total routines are completed every quarter. The game begins with a coin toss to determine which team gets the first call of the game. The team that doesn’t get the first call of the game calls the first routine in the second half of the game (like a football game coin toss). Each team gets two calls per quarter as the call order goes back-and-forth between teams.

Quarter 1: Partner Stunts

Partner Stunts are formed by four individuals: two bases, one backspot and one flyer. Since there are eight possible routines, the difficulty level increases as the routine number increases, and the number of stunt groups required on the mat decreases as the difficulty increases. For example, Partner 1 consists of the easiest skill set, but three groups must be on the mat to perform it uniformly. Partner 4 consists of a medium level of difficulty skill set, but only two groups must perform it simultaneously. Partner 8 consists of the highest level of difficulty skill set, but only one group performs on the mat.

Halftime

Teams are given a 10-minute halftime between Quarter 2 and 3. Coaches use this time to regroup their team, discuss strategy and review deduction scoring of the first half, while athletes use this time to rest, rehydrate and warm-up tumbling skills and any stunt skills that are needed.

Quarter 3: Jumps & Tumbling

Jumps & Tumbling routines are formed by seven individuals. Tumbling skill difficulty level, like the first two quarters, increases as the routine number increases, and jump sequences are incorporated variously in each routine. Each athlete on the mat for a tumbling routine has their own set of skills they must perform. While some athletes may perform skills simultaneously, individuals do not all do the exact same skills at the same time for the whole routine. Individuals may only tumble and are highlighted in this quarter, while some only stunt and are seen in the previous quarters. Some athletes may be able to do both.

Quarter 4: Combined Routine

Combined Routines are formed by a various number of individuals who rotate on and off the mat between sections, depending on what routine is called. Quarter 4 routines are the longest because they consist of a routine from each of the previous quarters in this order: Partner Stunts, Jumps & Tumbling, Pyramid and Tosses. All routine numbers stay consistent to the Quarter 4 routine number. For example, if routine one is called, teams will perform routine one from the other three categories. Quarter 4 routines do not combine differing routine numbers between sections.

Scoring

Teams can win up to 24 total points in a singular STUNT game. One point is awarded for each routine performed in Quarters 1-3; however, three points are awarded per routine performed in Quarter 4. Teams can tie on a routine and both score points, and teams can also not score points at all on a routine. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins.

The History Behind Arkansas’s Take on STUNT

The University of Central Arkansas introduced the sport to the state when the first official STUNT-recognized team was formed in the 2023-24 school year. The inaugural team faced many ups and downs throughout the year as the concept of STUNT was new to a majority of the members; however, the Bears claimed three wins in an 18-game season and secured an invite to the Division I National Championship held in Lexington, Kentucky. Last year, the Bears claimed four wins in the regular 16-game season. The team traveled back to Kentucky to compete in the Division I Conference Championship, where they ended their 2025 season. The 2026 season is underway with the Bears looking to improve from last year’s win total.

LEARN MORE:

To learn more about UCA’s STUNT program, visit ucasports.com/sports/stunt. For more general information, visit the official STUNT website at stuntthesport.org.

The Arkansas high school basketball state finals will air live on Arkansas TV Sports at the following times:

1A girls – Thursday, March 12, at noon.
1A boys – Thursday, March 12, at 1:45 p.m.
2A girls – Thursday, March 12, at 6 p.m.
2A boys – Thursday, March 12, at 7:45 p.m.
3A girls – Friday, March 13, at noon.
3A boys – Friday, March 13, at 1:45 p.m.
4A girls – Friday, March 13, at 6 p.m.
4A boys – Friday, March 13, at 7:45 p.m.
5A girls – Saturday, March 14, at noon.
5A boys – Saturday, March 14, at 1:45 p.m.
6A girls – Saturday, March 14, at 6 p.m.
6A boys – Saturday, March 14, at 7:45 p.m.