The 2025 COA Grand Nationals took an unexpected turn this weekend when Day One of the competition was canceled due to IT failures. The event, held at the Greater Columbus Convention Center (GCCC), was set to be a two-day battle for Worlds, Summit, and U.S. Finals bids, but technical difficulties forced officials to call off Saturday’s competition and restructure the event as a one-day format.
The COA Grand Nationals competition came to an abrupt halt around 10 a.m. on February 22, as reported server and scoring system failures, prevented teams from being judged. After several hours of uncertainty, with athletes, coaches, and spectators left waiting for answers, officials officially canceled Day One at approximately 2 p.m. The announcement came after frustrated families had already spent hours in limbo, unsure of whether the competition would resume.
We have confirmed with two vendors on site that there were no internet issues, despite other reports.
The disruption meant that Sunday’s performances would now count for 100% of team scores, leaving competitors scrambling to adjust their strategy. For 2-Day teams, an Exhibition option was made available, while Prep/Novice teams were shifted to manual paper scoring.
Parents Speak Out
The cheer community didn’t hold back in expressing disappointment and frustration with the handling of the situation.
💬 Amber Addison, a parent who traveled over seven hours for the event, shared her frustration:
“We were told from our owner that [it was] canceled. No direction on what that means for fees of any kind as of yet—he was waiting to ask all of the questions… We spent over $1,000 for a hotel, drove here from over 7 hours away, got there at 10 a.m., and waited until nearly 1 p.m. before a call was made (and we were one of the early ones to know).”
💬 Stacey Regino didn’t hold back on her criticism of the lack of IT preparedness:
“That’s ridiculous! Plans should be in place for technology issues. You have families that spend money to get to your competitions, that are basically fleeced already by the cheer industry. You need to do WAY better and have plans in place for this sort of issue.”
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Adding to the frustration, Varsity had previously promoted GCCC’s internet infrastructure as being able to support 20,000 simultaneous users, making the tech failure all the more surprising.
Key Adjustments:
- Prep/Novice teams will now be scored manually on paper, with performances rescheduled for 2:21 p.m. in Hall C.
- 2-Day teams have been given the option to perform as an Exhibition, with Sunday’s performances now counting for 100% of their event score.
- Awards ceremonies will proceed as planned after Sunday’s competition.
Additionally, COA & Varsity All Star announced that a 50% refund will be issued for two-day spectator tickets scanned before the stoppage. Refunds will be processed through Showclix within the next 10 business days.
If you bought a 2 days pass and DID NOT scan the ticket today —request a refund from where you bought it from. Those that bought a 2 day ticket and scanned today will automatically be processed a 50% refund with in 10 days. If someone purchased a one day ticket and cannot use it, request a refund from where you purchased the ticket.
Bids on the Line at COA Grand Nationals
Despite the technical setback, Sunday’s competition still had major bid implications, with top teams fighting for:
🏆 3 Paid Bids to The Cheerleading Worlds
🏆 6 At-Large Bids to The Cheerleading Worlds
🏆 3 Paid Bids to The Summit
🏆 4 IASF At-Large Bids to The Summit
🏆 7 At-Large Bids to The Summit
🏆 3 Paid Bids to The D2 Summit
🏆 7 At-Large Bids to The D2 Summit
🏆 1 Paid Bid to The Youth Summit
🏆 4 At-Large Bids to The Youth Summit
🏆 2 Paid Bids (Div. I & II) to The Regional Summit
🏆 At-Large Bids to The Regional Summit
🏆 5 At-Large Bids to The Recreational Summit
🏆 Golden Tickets to The U.S. Finals
Refunds & Next Steps
To address the disruption, COA & Varsity All Star announced a 50% refund for two-day spectator tickets, which will be processed via Showclix within 10 business days.
With thousands of athletes, coaches, and families in attendance, the competition will move forward as a high-stakes, single-day showdown—where teams will have just one shot to hit zero and claim their bids.
This is a developing story. Stay with Cheer Daily for more updates.
