Best Cheer Gyms in Illinois
Illinois's top all-star cheer programs, ranked by 2025-26 banners and podium finishes.
The best cheer gyms in Illinois for the 2025-26 season are ranked from real competition results: banners count first-place finishes in finals, podiums count top-three finishes. Ten Illinois programs earned a spot, led by ICE of Naperville, which put up a massive 153 banners across an 80-team program.
All-star cheer in Illinois is concentrated in the Chicago suburbs (Naperville, Lockport, Lake Barrington, Bartlett, Lake Zurich, Addison) but the rankings reach downstate too, with East Peoria, Champaign, and Belleville all represented. Illinois also brings serious national hardware: the top four gyms combine for 19 NCA titles and 9 Worlds titles.
Map of the Top Cheer Gyms in Illinois
2025-26 Illinois Cheer Gym Rankings
| Rank | Gym | City | Banners | Podiums | Teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ICICE | Naperville | 153 | 302 | 80 |
| 2 | GYGymTyme Illinois | Lockport | 109 | 158 | 18 |
| 3 | ULUltimate Athletics | Lake Barrington | 52 | 94 | 19 |
| 4 | TITitanium Force Cheer | East Peoria | 37 | 72 | 14 |
| 5 | CHCheer Athletics - Chicago | Bartlett | 25 | 67 | 14 |
| 6 | 21217 Athletics | Champaign | 25 | 46 | 7 |
| 7 | FOFormula Cheer | Lake Zurich | 20 | 42 | 11 |
| 8 | WIWicked Elite | Roscoe | 20 | 37 | 10 |
| 9 | CHCheer Extreme - Chicago | Addison | 18 | 36 | 12 |
| 10 | STStealth Elite Cheer | Belleville | 14 | 36 | 7 |
The Top 10 Cheer Gyms in Illinois
1. ICE
ICE of Naperville is the #1 gym in Illinois for 2025-26, and it is not close: 153 banners and 302 podium finishes, both state highs by a wide margin. The multi-location program fields 80 teams covering every level from L1 through L6. ICE also holds 4 NCA titles and 3 Worlds titles.
2. GymTyme Illinois
GymTyme Illinois of Lockport ranks #2 with 109 banners and 158 podiums on the season. Its 18 teams span L1 through L6, and the trophy case is the deepest in the state rankings: 11 NCA titles and 6 Worlds titles.
3. Ultimate Athletics
Ultimate Athletics, based in Lake Barrington, takes #3 with 52 banners and 94 podium finishes. The program runs 19 teams from L1 up through L6 and holds 2 NCA titles.
4. Titanium Force Cheer
Titanium Force Cheer of East Peoria is the top downstate program at #4, posting 37 banners and 72 podiums. Fourteen teams compete across L1 through L5, and the gym carries 2 NCA titles.
5. Cheer Athletics - Chicago
Cheer Athletics - Chicago, located in Bartlett, sits at #5 with 25 banners and 67 podium finishes. The location fields 14 teams spanning L1 through L6.
6. 217 Athletics
217 Athletics of Champaign matched that banner count with 25 of its own, plus 46 podiums, to rank #6. It is a compact seven-team program focused on the L1 through L3 range.
7. Formula Cheer
Formula Cheer in Lake Zurich earned 20 banners and 42 podiums this season, placing #7. Its 11 teams compete from L1 through L4, including L2.2 and L3.2 divisions.
8. Wicked Elite
Wicked Elite of Roscoe also collected 20 banners, along with 37 podium finishes, for the #8 spot. The program runs 10 teams between L1 and L4.2.
9. Cheer Extreme - Chicago
Cheer Extreme - Chicago, based in Addison, ranks #9 with 18 banners and 36 podiums. Twelve teams compete across a wide spread, from L1 all the way to L6.
10. Stealth Elite Cheer
Stealth Elite Cheer of Belleville rounds out the Illinois top ten with 14 banners and 36 podium finishes. The seven-team program competes at L1, L2, L3, and L5.
Other All-Star Cheer Gyms in Illinois
Beyond the ranked programs above, FullOut tracks these Illinois all-star gyms.
How These Rankings Work
FullOut ranks Illinois cheer gyms using real competition results, not reputation or reviews. A banner is a first-place finish in a finals round. A podium is a top-three finish. Every banner and podium earned by a gym's teams counts toward its ranking: banners order the list, and podiums break ties.
These rankings cover All Star Cheer divisions (Levels 1 through 7) during the 2025-26 season, which runs July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026. Results come from publicly available scoresheets and live results in FullOut's competition database, which tracks thousands of events across the country.
A gym's ranking reflects how often its teams won, not how big the program is. Team counts and levels are shown for context.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best cheer gym in Illinois?
ICE in Naperville tops FullOut's 2025-26 rankings for Illinois, with 153 event titles and 302 podium finishes across the season.
How many all-star cheer gyms are in Illinois?
FullOut tracks 96 all-star cheer programs in Illinois. 10 of them earned at least one podium finish during the 2025-26 season.
How are Illinois cheer gym rankings calculated?
Rankings count banners (first-place finishes in finals rounds) and podiums (top-three finishes) earned by each gym's teams in All Star Cheer Levels 1 through 7 during the 2025-26 season (July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026), using publicly available competition results in FullOut's database. Banners rank first; podiums break ties.
Which Illinois cheer gyms won the most banners in 2025-26?
ICE (153), GymTyme Illinois (109), Ultimate Athletics (52) led Illinois in banners during the 2025-26 season.