BIDDEFORD — The state’s first Game Day cheering competition will debut at Biddeford High School on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 1 p.m. with the participation of two area schools. 

Maine Game Day is a cheerleading competition celebrating traditional cheering and provides teams the opportunity to compete in categories reflecting what they do on the sidelines to engage crowds and demonstrate school pride. 

Judges seek synchronized and energized cheering, chants (such as a fight song) and traditional sideline cheers. 

Maine Game Day cheering, which is presently not sanctioned as an organized sport by the state’s high school sports association, largely differs from competitive cheerleading, a winter sport, since Game Day competitions focus on what fans are used to seeing at sporting events. 

Competitive cheerleading competitions in the winter, however, focus largely on the incorporation of music and stunts. 

From the Midcoast, Mount View and Medomak Valley will be participating in the inaugural event. 

The event will be judged by officials from Varsity Spirit, a Tennessee-based cheerleading and dance company that sells apparel, hosts camps and organizes competitions at a variety of scales and divisions. 

The scoring sheet, according to Varsity Spirit, emphasizes crowd leading ability, execution, energy and overall performance. 

Reach George Harvey and the sports department at: sports@penbaypilot.com.