The 2026 U.S. Trials will be held March 26-29 at the University of South Carolina Aiken in the USCA Convocation Center, located at 2049 Champions Way in Graniteville, SC 29829. Athletes will be selected to represent the United States at the 2026 IBTF World Freestyle and Rhythmic Twirl Championship and the 2026 Nations Cup Level A Freestyle Team competition, which will be held Aug. 5-9, 2026 in Paris, France.
Entry deadline
The entry deadline is 11:59p.m. PST on Wednesday, Jan. 28. Late entries are not accepted. Entries are available on the USTA Member Portal under Events & Courses. Please note: You must have an account on the portal and login in order to access the entry forms. Once you login, click on Events & Courses in the blue bar near the top left of your screen. Then type “U.S. Trials” into the search bar.
When entering an athlete for Freestyle Solo or Rhythmic Twirl, you must be logged in as the athlete. The athlete must also have either the Athlete Under 21 credential, or the Athlete Over 21 credential (which requires them to have passed their background check).
Manuals
Before submitting entries, please read the 2026 U.S. Trials Manual and the 2026 USA Team Member Manual which are available at no cost on the USTA Member Portal under Documents. Please note: You must have an account on the portal and login in order to access the Document section. Once you login, click on MENU in the top left corner, then on the Documents. Search “Manuals” to find it quickly.
Tentative U.S. Trials schedule
Thursday, March 26 – Level A Freestyle Team qualifier
Friday and Saturday, March 27-28 – U.S. Trials
Sunday, March 29 – Team USA / World Tour meeting and athlete critiques
Fiche for Freestyle Solo
IBTF’s New Judging System will be used for the Freestyle Solo discipline at the U.S. Trials and the World Freestyle and Rhythmic Twirl Championship. The New Judging System requires Freestyle Solo athletes to submit and declare their elements on a spreadsheet called a “Fiche” which is available HERE.
The deadline to submit Freestyle Solo Fiche is Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. The deadline to submit changes to Freestyle Solo Fiche: Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. The Fiche must be submitted by athlete’s Primary Coach, who is responsible for Fiche accuracy.
IBTF offered a webinar How to fill out a Fiche. If you could not attend or need a refresher, you can view the “How to fill out the Fiche” PowerPoint here. You can also watch the webinar recording on IBTF TwirlEd, but you must have or create an account on TwirlEd in order to do so.
Warmups for the 2026 U.S. Trials
There are no specific warmups required for the U.S. Trials. Athletes may wear a warmup of their choice for the opening and closing ceremonies. Athletes selected for Team U.S.A. will receive warmups from Rebel Athletic, the new official athletic wear supplier of Team U.S.A.
2026 U.S. Trials hotels
USA Baton Twirling has partnered with Fastbreak to provide quality accommodations at affordable prices for participants in the 2026 U.S. Trials. Get more information and book your accommodations here:
https://ustwirling.fastbreaktravel.com/Event/8fc9/
If you have already booked a room at a USA Baton Twirling property, you can call the hotel, give them your confirmation number, say you are with USA Baton Twirling Fastbreak and you will get the USA Baton Twirling rate!
Short Program reminder
Short Program is no longer required for athletes competing in Freestyle Solo under the IBTF New Judging System, which will be used for Freestyle Solo at the 2026 U.S. Trials and the 2026 World Freestyle and Rhythmic Twirl Championship. (Short Program IS required for all Elite level Freestyle athletes competing in USTA’s PreTrials program.)