Youth Cheerleaders during a football halftime show. halftime show is a performance given between the first and second halves or the 2nd and 3rd quarters of a sporting event Youth Cheer - high school ages and younger - make up the vast majority of cheerleaders and cheer teams. High school is the name used in some parts of the world (in particular Scotland, North America and Australia) to describe an institution

Cheerleading is a sport^[1][2][3][4] that uses organized routines made from elements of some tumbling, dance, jumps and stunting to direct the event's spectators to cheer on sports teams at games and matches and/or compete at cheerleading competitions. Sport is an Activity that is governed by a set of rules or Customs and often engaged in competitively Dance (from French danser, perhaps from Frankish) is an Art form that generally refers to movement of the body usually rhythmic Stunts are defined as building performances displaying a person's skill or dexterity The athlete involved is called a cheerleader. With an estimated 1. 5 million participants in allstar cheerleading (not including the millions more in high school, college or little league participants) in the United States alone, cheerleading is, according to Newsweek's Arian Campo-Flores, "the most quintessential of American sports. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Newsweek is an American weekly Newsmagazine published in New York City. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the "^[1] The growing presentation of the sport to a global audience has been led by the 1997 start of broadcasts of cheerleading competition by ESPN International and the worldwide release of the 2000 film Bring it On. ESPN, originally an acronym for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, is an American Cable television network dedicated to Due in part to this recent exposure, there are now an estimated 100,000 participants scattered around the rest of the world in countries including Australia, China, Colombia, France, Germany, Japan,^[5] the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden and the United Kingdom. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Colombia (kəˈlʌmbɪə officially the Republic of Colombia () is a country in northwestern South America. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located ^[1]

History

Minnesota Gopher cheerleader Johnny Campbell

Cheerleading first appeared in the United States in the late 1880s with the crowd chanting as a way to encourage school spirit at athletic events. University of Minnesota Golden Gophers Spirit Squads comprise the Cheerleading organization at the Twin Cities campus of the University of Minnesota The first organized, recorded cheer was yelled "Ray, Ray, Ray! TIGER, TIGER, SIS, SIS, SIS! BOOM, BOOM, BOOM! Aaaaah! PRINCETON, PRINCETON, PRINCETON!" at Princeton University in 1884. Princeton University is a private Coeducational research university located in Princeton, New Jersey. Year 1884 ( MDCCCLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year ^[6] A few years later, Princeton graduate, Thomas Peebles introduced the idea of organized crowd cheering at football games to the University of Minnesota. The University of Minnesota's College football program has a long history including national championships conference titles and many legendary All-American and Hall of Fame University of Minnesota Golden Gophers Spirit Squads comprise the Cheerleading organization at the Twin Cities campus of the University of Minnesota However, it was not until 1898 that University of Minnesota student Johnny Campbell directed a crowd in cheering "Rah, Rah, Rah! Sku-u-mar, Hoo-Rah! Hoo-Rah! Varsity! Varsity! Varsity, Minn-e-So-Tah!”, making Campbell the very first cheerleader and November 2, 1898 the official birth date of organized cheerleading. University of Minnesota Golden Gophers Spirit Squads comprise the Cheerleading organization at the Twin Cities campus of the University of Minnesota Events 1570 - A Tidal wave in the North Sea devastates the coast from Holland to Jutland, killing more than 1000 Year 1898 ( MDCCCXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Soon after, the University of Minnesota organized a "yell leader" squad of 6 male students, who still use Campbell's original cheer today^[6] In 1903 the first cheerleading fraternity, Gamma Sigma was founded. University of Minnesota Golden Gophers Spirit Squads comprise the Cheerleading organization at the Twin Cities campus of the University of Minnesota Fraternities and sororities (from the Latin words la frater and la soror, meaning "brother" and "sister" respectively are fraternal ^[7] Cheerleading started out as an all-male activity, but females began participating in 1923, due to limited availability of female collegiate sports. At this time, gymnastics, tumbling, and megaphones were incorporated into popular cheers. ^[7] Today it is estimated that 97% of cheerleading participants overall are female, but males still make up 50% of cheering squads at the collegiate level. ^[8]

Cornell University cheerleader on a 1906 postcard

In 1948, Lawrence "Herkie" Herkimer, of Dallas, TX and a former cheerleader at Southern Methodist University formed the National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) as a way to hold cheerleading clinics. Southern Methodist University ("SMU" is a private, Coeducational University in University Park, Texas (an enclave In 1949, The NCA held its first clinic in Huntsville, TX with 52 girls in attendance. ^[8] "Herkie" contributed many "firsts" to the sport including the founding of Cheerleader & Danz Team uniform supply company, inventing the herkie, (where one leg is bent towards the ground and the other is out to the side as high as it will stretch in the toe touch position)^[9] and creating the "Spirit Stick". The Herkie (aka Hurkie is a Cheerleading jump named after Lawrence R ^[7] By the 1960s, college cheerleaders began hosting workshops across the nation, teaching fundamental cheer skills to eager high school age girls. In 1965, Fred Gastoff invented the vinyl pom-pon and it was introduced into competitions by the International Cheerleading Foundation (now the World Cheerleading Association or WCA). A pom-pon is at its most basic level a decorative ball of fluff Organized cheerleading competitions began to pop up with the first ranking of the "Top Ten College Cheerleading Squads" and "Cheerleader All America" awards given out by the International Cheerleading Foundation in 1967. In 1978, America was introduced to competitive cheerleading by the first broadcast of Collegiate Cheerleading Championships on CBS^[6][7]

In the 1960's National Football League (NFL) teams began to organize professional cheerleading teams. The National Collegiate Cheerleading Championships were first introduced in 1978 on CBS Sports. CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. The National Football League ( NFL) is the largest professional American football league. The Baltimore Colts (now the Indianapolis Colts) was the first NFL team to have an organized cheerleading squad. The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis Indiana. The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis Indiana. ^[10] It was the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders who gained the spotlight with their revealing outfits and sophisticated dance moves, which debuted in the 1972-1973 season, but were first seen widely in Super Bowl X (1976). The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (DCC a National Football League Cheerleading squad from Texas, is one of the most famous cheerleading organizations Super Bowl X was an American football game played on January 18, 1976 at the Orange Bowl in Miami Florida to decide the This caused the image of cheerleaders to permanently change, with many other NFL teams emulating them. Most of the professional teams' cheerleading squads would more accurately be described as dance teams by today's standards; as they rarely, if ever, actively encourage crowd noise or perform modern cheerleading moves.

Cheerleaders warming up for competition

The 1980s saw the onset of modern cheerleading with more difficult stunt sequences and gymnastics being incorporated into routines. ESPN first broadcasted the National High School Cheerleading Competition nationwide in 1983. Cheerleading organizations such as the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Advisors (AACCA) started applying universal safety standards to decrease the number of injuries and prevent dangerous stunts, pyramids and tumbling passes from being included in routines. ^[11] In 2003, the National Council for Spirit Safety and Education (NCSSE) was formed to offer safety training for youth, school, all star and college coaches. The NCAA requires college cheer coaches to successfully complete a nationally recognized safety-training program. The NCSSE or AACCA certification programs are both recognized by the NCAA.

Today, cheerleading is most closely associated with American football and basketball. American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with Basketball is a team Sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a ball through a 10 feet (3 m Sports such as soccer, ice hockey, volleyball, baseball, and wrestling sometimes sponsor cheerleading squads. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered Ice hockey, often referred to simply as hockey, is a team Sport played on Ice. Volleyball is an Olympic team sport in which two teams of 6 active players (5 normal players and one 'libero' are separated by a net that is usually four feet Baseball is a Bat-and-ball Sport played between two teams of nine players each Wrestling is the act of physical engagement between two people in which each wrestler strives to get an advantage over or control of the opponent The ICC Twenty20 Cricket World Cup in South Africa in 2007 was the first international cricket event to have cheerleaders. The Florida Marlins were the first Major League Baseball team to have cheerleaders. The Florida Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami Gardens Florida. Debuting in 2003, the "Marlin Mermaids" gained national exposure and have influenced other MLB teams to develop their own cheer/dance squads.

Types of teams

School-sponsored

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets cheerleaders at a college basketball game. The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly known as Georgia Tech, or Tech, is a public, Coeducational Research university in The Yellow Jackets is the name used for all of the intercollegiate athletic teams that play for the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta Georgia. College basketball most often refers to the American Basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA

Most American high schools and colleges have organized cheerleading squads made up solely of students. Several colleges that compete at cheerleading competitions offer cheerleading scholarships. Some military academies use their drill team or color guard team instead of a cheersquad at athletic events, but some military academies have traditional cheerleading squads just like other everyday universities. A military academy or service academy (American English is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps of the Army the Navy Air Force A drill team is a marching unit that performs military style maneuvers in Parades at Air shows football half-time shows and other public venues In the Military of the United States and other militaries, the Color guard carries the National Color and other Flags appropriate A military academy or service academy (American English is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps of the Army the Navy Air Force A university is an institution of Higher education and Research, which grants Academic degrees in a variety of subjects

Youth league

Many organisations that sponsor youth league football or basketball sponsor cheerleading squads as well. American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with Basketball is a team Sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a ball through a 10 feet (3 m Pop Warner organizations are an example of this. Pop Warner Little Scholars (also known as Pop Warner, Pop Warner Football, and Junior Football Conference) is a Non-profit organization that

All-Star cheerleading

In the early 1980s, cheerleading squads not associated with a schools or sports leagues, whose main objective was competition, began to emerge. The first organization to call themselves all stars and go to competitions were the Q94 Rockers from Richmond, Virginia, founded in 1982 by Hilda McDaniel. This article is about the city of Richmond the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia. ^[12] All-star teams competing prior to 1987 were place into the same divisions as teams that represented schools and sports leagues. In 1986 National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) decided to address this situation by creating a separate division for these teams lacking a sponsoring school or athletic association, calling it the 'All-Star Division' and debuting it at their 1987 competitions. As the popularity of these types of teams grew, more and more of them were formed, attending competitions sponsored by many different types of organizations and companies, all using their own set of rules, regulations and divisions. This situation became one of the chief concerns of gym owners. These inconsistencies caused coaches to keep their routines in a constant state of flux, detracting from time that should be utilized to develop skills and provide personal attention to their athletes. More importantly, because the various companies were constantly vying for the competitive edge, safety standards had becoming more and more lax. In some cases, unqualified coaches and inexperienced squads are attempting dangerous stunts as a result of these “expanded” sets of rules. ^[13]

The USASF was formed in 2003 by these various competition companies to act as the national governing body for all star cheerleading and to create a standard set of rules and judging standards to be followed by all competitions sanctioned by the Federation and ultimately leading to the Cheerleading Worlds. The USASF hosted the first Cheerleading Worlds on Saturday, April 24, 2004. ^[13] At the same time, cheerleading coaches from all over the country organize themselves for the same rule making purpose, calling themselves the National All Star Cheerleading Coaches Congress (NACCC). In 2005, the NACCC was absorbed by the USASF to become their rule making body. ^[12] By late 2006, the USASF was ready to expand its reach even further, by facilitating the creation of the International All-Star Federation (IASF), the first international governing body for the sport of cheerleading. The US All Star Federation or USASF is the governing body for all star cheerleading in the United States. ^[14]

Currently all-star cheerleading as sanctioned by the USASF involves a squad of 6-36 females and/or males. The squad prepares year-round for many different competition appearances, but they only actually perform for up to 2½ minutes during their routines. The numbers of competitions a team participates in varies from team to team, but generally, most teams tend to participate in eight-twelve competitions a year. These competitions include locals, which are normally taken place in school gymnasiums, nationals, hosted in big arenas all around the U. S. with national champions, and worlds, taken place all around the world. During a competition routine, a squad performs carefully choreographed stunting, tumbling, jumping and dancing to their own custom music. Teams create their routines to an eight-count system and apply that to the music so the team members execute the elements with precise timing and synchronization.

Judges at the competition watch for illegal moves from the group or any individual member. Here, an illegal move is something that is not allowed in that division due to difficulty and safety restrictions. More generally, judges look at the difficulty and execution of jumps, stunts and tumbling, synchronization, creativity, the sharpness of the motions, showmanship, and overall routine execution.

All-star cheerleaders are placed into divisions, which are grouped based upon age, size of the team, gender of participants, and ability level. The age levels vary from under 4 year of age to 18 years and over. The divisions used by the USASF/IASF are currently Tiny, Mini, Youth, Junior, Junior International, Junior Coed,Senior, Senior coed, Open International and Open. The US All Star Federation or USASF is the governing body for all star cheerleading in the United States. ^[15]

If a team places high enough at selected USASF/IASF sanctioned national competitions, they could be included in the Cheerleading Worlds and compete against teams from all over the world. The US All Star Federation or USASF is the governing body for all star cheerleading in the United States. The US All Star Federation or USASF is the governing body for all star cheerleading in the United States. Also they could get money for placing. ^[1]

Cheerleaders

See also: list of cheerleaders

Famous ex-cheerleaders

Many prominent people have been cheerleaders, including:

• Madonna
• Paula Abdul
• Ronald Reagan
• Franklin D. Roosevelt
• Dwight D. Eisenhower
• George W. Bush^[8][16]
• Meryl Streep
• Steve Martin
• Halle Berry
• Teri Hatcher
• Sandra Bullock
• Cameron Diaz
• Reese Witherspoon
• Hilarie Burton

Cheerleading in popular culture

Movies and television

Also see List of cheerleaders in fiction

Cheerleading's increasing popularity in recent decades has made it a prominent feature in high-school themed movies and television shows. Notable Cheerleaders Paula Abdul, Los Angeles Lakers, Van Nuys High School Anjelah Johnson, Oakland Raiderettes Madonna Louise Ciccone Ritchie (born August 16 1958 known as Madonna, is an American Paula Julie Abdul ( "AB-dool" born June 19, 1962) is a Grammy Award -winning American pop Singer Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (October 14 1890 – March 28 1969 was President of the United States from 1953 until 1961 and a five-star general George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. Mary Louise "Meryl" Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an award-winning American Actress who has worked in Theatre, Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an Emmy Award -winning American Actor, Comedian, Writer, Halle Maria Berry (ˈhæli ˈbɛri born August 14 1966 is an Academy Award - Emmy Award - and Golden Globe -winning American actress former Teri Lynn Hatcher (born December 8 1964) is an American Actress. Sandra Annette Bullock (born July 26 1964 is a Screen Actors Guild Award-winning and two-time Golden Globe Award-nominated American - German Cameron Michelle Díaz (born August 30 1972 is a Golden Globe - BAFTA - and SAG -Award nominated U Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon (born March 22 1976 is an Academy Award winning American actress and Film producer, who has established herself as Hilarie Ross Prange (née Burton; born July 1, 1982) is an American actress Notable Cheerleaders Paula Abdul, Los Angeles Lakers, Van Nuys High School Anjelah Johnson, Oakland Raiderettes The 2000 film Bring It On, about a San Diego high school cheerleading squad called "The Toros", starring real-life former cheerleader Kirsten Dunst. Bring It On (2000 is a Film about two competing high school Cheerleading squads starring Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dushku, Jesse Kirsten Caroline Dunst (born April 30 1982 is an American actress and singer Bring It On was a surprise hit and earned nearly $70 million domestically. It spawned two direct-to-video sequels (Bring It On Again in 2003 and Bring It On: All or Nothing in 2006). A sequel is a work in Literature, Film, or other media that portrays events following those of a previous work Bring It On Again ( 2004) is a Cheerleading Comedy Film starring Anne Judson-Yager and Bree Turner, directed Bring It On All or Nothing is the third installment in the Bring it On series of films that revolves around high school Cheerleading. The fourth film in the franchise, Bring It On: In It to Win It, was released on December 18, 2007. Bring It On In It to Win It is a 2007 Teen film directed by Steve Rash and starring Ashley Benson, Michael Copon Bring It On was followed in 2001 by another teen cheerleading comedy, Sugar & Spice. Sugar & Spice is a 2001 teen comedy / Heist film directed by Francine McDougall. In 1993, The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom was an acclaimed TV movie which told the true story of Wanda Holloway, the Texas mother whose obsession with her daughter's cheerleading career made headline news. The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom is a 1993 Comedy TV movie produced by and for HBO Wanda Holloway is a woman from Texas, known for hiring a hit man to kill the mother of her daughter's Cheerleading rival

In 2006, Hayden Panettiere, star of Bring It On: All or Nothing, took another cheerleading role as Claire Bennet, the cheerleader with an accelarated healing factor on NBC's hit sci-fi TV series Heroes, launching cheerleading back into the limelight of pop culture. Hayden Leslie Panettiere (born August 21 1989 is an American actress and singer Claire Bennet, portrayed by Hayden Panettiere, is a Fictional character on the NBC Science fiction drama series Heroes A healing factor is a term used to describe the ability of some characters in Fiction to recover from bodily injuries or disease at a superhuman rate The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's A television program (US television programme (UK or television show (U Heroes is an American Science fiction television drama series created by Tim Kring, which premiered on NBC on September Claire was the main focus of the show's first story arc, featuring the popular catchphrase, "Save the cheerleader, save the world. " Claire demonstrates a sensitive and caring persona atypical of the archetypal cheerleader. Her prominent, protagonist role in Heroes was supported by a strong fan-base and provided a positive image for high school cheerleading.

Video games

Nintendo has released a pair of video games in Japan for the Nintendo DS, Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan and its sequel Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii that star teams of male cheer squads, or Ouendan that practice a form of cheerleading unique to Japanese culture. The is a dual-screen Handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. sometimes referred to as simply Ouendan, is a rhythm Video game developed by INiS and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS is a rhythm Video game developed by INiS and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld video game console. An, literally "cheering squad" or "cheering section" is a Japanese sports rallying team similar in purpose to a Cheerleading squad in the United Each of the games' most difficult modes replaces the male characters with female cheer squads that dress in western cheerleading uniforms. The games task the cheer squads with assisting people in desperate need of help by cheering them on and giving them the motivation to succeed.

Sport debate

Cheerleading among others has had debate on whether or not it truly is a sport. Supporters consider cheerleading as a whole as a sport citing the heavy use of athletic talents while critics do not see it as deserving of that status since sport implies a competition among squads and not all squads compete along with subjectivity of competitions. ^[17][18]

Dangers of cheerleading

There have been injuries associated with cheerleading. One of the most notable in recent years was that of Kristi Yamaoka, a cheerleader at Southern Illinois University. On March 5, 2006, she fell off of a human pyramid during a cheerleading performance at a basketball game between Southern Illinois University and Bradley University at the Scottrade Center (then known as the Savvis Center) in St. Louis. Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian moves from Antioch with an army of 90000 to attack the Sassanid Empire, in a Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. A human pyramid is a stunt performed by circus artists &mdash sometimes even doing other tricks such as Juggling while up there &mdash or less perfectly by amateurs (often Southern Illinois University is a state university located in Southern Illinois with two institutions and multiple campuses Bradley University is a private Co-educational University located in Peoria Illinois. Scottrade Center (formerly Kiel Center and Savvis Center) is a 19150 seat Arena located in downtown St Yamaoka leaned backward and fell off the third tier of a pyramid. Her performance from the stretcher as she was carried off the court was nationwide news. She suffered a fractured thoracic vertebra^[19], concussion, and bruised lung, and has since made a full recovery.

As a result of the fall, the Missouri Valley Conference banned tossing or launching of cheerleaders, and no pyramid could be higher than two levels during that conference's women's basketball tournament. Additionally, the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators recommended banning basket tosses and high pyramids without mats. Though the group has no authority to prevent such routines, the NCAA requires cheerleading squads to conform to the group's requirements. The National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA, often pronounced "N-C-Double-A" is a voluntary association of about 1200 institutions conferences organizations The AACCA rules committee made the bans permanent on July 11, 2006. Events 911 - Signing of the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte between Charles the Simple and Rollo of Normandy. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[20]

See also

• Artificial noise
• List of cheerleaders
• List of cheerleading jumps
• List of cheerleading stunts
• National Football League cheerleading
• Ōendan, a style of Japanese cheerleading
• Pom-pon
• UAAP Cheerdance Competition
• Cheerleader Nation

References

External links

• International Cheer Union - Building the 1st Cheerleading Olympic Structure (ICU)
• National Council for Spirit Safety and Education (NCSSE)
• American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Advisors (AACCA)
• United States All-Star Federation (USASF)
• International All Star Federation (IASF)
• British Cheerleading Association (BCA)
• UK Cheerleading Association (UKCA)
• Cheer Ireland (CFI)
• Cheerleading 101: the Basics