History of Cheerleading:

How it All Started

Cheerleading is a popular activity among today's
youth.
In almost all sports activities, you can
see beautiful girls and a handful of guys
who dress colorfully and do amazing
routines to encourage the crowd to cheer
for their favourite team. Today, this
activity is even considered as a separate
competitive sport and there are various
organisations across the globe that
regularly hold competitions and
exhibitions for cheerleaders.
It is no secret that cheerleading
originated in the United States, with an
estimated 1.5 million Americans
participating in high-profile competitions.
Although the sport is mostly dominated
by females, did you know that it started
out as an all-male activity in the late
1800s? It is surprising, isn't it? With most
teams featuring female members today,
you cannot quite imagine that men during
those times were interested in such an
activity.
It all began in Princetown University.
Records show that as early as 1877, there
were organised crowds of students who
yell from the stands using chants and
cheers they created themselves to
encourage players at football, rugby, and
basketball games. Princeton alumnus
Thomas Peebles moved to Minnesota in
1884 and brought the idea of organised
crowd cheering to the University of
Minnesota. However, it wasn't until the
1890s that the first of the world's
cheerleaders was known.
Johnny Campbell was
recognised as such on
November 2, 1898 when he
directed a crowd in cheering
for the University of
Minnesota's football squad.
That day was also the official
birth date of organised
cheerleading. Then, the
University of Minnesota
decided to organise a "yell
leader" squad that was
composed of six male
students who used Campbell's
original cheer.
So how did the women get involved in this
physical activity? How did they get into the
picture? Perhaps due to the lack of collegiate
sports for women during those times (since
sporting events were limited to male athletes),
many female students were encouraged to join
cheering squads. But for the first 25 years of
this sport, male students were the only ones
who were allowed to join cheering teams and
pep squads. Women began to dominate this
popular activity during the 1920s up to World
War II, when most men were sent to serve the
army.
During this period, cheerleading became
something more than chanting and cheering.
Cheers became more elaborate and pep squad
members introduced various athletic moves,
acrobatics, and fight song team dances to
further increase crowd participation during
sporting events. Also, various training camps
were also organised for those who want to
improve their cheering and athletic skills. Today,
this fun yet challenging activity is no longer
limited to the US. In many parts of the world,
including Australia, there are dozens of squads,
teams, and dance clubs that regularly participate
in various local and international events.
We regularly organise some of the
best and the most exciting cheer and
dance events and competitions in the
country. We can provide the ideal
events for your club, dance, or studio
to shine!

Visit our website

http://worldcupcheer.com.au
or Call us at 1300 739 511