History of Cheerleading (cont.

Organized cheerleading started as an all-male activity.

Princeton University, in 1884, got the idea that crowd chanting at football games would boost school
spirit so they came up with a catchy cheer.

Ray, Ray, Ray! Sis, Sis, Sis!

Tiger, Tiger, Tiger! Boom, Boom, Boom

Aaaaah! Princeton, Princeton, Princeton!

A decade later Princeton grad and pep club member Thomas Peebles introduced the University of
Minnesota to the idea of chanting to a crowd of spectators.

On November 2, 1898, U- Minnesota student Johnny Campbell led an organized cheer at a football
game between Minnesota and Princeton University, so you might say he was the first actual "cheer
leader".

Soon after, in 1903, the University of Minnesota organized the first cheer fraternity called Gamma Sigma.
They likely used a megaphone to project their voices; although it wasn't until later that it became a
popular accessory to cheerleading.

In the 1920s women became involved in cheerleading. And that's because there weren't many
intercollegiate sports available to them at the time. The lady yellers sported ankle-length skirts and
varsity sweaters.

Lawrence Herkimer, "Grandfather of Cheerleading"

• Lawrence "Herkie" Herkimer is a legend and innovator in the field of cheerleading. He founded
the National Cheerleaders Association at Southern Methodist University, holding cheerleading
camps since 1948.
• He founded the Cheerleading Supply Company in 1953, patenting the first pompoms, or pom-
pons in 1971.
• In Herkimer's words, he's taken the world of cheerleading "from the raccoon coat and pennant
to greater heights".

By the 1960s just about every high school and college in the country had cheerleaders.

The Universal Cheerleaders Association was created in 1974 to provide educational training for college
and high school cheer squads.

Modern cheerleading as we know it today began in the 1980s with flashy dance routines and gymnastics
stunts.

By 1997 cheerleading was recognized as an independent sport, attracting national attention.

Cheerleading organizations such as the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Advisors
(AACCA), founded in 1987, started applying universal safety standards to decrease the number of
injuries and prevent dangerous stunts, pyramids, and tumbling passes from being included in the
cheerleading routines.

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.

Competitive cheerleading is scored subjectively based on components including, but not limited to, the
cheer itself, dance/choreography, pyramids, stunting, and tumbling.

In order to prevent injuries, there are certain rules that cheerleading teams have to follow according to
their level (high school, all-star, or college).

According to the Encyclopedia of Sports Medicine, there are two purposes of cheerleading- to cheer on
the sidelines for other athletes, and to be a "highly skilled competing athlete."

ELEMENTS OF CHEERLEADING

1. Chants and Cheers.

CHANT- short one or two simple lines that the crowd can easily catch on. A combination of
words and actions. Ex. Defense Go!, Go, Fight, Win!, Come On Team! Win That Game!

CHEER-longer, somewhat resembles a song in the sense that it has a beginning, a middle and an
end.

2. Arm motions

Arm motions are very important in cheerleading, because it is also a basis for the
synchronization of the squad. They are supposed to be executed sharply and tightly. These
movements must have power but not too much power that you'll go over board.

3. DANCE

Often saved for the end of the routine, the dance is often a judge's favorite part of the routine.
With multiple transitions, level changes, and clean, sharp motions, the dance is a lot of fun. It
should be flashy and exciting.

Keep motions crisp, quick, and exaggerated to catch the judge's eye.
 Make sure your choreography included a fast-paced, larger-than-life dance, full of energy, which
will have the audience on their feet clapping along with the beat.

4. JUMP

to spring into the air: LEAP; especially: to spring free from the ground or other base by the
muscular action of feet and legs. You must remember that while you jump, you should always
look at the audience and never at the floor, bring your legs to you (or your chest) and never the
other way around. When you land, absorb your jump with the balls of your feet, so that you
wouldn't damage your knees and if you will jump again, it will be easy to go up in the air.

5. TUMBLINGS

are also one thing that keeps me shocked while watching cheer routines. How the cheerleaders
look like rubber bands, or bouncy balls, tumbling from one corner of the mat to the other. Plus,
they make it look so easy and effortless!

6. STUNTS

are defined as building performances displaying a person's skill or dexterity. Stunting in

cheerleading has been previously referred to as building pyramid.

Cheerleader Roles

There are three important roles when it comes to building pyramids in cheerleading.

A BASE is the bottom of a pyramid and the weight of another person.

The MOUNTER-- or FLYER -- is the person who stands on top of a bases' hands or shoulders. You will find
that mounters are generally short, lightweight and have excellent balance.

The final position is the SPOTTER. The spotter is there to help catch the mounter in the event she loses
her balance or begins to fall. Almost all cheerleading pyramids require spotters.

CHEERLEADING ARM MOTIONS/POSITIONS

"T": With the "T" motion, your arms are in a "T" formation with your
fists holding 2 buckets of water. Do not raise your shoulders, just relax
them to your normal walking position.

"Half T": Same as the "T" motion, just bend your arms in.

High V: Arms are in a "V" formation and your fists are facing OUT.

Low V: Arms are in a "V" formation and your fists are holding 2

CHEERLEADING LEG MOTIONS/POSITIONS

BEGINNER JUMP

INTERMEDIATE JUMP

ADVANCED JUMP