Cheerleaders

The Official Rules Of Booing -Rule 23-Cheerleaders- Never Ever BOO a Cheerleader, sometimes they are the only ones giving a good performance

Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate in competitions. The athlete involved is called a cheerleader.

Though founded on the notion that cheering before spectators in the stands would boost school spirit and thereby improve team performance, cheerleading has become an All-Star sport of its own. Cheer teams enter competitions every year, vying for large prizes and trophies. Cheer teams can be found in middle and high schools, colleges, youth leagues, and athletic associations. There is professional and All-Star cheerleading. There are an estimated 3.5 million cheerleaders in the US alone, not including dance team members, gymnasts, and other affiliated participants which would raise that number to above 5 million. Cheerleaders outside the US total about 100,000.

The first instance  of cheerleading, occurred at a college football game in 1869 between Princeton University and host school Rutgers University located in Piscataway, New Jersey.

By the 1880s, Princeton University’s American Football sporting game atmosphere led to Princeton’s students forming an all-male student “pep club” to lead “cheers” (unified chants and yells) in order to provide support to their team, as well as create a high energy sport environment. Cheers such as “Rah, Rah, Ray! Tiger, Tiger, Sis, Sis, Sis! Boom, Boom, Boom! Aaaaah! Princeton, Princeton, Princeton!” were commonly yelled from the seats of Princeton University’s American Football stadium as a method to motivate their team on to victory. The first cheerleaders were mostly if not exclusively men.

By 1889 stadium pep clubs, cheers, school yells, and even school “fight songs” continued to develop in many schools & universities  to inspire their sport fans.

.It wasn’t until 1923 that the University of Minnesota introduced the first women cheerleaders at their sporting games.  
Then, in the 1930s, universities and high schools began performing pom-pom routines and using paper poms.

Paper poms were introduced in the 1930's and the modern vinyl pom was invented by Fred Gastoff, around 1965.

.In the early 1940's, when men went to war, women not only went to work, but also on to cheerleading squads. Cheerleading then became more of a female sport.

Today, women comprise of more than 90% of the world’s cheerleaders.

NFL Cheerleaders

In 1954 the Baltimore Colts became the first NFL team to have cheerleaders.

The Redskins Cheerleaders are the longest running cheerleading team in the NFL.On September 30, 1962, 30 talented and beautiful women made their debut as the Redskinettes. 

As they marched down the field in their Native American costumes to join the band, they stepped into history and the tradition began

The Dallas Cowboy cheerleading squad was a made up of a male-female group called the CowBelles & Beaux. The group made its sidelines debut in 1960 during the Cowboys' inaugural season.

After 1969, it was decided that the cheerleading squad needed a new image and the decision was made to drop the male cheerleaders and select an all female squad from local high school cheerleaders in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. It was at this period that the CowBelles & Beaux became the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.

Cheerleading Changes

Then in 1972, Texie Waterman, a New York choreographer, was recruited and charged with auditioning and training an entirely new female squad which would all be over 18 years of age, searching for attractive appearance, athletic ability, and raw talent as performers. Texie also redesigned the uniforms to introduce a more revealing, sexier look.

The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders became a pop culture phenomena appearing on TV shows and becoming the focus of fans attention. It forever changed how cheerleaders were viewed ,from an after thought to an integral part of the game and marketing of sports.

Today cheerleaders have their own calendars, videos and reality shows.

Cheerleading organizations had begun to regulate moves and emphasize safety. In 2003, a national council was formed to offer safety workshops to cheerleading squads and their coaches, and today the National Collegiate Athletic Association mandates that college cheer coaches complete official safety courses.

The sport of cheerleading has gone from one enthusiastic guy chanting to a crowd of hopeful spectators to a prestigious athletic activity showcasing the talents of both males and females alike.

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. His first camp drew 52 girls and one boy. His camps have since grown to more than twenty thousand attendees. He founded the Cheerleading Supply Company in 1953, patenting the first pompoms, or pom-pons. Herkimer chose to call them "Pom-pon" when he learned that the word "pom-pom" in other languages contained vulgar meanings. His pom-pon with the hidden handle was patented in 1971. Herkimer created the "Herkie" cheerleading jump by accident when he intended to perform a split jump. Herkimer founded a national cheerleading magazine called Megaphone while at SMU. In Herkimer's words, he's taken the world of cheerleading "from the raccoon coat and pennant to greater heights".

National Cheerleaders Association — The Work Is Worth It ® (varsity.com)

The Science Cheerleaders are professional cheerleaders pursuing science careers who playfully challenge stereotypes, turn everyone onto science by encouraging participation in citizen science activities, and inspire the 3-4 million U.S. cheerleaders to consider careers in science, technology, engineering and math. We do this by recasting the image of scientists and engineers while giving people the opportunity to explore their personal interests as a gateway to science. We communicate in ways that inspire people using our very real, very personal stories. We do this at schools, festivals, malls, on tv, online, at cheer events, games, bars…wherever the people are! The point: science is accessible to ALL!

More than 100 current and former professional cheerleaders from the NFL, NBA, and other pro sports leagues, pursing science and engineering careers make up the Science Cheerleaders.  Thousands of college, high school and middle school cheerleaders–with interests in science and engineering–are poised to join The Science Cheerleaders mission.

Darlene Cavalier, a former Philadelphia 76ers cheerleader-turned-science advocate, started the blog, Science Cheerleader, in 2006 to spark public engagement in science. Her graduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania exposed her to potential solutions to public apathy in science. As the Science Cheerleader, she wanted to broaden public interest in science, get lay people involved in doing real scientific research, and, as a logical extension, help make it possible for “regular” people to weigh in on science policy matters. In the process, she stumbled upon real science cheerleaders: NFL and NBA cheerleaders pursuing science and engineering careers!

Credit: The Washington Redskins Cheerleaders Alumni Association, Cheerleadingsafety.com, International Cheer Union