Woo! Yay! Yippee! Go Greenup go! The stadium was so loud one might go deaf by the time they left. Fans were going crazy, watching high school cheerleaders prove how talented they were. The cheerleaders were proving to the world that cheerleading is a real sport. They do a two and a half minute routine with cheers, dances, tumbling, jumps, partner stunts, and pyramids. It is absolutely insane and exhausting. The history of cheerleading is unknown to many. Cheerleading has come a long way but is still not receiving the respect it deserves. Many people don’t view cheerleading as a sport. Well, let’s see them fly into a liberty or do a round-off, back handspring, back handspring, full twist lay-out. Cheerleading deserves a lot more respect than it is shown. More people need to know about the history that has brought cheerleading so far today.

The history of cheerleading dates all the way back to the 1860s. Most people say that cheerleading first started in 1865; however, this is wrong. Cheerleading started in Greece when fans yelled for runners during the first Olympic Games. ("The History of Cheerleading") During the 1860s, Great Britain began cheering for all competitive sports. This idea of spirit found its way to the United States in 1865, when the first ever pep club was formed. They created the first cheer and it went lie this: "Tah rah rah, Tiger Tiger Tiger, Sis Sis Sis, Boom Boom Boom. Ahhhh! Princeton! Princeton! Princeton!" ("History of Cheerleading")

However, it wasn’t until 1898 that cheerleading became organized. Thomas Peebler gathered six men to chant that cheer at the University of Minnesota. The football team was having an awful season and to help them gain confidence, Peebler decided to show school spirit. This idea was created by one of the University’s professors. He said that positive energy being directed towards the football team will help the team win. So, Peebler did just that. He found six other men to help him cheer in the stands and give the football team the confidence they needed to succeed. (British Cheerleading Association)

Even though Peebler had a lot to do with the start of cheerleading, he was not the first cheerleader; that title goes to Johnny Campbell. On November 2, 1898, Campbell got overly excited at a football game and jumped out in front of the crowd, joining Peebler and the other men in cheering, while trying to get the rest of the audience to yell, too. Campbell made the first cheerleading squad, consisting of four other men and him. The members included, F.G. Kotlaba, M. J. Luby, Albert Armstrong, Wickersham, and Campbell. Therefore, cheerleading began in Minnesota. ("Cheerleading: The History") This line of events is what introduced cheerleading to America, making it become more and more popular with every passing year, and now it is one of the most popular sports in America today. ("History of Cheerleading")

After this episode, cheerleading started to grow. In those days football made your school great. As football became more popular, so did cheerleading. "Attention was the name of the game, and if you could attract it, then your university could build itself into an important educational institution as well as being good at sports." As the 1900s approached, cheerleaders were introduced to the megaphone. This allowed them to yell louder and get their voices to reach the ears of fans, who sat in the back. Then in 1903, Gamma Sigma was named the first cheerleader fraternity. Shortly after, in 1910, the University of Illinois held the first homecoming. This was a big part of cheerleading because it showed spirit to the football team. ("Cheer Zone") In the 1920s, Lindley Bothwell made the first flash cards, and cheerleading became a sport for girls. All the men went off to war in this year, so the ladies took over and started to participate. Cheerleading became more of a female sport at this time. They added gymnastics to their routines, making cheerleading harder. Even though this wasn’t the first girls’ activity, it had a lot to do with the growth of women participating in sports and activities. (British Cheerleading Association)

Pom-poms were created in the 1930s, becoming the main cheerleading prop. This allowed cheerleaders to perform pom-pom routines and make their cheers a little bit flashier, appealing to the audience. Then, Lawrence R. Herkimer was introduced to the cheerleading world. Herkimer was the founder of the spirit industry, making cheerleading even more popular. In 1948, he organized the first cheerleading camp. 52 girls showed up to Huntsville’s Sam Houston University, in order to attend the camp. The following year, 350 girls attended and now about 20,000 girls attend the camp each year. Herkimer also invented a new jump that was named after him. This jump is known as "the herkie" which has grown very popular. ("The History of Cheerleading")

Between the 1950s and the 1970s, the citizens of the United States started to open their eyes to the risks of cheerleading. Many regulations were then set to keep cheerleaders as safe as possible. They started holding training programs for coaches and adding new rules to the cheerleading world. In 1957, the first spirit stick was created by the NCA, and in 1960, the Baltimore Colts added the first professional cheerleading squad in history. Even though these girls were called cheerleaders, many don’t see them in that way. They are looked at as dancers who wear skimpy outfits and show off their flexibility through their dance moves. In 1968, Fred Gasthoff created the first vinyl pom-pom, which became widely used. (Cheer Zone) Finally, the 1970s arrived.

In the early 1970s, sideline cheering was still growing more popular. Cheering was made for more sports including female sports, such as volleyball and swimming. Cheerleaders started to increase their involvement in many communities. They started fundraisers and pep rallies. They dispersed their spirit throughout the towns and always set forth a positive attitude. They promoted enthusiasm and fun. Cheerleaders also became recognized through the media. This was a big step for them because it allowed them to show people how talented they really were. The 1970s were exciting for not only sideline cheerleading but also competition cheerleading. In the 1970s, competition cheerleading started its history. There is not one person who can be blamed for the finding of competition cheerleading. Many teams built up squads with about twenty girls and put a routine together; the routine includes cheers, dancing, tumbling, jumps, and stunts. The routines last about two and a half minutes. It’s fast pace with music except during the cheer part. Dekalb, Georgia is credited for holding the first competition, which brought cheerleading a long way. ("Popwarner") In 1978, the first nation-wide television broadcast of the Collegiate Cheerleading Championships took place on CBS-TV. It was initiated by the International Cheerleading Foundation and became a very important part of cheerleading history. This television broadcast showed that cheerleading was hard and competitive. As cheerleading increased the skills level of gymnastics, partner stunts pyramids and advanced jumps, it became more acknowledged as an athletic activity. Then in the 1980s, national cheerleading competitions for high school cheerleading squads took place. This was the big bang that made high school cheerleading a great thing that many enjoy. ("British Cheerleading Association")

Now, today when someone hears the word "cheerleader," they don’t just think of a girl bouncing on the sideline with pom-poms, they think of a girl stunting, tumbling, and showing spirit as well as shouting their athletic ability. Today they have sideline cheerleaders, competitive cheerleaders, and all-star cheerleaders. All-stars squads started to emerge in 1990. These squads are between 2-40+ females and males large. They prepare all year round and focus on competitions only. They do not participate in sideline cheerleading and are solely there to attend competitions and be judged. All-star cheerleading is a big commitment and is rapidly growing. Competition cheerleading is a huge part of America and always will be. ("In The Complex")

Cheerleading has gone though a lot. However, one thing that is well-known is the fact that becoming a cheerleader is difficult. Cheerleaders must have a large area of skills. They need to be good at precision movements, gymnastics and tumbling, lifting and pyramids, jumps, and dancing ability. Cheerleaders have to be coordinated and very talented. Precision movements are sharp arm movement. They include strict timing and have to be extremely defined motions. The most basic movements include: high v’s, low v’s, punch-ups, and touchdowns. There are also arms on hips, diagonals, daggers, and much more. Gymnastics skills are one of the hardest levels of difficulty to achieve. One should always practice these skills with a trained professional, because they can be proved very dangerous. Most tumbling skills are usually used during a tumbling run; tumbling runs usually consist of a round-off and two back-handsprings. If this is achieved, the cheerleader builds up their skills and adds back tucks and back lay-outs at the end. Lifting and pyramids are both forms of stunting. Stunting doesn’t really have a history behind it. No one knows for sure where stunts originated from. Single lifting usually has two to five people. There are the bases who life up the girl, who is called the flyer. They usually put up liberties, extensions, scorpions, and etc. Pyramids are multiple single stunts combined to make one big stunt. They are flashy and take a lot of talent. Then, there are the ten classic jumps: tuck, c, spread, herkie, stag, toe touch, split, hurdler, pick, and doubles. These take a lot of flexibility and practice. Finally, there is the dancing section. This is a smooth, flowing part of the routine with complex motions. This is just an overview of the elements needed to be a good cheerleader, but there are many more skills needed. All are risky, and if they are not practiced safely, it can cost someone sever injury; however, if it is used correctly and is successful, it can be very rewarding. ("The History of Cheerleading")

Being a cheerleader can prove to be very fun. Many celebrities today were once cheerleaders. Some of these people include Halle Berry, Vanna White, Paula Abdul, Katie Couric, and the most surprising, George W. Bush. There are many more celebrities who have also been a cheerleader in the past. Many people’s parents, teachers, and friends have also participated in cheerleading. ("Cheerleading: The History") Cheerleading has grown so much over the past decades; today, about four million people participate in cheerleading. ("In The Complex")

Through the long line of history cheerleading has gone through, it still does not receive the amount of respect it deserves. Since 1920, cheerleading has achieved many goals and jumped through a lot of obstacles. It has grown into a very competitive sport with high difficulty and amazing skills. Cheerleading takes a lot of patience, confidence, commitment, and determination. Many people should take the time to watch a cheerleading competition and see how competitive and difficult it really is. It is a fun, enthusiastic sport that tends to be very entertaining so, take the time to watch a competition and see just how amazing it is.