Cheerleaders Add Fun & Excitement
Cheerleaders are people who encourage others to give their best performances - usually at sports events, but also in any endeavor in life.http://www.thefreedictionary.com/cheerleader In the US, professional cheerleaders are hired and trained to encourage university and national league sports teams and to entertain the spectators at sporting events.
High school and regional sports teams also have cheerleaders, but they are usually voluntary leaders who are unpaid. Since its modern invention in the late 1800s, cheerleading has evolved to include gymnastics and dance in addition to the original cheers.
History of Cheerleaders in the U.S.
Cheerleading as an organized discipline was developed in the late 1800s by Johnny Campbell. He led the crowd that had gathered to watch a football game in a simultaneous cheer. The first cheerleading organization was an all male fraternity. Women didn't begin cheerleading until 1923.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yrgeig1Gn2w
Cheerleading became commercialized in 1960. The Boston Colts were the first team to have a commercial female cheerleading team. The Dallas Cowboys, led by Tex Schram, were the first team to have sexy cheerleaders, in 1972. Tex hired some models at first, but they sweated and their makeup fell off and they complained. So, Tex turned to dancers instead of models, and a legacy was born, The Dallas Cowgirls.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yrgeig1Gn2w
This move by the Dallas Cowboys is what turned the focus of cheerleading from leading cheers to dancing and wowing the crowd that comes to see the game. Gymnastics became part of the cheerleading tradition soon after dancing did. Because of these two moves, more injuries are reported from cheerleading than from any other female activity, among female students in America today.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yrgeig1Gn2w
Top Ten NFL Cheerleader Sqauds
The top ten NFL cheerleader squads are considered the best of the rest by fans worldwide:
When Cheerleaders Became Sexy
A college girl shows lots of pictures of sexy cheerleaders while she explains her research on when cheerleaders became sexy. She says women didn't even become part of cheerleading until 1923. Her research revealed that before then, men led the spectators at sporting events in their cheers. She also says that cheerleaders' props are supposed to be called pom pons, not pom poms.
Awesome Cheerleader Gymnastic Stunts
The influence of gymnastics on cheerleaders is demonstrated in this video. Watch these men and women jump in the air and catch each other over and over again. They tumble as they jump and fall. They stand on one foot high in the air. They twirl and fall sideways very fast and are always caught by their teammates.
References
Fast Facts
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The NCA (National Cheerleading Association) is the governing body for sanctioned cheerleading in the U.S.
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Competitive cheerleading is considered a sport.
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There are 1.5 million participants in the U.S. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheerleading
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The 2000 film, Bring It On, highlighted the sport of cheerleading.
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Most cheerleaders are students from middle school, high school, and college.
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National Football League Cheerleading is a professional cheerleading league.
