Cheerleading

Fans love to cheer for their favorite teams no matter what the sport. But, did you know that organized cheering dates back over 100 years?

In 1898, Thomas Peebles brought cheering to the University of Minnesota from Princeton, but it was student Johnny Campbell that took it one step further. Campbell stood up in front of the crowds and led them in the cheer "Rah, Rah, Rah! Sku-u-mar, Hoo-Rah! Hoo-Rah! Varsity! Varsity, Minn-e-so-tah!" The publication "Ariel" even mentioned the Campbell's cheering in the November 12, 1989 edition:

"The following were nominated to lead the Yelling today: Jack (sic) Campbell, F.G. Kotlaba, M.J. Luby, Albert Armstrong of the Academics; Wickersham of the Laws; and Litzenverg of the Medics. These men would see to it that everybody leaves the park today breathless and voiceless, as this is the last game here, it ought to be a revelation to the people of Minnesota in regard to University enthusiasm."

Some estimate that cheerleading is 97% females today, it began as an all male activity. Shortly after Campbell began his cheering, an organized squad that consisted of six male students formed at the University of Minnesota.

At the turn of the century, cheerleading continued to grow. By 1903, Gamma Sigma, the first cheerleading fraternity, was formed. In 1923, females started participating. Cheering items like megaphones and gymnastic moves, including tumbling, were added to the routines. Pom-pons, which at one point were symbolic of cheerleaders, were invented in 1965 by Fred Gastoff.

Lawrence “Herkie” Herkimer formed the National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) in 1948. Herkimer, a former cheerleader at Southern Methodist University, set up the association to conduct cheerleading clinics. The first clinic, held in 1949, consisted of 52 female participants. Hermier also founded the Cheerleading Supply Company in 1953.

Competition between cheering squads grew at the years passed and in 1978, the first Collegiate Cheerleading Championship was aired on CBS. In the ‘80s, ESPN began broadcasting the National High School Cheerleading Competition. As the love of cheerleading grew, so did the fear of safety for the participants. More complex and complicated routines resulted in injuries, but most cheerleading organizations had adopted universal safety standards to help decrease the amount of injuries.

Cheerleading gained another boost in the '70s when the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders came into the spotlight with their then-revealing cheerleading uniforms and stylish dance moves. Other sports, such as basketball, baseball, and hockey, picked up on the popularity of cheering and many professional teams added their own squad.

Today, cheerleading is very much a part of the American culture. There have been numerous movies made that involve cheerleaders (such as Bring It), professional sports squads such as the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders have been featured on television shows, there has been a cheerleader reality show ("Cheerleader Nation"), and there are even video games for the Nintendo and Wii systems. Some of the nation's most popular actresses, singers, and television stars (such as Sandra Bullock, Christina Aguilera, and Paula Abdul) were former cheerleaders.

Cheerleading remains a very popular activity today, with thousands of young people flocking to cheering clinks each year to learn the latest routines. Even though the majority of cheerleaders overall are female, the percentage at the collegiate level remains almost 50% male.