cheer history

I had to write a speech for a tournament that I’m competing in tomorrow, and I decided to do it on the history of cheerleading. It’s my best speech ever, if I do say so myself. (then again, I haven’t really written many, but that’s besides the point) anyways, I’m posting it here, for lack of anything else to write, so enjoy!

You’ve seen them in your hallways and your cafeteria.  They’ve invaded your gymnasium and your sports fields.  You may consider them athletes or just girls that have nothing better to do than jump and dance around in short skirts.  Who are they?  They are cheerleaders.  Love them or hate them, but you probably don’t know as much as you think you know about them.  This is why I am going to speak about the history of cheerleading: how it began, important innovations, and where it stands in the world of sports today.

It all began at a Princeton University football game, where the first organized cheer was performed in the late 1880’s.  In 1884, Thomas Peebles, a graduate of Princeton University, took that yell, and the sport of Football to the University of Minnesota. It was from that campus that organized cheerleading came into being.  Peebles gathered 6 young men to lead the crowd in yelling from the sidelines, in order to raise school spirit and team spirit.  It was the last game of the season on November 2, 1898.  One of these young men, by the name of Johnny Campbell became so excited by the events of the game that he jumped out in front of the crowd and led them with a cheer of “Rah, Rah, Rah”; a cheer still in use today.  He and his friends organized other yells and chants to be done at future games.  And so the very first cheerleading squad ever, consisting entirely of males, was born.

Despite the stereotype today of only girls being on cheerleading squads, and males being made fun of for joining squads, cheerleading was a male-dominated activity for a quarter of a century, up until 1923 when women were allowed to join squads at the University of Minnesota.  With the addition of girls, cheerleading began to become more dynamic.  Often the girls who joined squads were gymnasts, bringing tumbling to the scene.

In 1925 at Oregon State University, cheerleaders began to use signs and flashcards to direct the crowd in yells and cheers.  Megaphones were later added to help them yell even louder.

Even with girls being allowed to join; cheerleading was still mostly dominated by males until WWII which allowed even more females to join.  In 1948 the first cheerleading camp was held by a man named Lawrence Herkimer.  Herkimer is known as the father of modern cheerleading for his advancements in the sport.  He founded the National Cheerleaders Association in 1949and the Cheerleading Supply Company in 1953.  He is responsible for developing a popular cheerleading jump known as the Herkie in 1950, and in 1956 he invented the first pompon, originally made of paper.

To be continued….