Cheerleading began in 1884 when students at Princeton University began helping to cheer their sports teams to victory.
Thomas Peebles, a student and member of the Princeton University all-male pep club, took these chants and taught them to the University of Minnesota during a losing streak. Johnny Campbell, a student at Minnesota grabbed a megaphone and began leading the crowd in original chants which helped lead the Gopher's to victory and end their losing streak. This day in 1898, is known as the birth of cheerleading.
Over the past 118 years, cheerleading has transformed from male dominated "yell leaders", to an intense sport that includes both males and females preforming stunts, tumbling, cheering and crowd leading at a variety of sporting events.
In past years, cheerleaders have been ridiculed for their "lack of athleticism". Being a college cheerleading I often get asked "where my skirt is" or if I had fun "shaking my pom poms at the football game". Someone else once asked me if I "enjoyed shaking my bum as I watch real athletes who get to go to college for free".
All of these insults may be true -- I do wear a skirt, I do ruffle my poms at games, and I do watch my amazing football and basketball teams from the best view on the sidelines.
However, the tasks of being a cheerleader don't end there. Along with being on the sidelines of just about every sporting event, we are required to be the face of our school. We are seen at every pep rally, at all sports-related conferences, tailgates, pregame and post game shows and school ceremonies. Our efforts go beyond "shaking it for the football team."
On top of cheering on others during their game competition, we have our own angle of competition as well. On average, a Collegiate Division 1A team practices 5 times a week, and the other 2 days are usually spent at the football field or on the basketball court. These practices usually don't entail just practicing for games, we are learning new stunts and skills for our routine that is preformed at competition.
At UMass, my team practices 4 or 5 times a week during season, depending on the week, for about 2 or 3 hours at a time (usually depending on how well we're doing). Our preseason includes 5 practices a week with 6 a.m morning conditioning (yes, conditioning) on Friday's. Our preseason practices are geared more towards understanding what we do at football games while our in-season practices are nationals focused.
On Tuesday, December 6th of 2016, the International Olympic Committee voted to recognize cheerleading as a sport. Along with this title, cheerleading was granted $25,000 in funds.
What exactly does this mean? Well this means that in the near future, it is possible that you will see the most talented cheerleaders in the world at the Olympic Games. That's right, cheering is stepping up to compete with other "real sports" and I can guarantee if it makes the cut, it will be one of the most watched an entertaining sport in the games.
