What is Cheerleading?

 Cheerleading is an event that consists of cheers and organized routines for

sports team motivation, audience entertainment, or competitions. The
routines contain many components of cheer, jumps, dance, gymnastics and
stunting.
 The purpose is to encourage the spectators of events to cheer for sports team
at games. The yeller, dancers, and athletes involved in cheerleading are
called cheerleaders. When they are grouped together as one, they are called
squad.
History of Cheerleading
 Cheerleading history is linked closely to the United States history of sports, its
sporting venues, as well as the historical development of overall crowd participation
at many athletic events (History of Cheerleading, 2015). However, its origins can be
traced as far back as the late 19th century where in1860s, students from Great
Britain began to cheer and chant in unison for their favorite athletes at sporting
events. This event eventually reached and influenced America (Timeline of
Cheerleading, 2012).
 In the late 1880s, the first organized recorded yell done in locomotive style was
performed in an American campus and was first seen and heard during college
football game. However, organized all-male cheerleading only transpired when
Thomas Peebles, one of the graduates of Princeton University, brought the yell and
the football sport to the University of Minnesota, that cheerleading officially began
in November 2, 1898.
 Cheerleading or the first 25 years was an all-male activity. It was only during the
1920s when women cheerleaders participated in cheerleading. A lot had happened
the in the world of cheerleading in America
 Below is the list of highlights of major events in cheerleading history

Year Event
1870s The fast pep club was established at Princeton University.
1880s The first organized yell was recorded at Princeton University.
1890s Organized cheerleading was initiated at the University of Minnesota as was the
first school “fight song”.

Megaphone was used on the day cheerleading began in 1898.

1900s Usage of the megaphone was becoming popular.

The first cheerleading fraternity was organized.

1910 The first “homecoming” was held at the University of Illinois.
1920s Women became active in cheerleading.

The University of Minnesota cheerleaders began to Incorporate gymnastics and

tumbling into their cheers.
1930s Universities and high schools began performing pompom routines and using
paper pompoms.
Year Event
1940s The first cheerleading company was formed by Lawrence R. Herkimer of Dalls,
Texas.

The first national organization for cheerleaders, the American Cheerleaders

Association was formed by Bill Horan.

1950s Collage cheerleaders began conducting cheerleading workshops to teach

cheerleading skills.
1960s The vinyl pompon was invented by Fred Gasthoff and introduced by the
International Cheerleading Foundation.
1967s In addition to cheering for the traditional football and basketball teams,
cheerleaders began supporting all school parts.
1970s The first nationwide television broadcast of the National Collegiate
Cheerleading Championships initiated by the International Cheerleading
foundation.

Cheerleading began to receive recognition as a serious athletic activity as the

skill level dramatically increased in areas such as gymnastics, partner stunts,
pyramids and advance jumps.
Year Event
1974 National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) trained hundreds of thousands of
cheerleaders.

In 1974, the former General Manager and Vice President of NCA, Jeff Webb,
founded the Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) to teach higher levels of
skills to cheerleaders around United States. Cheerleading specific skills
(partner stunts and pyramid) were introduced to make cheerleading more
entertaining, thus augmenting cheerleading’s traditional leadership function; a
new era of cheerleading begins
1975 The birth of “cheerleading routine”. UVA used cheerleading skills with music.

In July 1975, Jeff Webb’s UCA College Spirit Camp Instructors opened their
university cheerleader training camp held at Memphis State University (now,
University of Memphis) in Tennesee (South Central USA) with the
demonstration of cheerleading skills incorporating music; the “cheerleading
routine” is born.
1980s National Cheerleading competitions for junior and senior high school as well as
collegiate squads too place across the nation.

Cheerleaders received national media recognition as one of the most important

school leadership groups to promote enthusiastic, positive attitudes and school
spirit within schools and communities.
 Year Event
1982 As a method to accommodate the thousands of requests for the new style of
s cheerleading, Jeff Webb places cheerleading on a new sports television network
called the “Entertainment Sports Programming Network” or “ESPN”. This begins 30
years of highlighting cheerleading on television; an introduction of Jeff Webb’s
modern cheerleading not only all parts of the USA, but also the world.
1987 With the rapid growth of cheerleading, Jeff Webb’s organization directs the
development of a new non-profit entity called American Association of Cheerleading
Coaches and Administrators (AACCA) to teach as well as safety test cheerleading
coaches around the USA, and eventually the world. It quickly becomes duplicated
globally in the promotion of cheerleading safety.
1988 UCA introduces cheerleading in Japan.
1989 UCA introduces parade cheerleading performances in the United Kingdom.
1990s Non-school based organizations begin to offer cheer programs. Although initially
started In the late 1980s, the 1990s sees the beginning of non-school based
cheerleading called “All star”.
1991 Event based sports begin to flourish throughout Europe, as well as the need for game
cheerleading; European advancement of modern day cheerleading accelerates.

1992 UCA introduces cheerleading performances in Austria and France, NCA in Irealand.
 Year Event
1994 UCA introduces cheerleading in Chile (Cheer Chile); South America and Caribbean
Cheerleading begins.
2004 The United States All Star Federation (USASF)/ International All Star Federation
(IASF) host the 1st World Cheerleading Championships or “Cheerleading Worlds” at
the Walt Disney World Resort taped for the ESPN global broadcast; 14 of the top
selected World Teams compete for a World Championship title.
2007 September 2007: The IASF National Federation membership (19 nations) also forms
the International Cheer Union (ICU) as an additional non-for-profit organization to
enhance efforts in supporting national federation and continental confederation
development, World Championship for national team, world recognition efforts by
international sports authorities, and to support the safe development of
cheerleading around the world.

September 2007: Along with many other developing national federations, the
United States for Sport Cheering (USA Cheer) is registered as a non-for-profit 501( c
) organization as the National Governing body for Cheer in the USA.

International Cheer Union grows from 19 to 35 members federation.

2008-present The IASF/ICU continued to host the World Cheerleading Championships, ICU
training continues around the world.