In these modern times sporting events are often spectacular. The supporters are hyped and they wear the colours of their team. Souvenirs, food and drink are all available everywhere. And, of course, there are cheerleaders. Each team has its own squad of cheerleaders and the competition between these squads is often as fierce as the competition between the sports teams themselves. Cheerleading squads are found everywhere, from Morganville NJ to Buffalo NY.
Most people think of cheerleaders only in terms of sporting events. The tradition of cheer leading is much much older, however. In the olden days, even in the Bible, cheer leaders are described as valuable during battle. These cheerleaders were equipped with drums, trumpets, bugles and cymbals and their job was to create excitement, to motivate soldiers and to demonstrate solidarity. They carried the flags and armies mustered around them.
Modern cheerleaders is said to originate from Princeton University in the UK. A special Princeton Cheer was documented as early as 1877. Only males were allowed to chant this cheer which has survived to this day. The idea of an organized cheer arrived in the USA when an erstwhile Princeton student introduced it at the University of Minnesota in 1884. Soon the university had a special cheerleader squad and the tradition of organized cheering quickly spread to other universities.
Females were not allowed to be cheerleaders until 1923 because it was viewed as unseemly behaviour for ladies. Only in 1923 did females first become eligible to be cheerleaders. This was also at the University of Minnesota. The idea of female cheerleaders did not find favour for a long time however. Only in the early forties did the idea of female cheerleaders catch on. Today it is an almost exclusively female sport.
Even after all this time the main objectives of cheer leading have not changed significantly. Cheerleaders are there to motivate the players, to rally them under a single banner and to get the supporters fully on their side. These days, however, cheerleaders also play an important role in the entertainment of the crowd. They offer special, often spectacular performances before and during games. These performances have become standard fare at matches.
From the early sixties onwards cheer leading showed a sharp increase in popularity. By 1975 there were more than 500 000 cheerleaders in the United States. Being chosen for a cheerleader squad remains a great honour and in some cases it is even possible to make a career out of cheer leading. Squads no longer perform at sports events only. They compete against each other at tournaments everywhere in the world.
There is a dark side to cheer leading. Astonishingly it is the sport with the most fatal and serious injuries in the world. Fierce competition has led to trainers demanding ever increasingly dangerous and spectacular stunts and it is especially during pyramid routines that injuries occur. Other critics have condemned the fact that successful cheerleaders are expected to be beautiful and sexy.
One thing is certain. Cheer leading is here to stay. Spectators at sports events enjoy the fabulous performances, players enjoy the attention and the cheerleaders themselves revel in the attention that they get. It takes hard work and an extraordinary amount of dedication to succeed at the highest levels however.
Most people think of cheerleaders only in terms of sporting events. The tradition of cheer leading is much much older, however. In the olden days, even in the Bible, cheer leaders are described as valuable during battle. These cheerleaders were equipped with drums, trumpets, bugles and cymbals and their job was to create excitement, to motivate soldiers and to demonstrate solidarity. They carried the flags and armies mustered around them.
Modern cheerleaders is said to originate from Princeton University in the UK. A special Princeton Cheer was documented as early as 1877. Only males were allowed to chant this cheer which has survived to this day. The idea of an organized cheer arrived in the USA when an erstwhile Princeton student introduced it at the University of Minnesota in 1884. Soon the university had a special cheerleader squad and the tradition of organized cheering quickly spread to other universities.
Females were not allowed to be cheerleaders until 1923 because it was viewed as unseemly behaviour for ladies. Only in 1923 did females first become eligible to be cheerleaders. This was also at the University of Minnesota. The idea of female cheerleaders did not find favour for a long time however. Only in the early forties did the idea of female cheerleaders catch on. Today it is an almost exclusively female sport.
Even after all this time the main objectives of cheer leading have not changed significantly. Cheerleaders are there to motivate the players, to rally them under a single banner and to get the supporters fully on their side. These days, however, cheerleaders also play an important role in the entertainment of the crowd. They offer special, often spectacular performances before and during games. These performances have become standard fare at matches.
From the early sixties onwards cheer leading showed a sharp increase in popularity. By 1975 there were more than 500 000 cheerleaders in the United States. Being chosen for a cheerleader squad remains a great honour and in some cases it is even possible to make a career out of cheer leading. Squads no longer perform at sports events only. They compete against each other at tournaments everywhere in the world.
There is a dark side to cheer leading. Astonishingly it is the sport with the most fatal and serious injuries in the world. Fierce competition has led to trainers demanding ever increasingly dangerous and spectacular stunts and it is especially during pyramid routines that injuries occur. Other critics have condemned the fact that successful cheerleaders are expected to be beautiful and sexy.
One thing is certain. Cheer leading is here to stay. Spectators at sports events enjoy the fabulous performances, players enjoy the attention and the cheerleaders themselves revel in the attention that they get. It takes hard work and an extraordinary amount of dedication to succeed at the highest levels however.
About the Author:
The NJ premier gymnastics offers cheerleading classes to all the local girls. To take part today, visit this website now at http://NJPremierGymnastics.com.
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