Cheering has been around for a long time, but it didn't just appear out of nowhere. Kids at the University of Minnesota actually unintentionally started the sport we now know today as cheerleading. John Adams and Win Sargent would be in the crowd getting the people to yell the "team yell" SKI-YOU-MAH, in efforts to get the crowd pumped for the team to win. But it was actually in 1989 when Jack "Johnny" Campbell who was the first person to take a megaphone and run out on the field and start yelling their "team yell" and others. "Rah, Rah, Rah! Ski-U-Mah! Hoo-Rah! Hoo-Rah! Varsity! Varsity! Minn-e-so-tah!” People would call Johnny the "Yell Leader", which is how cheerleader came from.
That was the start of the sport cheerleading, but it took a lot of altering to the sport for it to be the way it is today. Johnny from there out kept on leading the crowd on with their cheers and making up new ones for them. People followed his lead and more boys came down and cheered with him on the field. Now a day it's very uncommon to have a lot of men or a team full of men, but up until 1923 it was a "male only" activity. The first woman to cheer was from University of Minnesota, but it wasn't a "girl" type sport. When the woman came in they brought the tumbling and flips and gymnastics and such. Not until 1940 when it became a woman majority sport. This is all thanks to one man who had a lot of school spirit, and wanted everyone else to.
Cheering today is such a complex sport and in 1974 "UCA" (Universal Cheerleading Association) came in, which is still now a big part thing. They helped make the rules and added more things like motions and stunts, but just the basics. In 1975 the UCA added music to the routines, which lead to the first competition in 1982. Cheering slowly started to become a sport, but not everyone was into it. 1997 there were 15 states that declared cheerleading as a sport and slowly but surely it became more popular and in 1999 EPSN declared cheerleading a sport. Even though today people say that cheerleading should not be considered a sport, it officially is and those who say that don't know how much work goes into it.
I really don't know anything about cheerleading so this was interesting to read. I think cheerleading competitions are really cool to watch and the routines seem like they would be fun!
ReplyDeleteI think it is cool how todat it is mostly a girls sport but actually a guy started it. I learned a lot, good job!
ReplyDeleteThat is interesting, I had no idea that a guy started cheerleading! I think more guys should do cheerleading and dance because it's great exercise and it's fun. I only had one boy on my dance team but he was awesome!
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