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.
In modern times cheer leading is almost synonymous with sporting events but the practice has an age old history. Descriptions of battles in the Bible include many references to special squads of men that blew their bugles, banged their drums and clashed their cymbals to instil fear in their enemies and to motivate their own armies. These special squads were nothing but cheerleaders. The tradition of employing special motivational squads during battle persisted throughout the ages.
The modern form of cheer leading was first recorded at Princeton University in 1877. At that time, all the male spectators at football matches chanted a special cheer, now known as the locomotive, in unison. Their efforts were directed by a small squad of cheerleaders. When a Princeton student emigrated to the United States in 1884, the tradition was established at the University of Minnesota. The tradition of organized cheering quickly became popular at other universities and schools.
It was only in 1923, also at the University of Minnesota, that females entered the picture of cheerleaders. However, the idea of using females did not become popular until the nineteen forties. Being a cheerleader quickly became a popular ambition for girls of all ages and by the early nineteen sixties cheerleaders were almost exclusively a female activity. By the mid seventies there were more than half a million active cheerleaders in the USA.
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.
Cheer leading has become immensely popular. Being part of the squad is an automatic ticket to social acceptance and popularity. Competition is fierce and there are now even tournaments for cheerleader squads. In fact, cheer leading is no longer just a supporting act to sports events. It has become a sport in itself. To succeed in this sport requires a very high level of dedication.
Cheerleaders have many critics. They say its modern form is exploitative and sexist. They also point out that cheer leading has proved to produce the highest rate of serious injuries in any sport. Participants need to be extremely fit and fierce competition lead to the development of ever increasing dangerous stunts. Critics are calling for a review of the rules governing this activity in order to increase safety.
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.
In modern times cheer leading is almost synonymous with sporting events but the practice has an age old history. Descriptions of battles in the Bible include many references to special squads of men that blew their bugles, banged their drums and clashed their cymbals to instil fear in their enemies and to motivate their own armies. These special squads were nothing but cheerleaders. The tradition of employing special motivational squads during battle persisted throughout the ages.
The modern form of cheer leading was first recorded at Princeton University in 1877. At that time, all the male spectators at football matches chanted a special cheer, now known as the locomotive, in unison. Their efforts were directed by a small squad of cheerleaders. When a Princeton student emigrated to the United States in 1884, the tradition was established at the University of Minnesota. The tradition of organized cheering quickly became popular at other universities and schools.
It was only in 1923, also at the University of Minnesota, that females entered the picture of cheerleaders. However, the idea of using females did not become popular until the nineteen forties. Being a cheerleader quickly became a popular ambition for girls of all ages and by the early nineteen sixties cheerleaders were almost exclusively a female activity. By the mid seventies there were more than half a million active cheerleaders in the USA.
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.
Cheer leading has become immensely popular. Being part of the squad is an automatic ticket to social acceptance and popularity. Competition is fierce and there are now even tournaments for cheerleader squads. In fact, cheer leading is no longer just a supporting act to sports events. It has become a sport in itself. To succeed in this sport requires a very high level of dedication.
Cheerleaders have many critics. They say its modern form is exploitative and sexist. They also point out that cheer leading has proved to produce the highest rate of serious injuries in any sport. Participants need to be extremely fit and fierce competition lead to the development of ever increasing dangerous stunts. Critics are calling for a review of the rules governing this activity in order to increase safety.
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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