| Revision as of 00:39, 29 January 2008 view sourceCWii (talk | contribs)19,938 editsm Reverted 1 edit by 70.131.45.56 to last version by Compwhizii← Previous edit | Revision as of 01:01, 29 January 2008 view source LBHS Cheerleader (talk | contribs)41 editsNo edit summaryNext edit → | ||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| Hooray for ]! Go Manta Rays!! | |||
| {{POV|date=December 2007}} | |||
| {{globalize}} | |||
| ]. Youth Cheer - ] ages and younger - make up the vast majority of cheerleaders and cheer teams.]] | |||
| '''Cheerleading''' is a ]<ref name="nw20007">{{cite journal|last=Campo-Flores| first=Arian |title=A World of Cheer! |journal=]|date=]|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18497473/site/newsweek/ |accessdate=2007-05-17}}</ref><ref name="Forbes06">{{cite journal | last=Schoenberger | first=Chana R. | title=The Most Dangerous Sports | journal=] | date=] | url=http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/sports/2006/11/15/sports-injuries-fitness-forbeslife_cz_cs_1114dangersports.html?partner=rss | accessdate=2007-06-29}}</ref><ref name="CBS1-07">{{cite news | last=]/] | title=Cheerleading Injuries Increasing | work=] | publisher=] | date=] | url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/01/03/earlyshow/health/health_news/main1173837_page2.shtml | accessdate=2007-06-29}}</ref><ref name="IASF homepage">{{cite web |url=http://iasfonline.org/dotnetnuke/Home/tabid/37/Default.aspx |title=IASF home page |accessdate=2007-06-29 }}</ref> that uses organized routines made from elements of some ], ], jumps and ] to direct the event's spectators to cheer on sports teams at games and matches and/or compete at cheerleading competitions. The athlete involved is called a cheerleader. With an estimated 1.5 million participants in allstar cheerleading (not including the millions more in high school, college or little league participants) in the ] alone, cheerleading is, according to '']'' Arian Campo-Flores, "the most quintessential of ] sports."<ref name="nw20007"/> The growing presentation of the sport to a global audience has been led by the 1997 start of broadcasts of cheerleading competition by ] International and the worldwide release of the 2000 film '']''. Due in part to this recent exposure, there are now an estimated 100,000 participants scattered around the rest of the world in countries including ], ], ], ], ], ],<ref name="japancheer">{{cite news | last = Japan Echo, Inc | title=Three Cheers for the Champions! | work= | date =] | url=http://web-japan.org/trends/sports/spo050530.html | accessdate=2007-09-22}}</ref> the ], ] and the United Kingdom. <ref name="nw20007"/> | |||
| ==History== | |||
| ] cheerleader Johnny Campbell]] | |||
| Cheerleading first appeared in the United States in the late 1880s with the crowd chanting as a way to encourage school spirit at athletic events. The first organized, recorded cheer was yelled "Ray, Ray' Ray! TIGER, TIGER, SIS, SIS, SIS! BOOM, BOOM, BOOM! Aaaaah! PRINCETON, PRINCETON, PRINCETON!" at ] in ].<ref name="ICFHandbook">{{Citation | last=Neil | first=Randy L. | last2=Hart | first2 =Elaine | title=The Official Cheerleader's Handbook | publisher =] | year =1986 | edition =Revised Fireside Edition 1986 | isbn =0-671-61210-7}}</ref> A few years later, Princeton graduate, ] introduced the idea of organized crowd cheering at football games to the ]. However, it was not until 1898 that ] student Johnny Campbell directed a crowd in cheering "Rah, Rah, Rah! Sku-u-mar, Hoo-Rah! Hoo-Rah! Varsity! Varsity! Varsity, Minn-e-So-Tah!”, making Campbell the very first cheerleader and ], ] the official birth date of organized cheerleading. Soon after, the ] organized a "yell leader" squad of 6 male students, who still use Campbell's original cheer today<ref name="ICFHandbook"/> In 1903 the first cheerleading ], Gamma Sigma was founded.<ref name="ACFeb2003">{{Citation | last=Walker | first=Marisa | title=Cheer Milestones | journal=American Cheerleader | volume= 11 | issue=1 | pages=41-43 | date=February 2005 | year=2005 | id = ISSN 1079-9885 }}</ref> Cheerleading started out as an all-male activity, but females began participating in 1923, due to limited availability of female collegiate sports. At this time, gymnastics, tumbling, and megaphones were incorporated into popular cheers.<ref name="ACFeb2003"/> Today it is estimated that 97% of cheerleading participants are female, but males still makeup 50% of collegiate cheering squads. <ref name="popwarner">{{cite web | last =Balthaser | first =Joel D. | title=Cheerleading – Oh How far it has come! | publisher =] | date = ] | url=http://www.popwarner.com/articles/phenomenon.asp | accessdate=2007-01-11}}</ref> | |||
| ] cheerleader on a 1906 postcard]] | |||
| In 1948, Lawrence "Herkie" Herkimer, of Dallas, TX and a former cheerleader at ] formed the ''National Cheerleaders Association (NCA)'' as a way to hold cheerleading clinics. In 1949, The NCA held its first clinic in Huntsville, TX with 52 girls in attendance.<ref name="popwarner"/> "Herkie" contributed many "firsts" to the sport including the founding of ''Cheerleader & Danz Team'' uniform supply company, inventing the ], (where one leg is bent towards the ground and the other is out to the side as high as it will stretch in the toe touch position)<ref name="cheerleading.about">{{cite web | title=Cheerleading Jump Herkie | url=http://cheerleading.about.com/cs/jumps/g/herkie.htm | accessdate=2007-08-06}}</ref> and creating the "Spirit Stick".<ref name="ACFeb2003"/> By the 1960s, college cheerleaders began hosting workshops across the nation, teaching fundamental cheer skills to eager high school age girls. In 1965, Fred Gastoff invented the vinyl ] and it was introduced into competitions by the International Cheerleading Foundation (now the World Cheerleading Association or WCA). Organized cheerleading competitions began to pop up with the first ranking of the "Top Ten College Cheerleading Squads" and "Cheerleader All America" awards given out by the International Cheerleading Foundation in 1967. In 1978, America was introduced to competitive cheerleading by the first broadcast of ] on ]<ref name="ICFHandbook"/><ref name="ACFeb2003"/> | |||
| In the 1960's ] (NFL) teams began to organize professional cheerleading teams. The ] (now the ]) was the first NFL team to have an organized cheerleading squad.<ref name="colts@football.com">{{cite web | title=Indianapolis Colts - www.football.com | url=http://www.football.com/nfl/indianapoliscolts/ | accessdate=2007-11-04}}</ref> It was the ] who gained the spotlight with their revealing outfits and sophisticated dance moves, which debuted in the 1972-1973 season, but were first seen widely in ] (1976). This caused the image of cheerleaders to permanently change, with many other NFL teams emulating them. Most of the professional teams' cheerleading squads would more accurately be described as dance teams by today's standards; as they rarely, if ever, actively encourage crowd noise or perform modern cheerleading moves. | |||
| ] | |||
| The 1980s saw the onset of modern cheerleading with more difficult stunt sequences and gymnastics being incorporated into routines. ESPN first broadcasted the National High School Cheerleading Competition nationwide in 1983. Cheerleading organizations such as the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Advisors (AACCA) started applying universal safety standards to decrease the number of injuries and prevent dangerous stunts, pyramids and tumbling passes from being included in routines. <ref name="AACCA">{{cite web | title=About the AACCA | url=http://www.aacca.org/about.asp | accessdate=2007-01-11}}</ref> In 2003, the National Council for Spirit Safety and Education (NCSSE) was formed to offer safety training for youth, school, all star and college coaches. The NCAA requires college cheer coaches to successfully complete a nationally recognized safety-training program. The NCSSE or AACCA certification programs are both recognized by the NCAA. | |||
| Today, cheerleading is most closely associated with ] and ]. Sports such as ], ], ], ], and ] sometimes sponsor cheerleading squads. The ICC Twenty20 Cricket World Cup in South Africa in 2007 was the first international cricket event to have cheerleaders. The ] were the first ] team to have cheerleaders. Debuting in 2003, the "Marlin Mermaids" gained national exposure and have influenced other MLB teams to develop their own cheer/dance squads. | |||
| == Taylor == | |||
| <math>is a hecka cool person</math>--] (]) 19:14, 28 January 2008 (UTC)!!!!!!!!!!!!'''''Bold text''] (]) 19:14, 28 January 2008 (UTC)]]]''' | |||
| == Types of Teams == | |||
| === School Sponsored === | |||
| ] ] cheerleaders at a ] game.]] | |||
| Most American high schools and colleges have organized cheerleading squads made up solely of students. Several colleges that compete at cheerleading competitions offer cheerleading scholarships. | |||
| ===Youth League=== | |||
| Many organisations that sponsor youth league ] or ] sponsor cheerleading squads as well. ] organizations are an example of this. | |||
| ===All Star Cheerleading=== | |||
| In the early 1980s, cheerleading squads not associated with a schools or sports leagues, whose main objective was competition, began to emerge. The first organization to call themselves all stars and go to competitions were the Q94 Rockers from ], founded in 1982 by Hilda McDaniel.<ref name="ACFeb2007">{{Citation | last = Smith | first = Jennifer Renèe | title = The All-Star Chronicles | journal = American Cheerleader | volume = 13 | issue = 1 | pages = 40-42 | date= February 2007 | year = 2007 | id = ISSN 1079-9885 }}</ref> All-star teams competing prior to 1987 were place into the same divisions as teams that represented schools and sports leagues. In 1986 National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) decided to address this situation by creating a separate division for these teams lacking a sponsoring school or athletic association, calling it the 'All-Star Division' and debuting it at their 1987 competitions. As the popularity of these types of teams grew, more and more of them were formed, attending competitions sponsored by many different types of organizations and companies, all using their own set of rules, regulations and divisions. This situation became one of the chief concerns of gym owners. These inconsistencies caused coaches to keep their routines in a constant state of flux, detracting from time that should be utilized to develop skills and provide personal attention to their athletes. More importantly, because the various companies were constantly vying for the competitive edge, safety standards had becoming more and more lax. In some cases, unqualified coaches and inexperienced squads are attempting dangerous stunts as a result of these “expanded” sets of rules.<ref name="varsity2004">{{cite web | title = The Cheerleading Worlds Administered by the USASF | publisher = Varsity Brands, Inc. | url = http://www.varsity.com/index.asp?article=1514 | accessdate = 2007-09-20 }}</ref> | |||
| The USASF was formed in 2003 by these various competition companies to act as the national governing body for all star cheerleading and to create a standard set of rules and judging standards to be followed by all competitions sanctioned by the Federation and ultimately leading to the Cheerleading Worlds. The USASF hosted the first Cheerleading Worlds on Saturday, April 24, 2004.<ref name="varsity2004"/> At the same time, cheerleading coaches from all over the country organize themselves for the same rule making purpose, calling themselves the National All Star Cheerleading Coaches Congress (NACCC). In 2005, the NACCC was absorbed by the USASF to become their rule making body.<ref name="ACFeb2007"/> By late 2006, the ] was ready to expand its reach even further, by facilitating the creation of the International All-Star Federation (IASF), the first international governing body for the sport of cheerleading. <ref name="USASFDec06Newsletter">{{cite web | title = USASF Insider | url = https://secure.usasf.net/Documents/Newsletters/December%202006.pdf | format = pdf | accessdate = 2007-09-15}}</ref> | |||
| ] | |||
| Currently all-star cheerleading as sanctioned by the USASF involves a squad of 6-36 females and/or males. The squad prepares year-round for many different competition appearances, but they only actually perform for up to 2½ minutes during their routines. The numbers of competitions a team participates in varies from team to team, but generally, most teams tend to participate in eight-ten competitions a year. During a competition routine, a squad performs carefully choreographed stunting, tumbling, jumping and dancing to their own custom music. Teams create their routines to an eight-count system and apply that to the music so the team members execute the elements with precise timing and synchronization. | |||
| Judges at the competition watch for illegal moves from the group or any individual member. Here, an illegal move is something that is not allowed in that division due to difficulty and safety restrictions. More generally, judges look at the difficulty and execution of jumps, stunts and tumbling, synchronization, creativity, the sharpness of the motions, showmanship, and overall routine execution. | |||
| All-star cheerleaders are placed into divisions, which are grouped based upon age, size of the team, gender of participants, and ability level. The age levels vary from under 4 year of age to 18 years and over. The divisions used by the ] are currently Tiny, Mini, Youth, Junior, Junior International, Junior Coed,Senior, Senior coed, Open International and Open.<ref name="USASF_Ages_07-08">{{cite web | title = USASF All-Star Cheer Divisions for 2007-2008 | url = https://secure.usasf.net/Documents/Rules/07-08/Age%20Grid%2007-08%20--%20Rev%203-23-07.pdf | format = pdf | accessdate = 2007-06-29}}</ref> | |||
| If a team places high enough at selected ] sanctioned national competitions, they could be included in the ] and compete against teams from all over the world. Also they could get money for placing.<ref name="nw20007"/> | |||
| ==Cheerleaders== | |||
| {{See also|list of cheerleaders}} | |||
| ===Famous Ex-Cheerleaders=== | |||
| Many prominent people have been cheerleaders, including: ], ], ], ], ], ]<ref></ref>, ], ], ], ],], ], ], ] etc.<ref name="famous">{{cite web | title=Famous Cheerleaders | url=http://cheerleading.about.com/od/famouscheerleaders/Famous_Cheerleaders.htm | accessdate=2007-06-11}}</ref> <ref></ref> | |||
| ==Cheerleading in Popular Culture== | |||
| {{Refimprovesect|date=September 2007}} | |||
| Cheerleading has increasingly become a larger influence in the media today. The individual cheerleader is an instantly recognized figure representing youthful attractiveness, leadership, and popularity. Yet, as the argument brought up by the Wisconsin Press, the cheerleader is seen as epitomizing mindless enthusiasm, shallow boosterism, and objectified sexuality.{{Fact|date=September 2007}} | |||
| Cheerleading is a staple in American culture. Cheerleading coincides with many other issues related to mass media: constantly changing style, and meanings, values, and symbolism associated within American culture. Mary Ellen Hanson in her book ''Go! Fight! Win!: Cheerleading in American Culture'', said that cheerleader images are abounding in editorial, advertising, promotional, didactic, and entertainment media. Judging by the variety of contexts and frequency with which it is used, the cheerleader is an effective, multipurpose symbol. This icon reveals both conflict and consensus in cultural values concerning status, youth, competition, success, celebrity, gender, and sexuality. Some cheerleading issues shown include: the changing patterns of social class, age, race, gender, and ability of participants.{{Fact|date=September 2007}} | |||
| Cheerleading’s recent popularity in the media is in part due to its transition from an informal demonstration of spectator enthusiasm to a well-rehearsed, physically demanding performance done by specialists. There are two important trends that brought about this change: the specialization of spirit groups to maximize entertainment, and the emphasis on athleticism and formal competition to establish cheerleading as a sport. Content and style have changed over time as cheerleading diversified to serve spirit, entertainment, and competitive functions at the collegiate and scholastic level. {{Fact|date=September 2007}} | |||
| ===Movies & TV=== | |||
| ''Also see ]'' | |||
| Cheerleading's increasing popularity in recent decades has made it a prominent feature in high-school themed movies and television shows. The 2000 film '']'', about a ] high school cheerleading squad called "The Toros", starring real-life former cheerleader ]. ''Bring It On'' was a surprise hit and earned nearly $70 million domestically. It spawned two direct-to-video ] ('']'' in 2003 and '']'' in 2006). The fourth film in the franchise, '']'', was released on December 18, 2007. ''Bring It On'' was followed in 2001 by another teen cheerleading comedy, '']''. In 1993, '']'' was an acclaimed ] which told the true story of ], the Texas mother whose obsession with her daughter's cheerleading career made headline news. | |||
| In 2006, ], star of ''Bring It On: All or Nothing'', took another cheerleading role as ], the cheerleader with an accelarated ] on ] hit ] ] ], launching cheerleading back into the limelight of pop culture. Claire was the main focus of the show's first story arc, featuring the popular catchphrase, "Save the cheerleader, save the world." Claire demonstrates a sensitive and caring persona atypical of the archetypal cheerleader. Her prominent, protagonist role in ''Heroes'' was supported by a strong fan-base and provided a positive image for high school cheerleading. | |||
| ===Videogames=== | |||
| Nintendo has released a pair of video games in Japan for the ], '']'' and its sequel '']'' that star teams of male cheer squads, or ] that practice a form of cheerleading unique to Japanese culture. Each of the games' most difficult modes replaces the male characters with female cheer squads that dress in western cheerleading uniforms. The games task the cheer squads with assisting people in desperate need of help by cheering them on and giving them the motivation to succeed. | |||
| ==Sport Debate== | |||
| Cheerleading among others has had debate on whether or not it truly is a ''sport''. Some consider Cheerleading as a whole as a sport citing the heavy use of athletic talents{{Fact|date=December 2007}} while others do not see it as deserving of that status since ''sport'' implies a competition among squads and not all squads compete along with subjectivity of competitions.<ref name="stanford">{{cite journal|title=Sport, not a sport: consider Dan the expert |journal=]|date=]|url=http://daily.stanford.edu/article/2004/9/29/sportNotASportConsiderDanTheExpert |accessdate=2007-12-15}}</ref><ref name="SFU">{{cite journal|title= No, Cheerleading is not a Sport |journal=]|date=]|url=http://www.sfucheerleading.ca/index.php?page=10&sub=9&method=view&id=10 |accessdate=2007-12-15}}</ref> There are also some that believe that only certain aspects, namely ''Competitive Cheerleading'', can be considered a sport.{{Fact|date=December 2007}} While individuals and organizations have their own beliefs, no one answer has emerged.{{Fact|date=December 2007}} | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ], a style of Japanese cheerleading | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| *] | |||
| ==References== | |||
| {{reflist|2}} | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| {{Commons2|Cheerleaders}} | |||
| {{Wiktionary}} | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
Revision as of 01:01, 29 January 2008
Hooray for Lemon Bay! Go Manta Rays!!
Categories: