Attending a sport event, even a minor event, has become synonymous with cheerleaders. One almost feel a little bit cheated if their are no cheerleaders at a sports match. Many people think that this is an American phenomenon, but cheerleaders can be found at events all over the world. They provide lustre to events and they work very hard at their art. In fact, cheerleading is popular everywhere, from Morganville NJ in the United States to Oslo in Norway.
Cheerleaders are mostly associated with sporting event but the tradition of cheering is ancient. The Old Testament describes battles where special groups of soldiers were tasked to bang their cymbals, blow their trumpets and display their flags, all in aid of cheering on their armies and to motivate them to try even harder. This tradition of using cheerleaders during battle persisted for hundreds of years.
In modern times, the first occasion of organised cheer leading was recorded at Princeton University in 1877. A small squad of male students taught the spectators of football matches a cheer and directed them towards chanting the cheer over and over again in support of their team. To this day Princeton use that original cheer. In America, the practice took hold at the University of Minnesota in 1884, when an old Princeton student introduced it there.
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.
Over time, the purpose of cheer leading has not changed much. The task of the cheerleaders were, and is, to get the spectators worked up, to motivate them to cheer for their teams and to motivate the sports teams to perform at their very best. In time, cheerleaders started to play a more prominent role in providing entertainment for spectators before and during 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.
Regardless of the risks involved, most girls still dream of being a cheer leader. A place in the squad is considered prestigious. Supporters of cheer leading point out that it is a healthy and wholesome activity that requires strict discipline and a high level of dedication.
Cheerleaders are mostly associated with sporting event but the tradition of cheering is ancient. The Old Testament describes battles where special groups of soldiers were tasked to bang their cymbals, blow their trumpets and display their flags, all in aid of cheering on their armies and to motivate them to try even harder. This tradition of using cheerleaders during battle persisted for hundreds of years.
In modern times, the first occasion of organised cheer leading was recorded at Princeton University in 1877. A small squad of male students taught the spectators of football matches a cheer and directed them towards chanting the cheer over and over again in support of their team. To this day Princeton use that original cheer. In America, the practice took hold at the University of Minnesota in 1884, when an old Princeton student introduced it there.
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.
Over time, the purpose of cheer leading has not changed much. The task of the cheerleaders were, and is, to get the spectators worked up, to motivate them to cheer for their teams and to motivate the sports teams to perform at their very best. In time, cheerleaders started to play a more prominent role in providing entertainment for spectators before and during 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.
Regardless of the risks involved, most girls still dream of being a cheer leader. A place in the squad is considered prestigious. Supporters of cheer leading point out that it is a healthy and wholesome activity that requires strict discipline and a high level of dedication.
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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