History of Cheerleading: How it All Started

1. History of Cheerleading: How it All Started Cheerleadingis a popular activity among today's youth.

2. In almost all sports activities, you can see beautiful girls and a handful of guys who dress colorfully and do amazing routines to encourage the crowd to cheer for their favourite team. Today, this activity is even considered as a separate competitive sport and there are various organisations across the globe that regularly hold competitions and exhibitions for cheerleaders.

3. It is no secret that cheerleading originated in the United States, with an estimated 1.5 million Americans participating in high-profile competitions. Although the sport is mostly dominated by females, did you know that it started out as an all-male activity in the late 1800s? It is surprising, isn't it? With most teams featuring female members today, you cannot quite imagine that men during those times were interested in such an activity.

4. It all began in Princetown University. Records show that as early as 1877, there were organised crowds of students who yell from the stands using chants and cheers they created themselves to encourage players at football, rugby, and basketball games. Princeton alumnus Thomas Peebles moved to Minnesota in 1884 and brought the idea of organised crowd cheering to the University of Minnesota. However, it wasn't until the 1890s that the first of the world's cheerleaders was known.

5. Johnny Campbell was recognised as such on November 2, 1898 when he directed a crowd in cheering for the University of Minnesota's football squad. That day was also the official birth date of organised cheerleading. Then, the University of Minnesota decided to organise a "yell leader" squad that was composed of six male students who used Campbell's original cheer.

6. So how did the women get involved in this physical activity? How did they get into the picture? Perhaps due to the lack of collegiate sports for women during those times (since sporting events were limited to male athletes), many female students were encouraged to join cheering squads. But for the first 25 years of this sport, male students were the only ones who were allowed to join cheering teams and pep squads. Women began to dominate this popular activity during the 1920s up to World War II, when most men were sent to serve the army.

7. During this period, cheerleading became something more than chanting and cheering. Cheers became more elaborate and pep squad members introduced various athletic moves, acrobatics, and fight song team dances to further increase crowd participation during sporting events. Also, various training camps were also organised for those who want to improve their cheering and athletic skills. Today, this fun yet challenging activity is no longer limited to the US. In many parts of the world, including Australia, there are dozens of squads, teams, and dance clubs that regularly participate in various local and international events.

8. We regularly organise some of the best and the most exciting cheer and dance events and competitions in the country. We can provide the ideal events for your club, dance, or studio to shine!Visit our website http://worldcupcheer.com.auor Call us at 1300 739 511