Cheerleading History : How it All Started

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History of Cheerleading How it All Started

• Cheerleading is a popular activity among today's
  youth.

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• 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.

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• 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.

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• 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.

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• 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.

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• 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.

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• 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.

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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