Been Around Almost As Long As Football.

 I was watching a rerun of Hell's Kitchen the other night.  If you've never seen it, a bunch of cooks compete to get a head position in one of Chef Gordon Ramsey's restaurants and someone is eliminated each week.  In this episode, one of the challenges took place at a high school complete with marching band and cheerleaders.

I realized cheerleaders are a part of high school and college life for most people.  Most of the schools I went to did not have cheerleaders but there are cheerleaders from wee little ones, to the professionals.

The whole idea of cheerleaders peaked my curiosity because I wasn't sure when they made an appearance on societal landscape. They've been around a lot longer than I expected.  A bit of background before discussing cheerleading.  The first college game was played 1869 between Princeton and Rutgers University in New Jersey.  Sometime by the 1880's Princeton created an all male pep club to support the football team. 

One of the Princeton graduates took all of Princeton University's cheers with him to the University of Minnesota.  In 1898, a medical student at the University of Minnesota grabbed a megaphone and lead the first real organized cheer breaking the college's loosing streak. Soon after, a squad, known as a yell squad, formed with six young men.  They usually wore slacks, sweaters with a letter on it, shirts and bow ties with standard shoes.

It would't be until 1923 women were allowed to join the University of Minnesota.  The 20's was also the decade that tumbling and acrobatics were added to routines. Around the 1930's cheerleaders began using Pom Poms but it wasn't until the 1960's crepe paper was replaced with vinyl.  In addition, other universities allowed women to join their cheerleading  squads but they didn't join in large numbers until the 40's during World War II when men were off fighting.

Just after World War II ended, in the summer of 1948, one of the male cheerleaders at Southern Methodist University, held the very first cheerleading clinic in Huntsville, TX attended by 52 females and one male.  This same gentleman created certain moves which are still around today and he is also the one who founded the National Cheerleading Association which he incorporated in 1961.

In the late 50's cheerleaders began cheering at basketball games, in addition to football. By the 1960's most colleges and high schools had cheerleading squads.  Furthermore, over the years two to three other cheerleading associations were formed including one in 1987 devoted to teaching safety coaches and advisors.  In addition, competitions started so cheerleading squads competed against each other for various titles.  Since those early male only squads, women have gradually taken over so they constitute over 90 percent of cheerleaders currently.

At one point in my teaching career, I ended up as the cheerleading coach when the regular two both had to give it up due to health problems due to having a dance background.  I managed to help choreograph a routine or two and they did well for a first attempt.  The thing that made me feel better is I wasn't the only second choice coach, nor was I the only one who hadn't been a cheerleading in high school.

Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.