Cheer may not be considered a “sport” but it takes more than just blood, sweat, and tears to do this!
On November 2nd, 1898. A student named Jonny Campbell from the University of Minnesota led a group of men to the university’s football stadium, which was holding a game between the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Northwestern University Wildcats. It was end of the 1st half of the game and the score was 0-6 and the gophers were ready to add another defeat to their 2-3 season. As the fans were clearing the bleachers and only 5 minutes to kick off. A squad of men stood as everyone left and began to yell “RAW-RAW-RAW” “GO-GOPHERS”. The fans clearing-out laughed but Jonny and his squad didn’t care and they continued cheering on the Golden’ Gophers’. The Football players heard these enthusiastic yells and had gotten them stirred up to play like they had never played before. Little did they know that it was going to change the momentum of the game and lead them to their first victory in three strait losses? Much of the credit went to Campbell and his "yell leaders." At that late-season game, the tradition of cheerleading was born!
(Randy Neil, Elaine Hart: Summary of the history of Cheerleading. Reprinted with the permission of 'Official Cheerleaders Handbook' Pg.1)
As the years passed, “Cheerleading” had evolved from standing on the sideline yelling through “big” cones (Megaphone) to dancing, lifting people and throwing them 30 feet in the air, doings flips and tumbling, and having it being called a team and going to measure their skills against other teams. Women had become more involved in the activity, but to this day women and men still participate in the activity together as one team or even just the two. This is known as Partner-Stunting, in which there is only one base and one flyer which are typically done on more advanced levels of cheerleading. They require a great amount of strength and skill on both the part of the flyer and the part of the base. They even have separate competitions to measure male and female’s abilities to partner stunt along with other types of competitions. These gatherings have become “HUGE” over the years and have gotten really “intense”! So “intense” that the “Worldwide Leader in Sports” ESPN broadcast the “Super Bowl” of cheerleading, which is known as The National Cheerleading Championship held or “Nationals” every year for the 45 years in Orlando, FL.
To this very day, the controversy of “Cheerleading being a sport?” rages on about whether it's a sport or not. There are rarely any questions about the athleticism of cheerleaders. It takes years to perfect some of the jumps, stunts and gymnastics involved in cheerleading. Cheerleading isn't just yelling on the sidelines, it involves lots of physical activity, skill and tons of enthusiasm. Everyone can't be a football player, not everyone can sing in a choir or play an instrument in a band. The skills involved in Cheerleading leave no doubt that cheerleaders are exceptional athletes. To perform their activities, they must be as strong as any football player, as graceful as any dancer and as flexible as any gymnasts. The definition of the ‘Sport’ states:
Sport /spôrt/: An activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others.(Webster’s Dictionary)
They are athletes by every definition of the word “Sport” Some people possess abilities to do things that others may not and may never possess but you become a cheerleader by trying out and being selected because you are one of the best candidates for the team.
(-Jeff Webb: CEO of Varsity inc. ESPN commentator. and former University of Oklahoma Yell-Leader/ Live, Breathe, &“Cheer” Chpt.2 Pg.63)
