The History of High School Cheerleading

High school cheerleading has evolved over the years from leading chants by sports fans to a competitive sport. The sport of high school cheerleading involves dance routines, airborne jumps, tumbling routines, stunts, pyramids, and leading cheers. The modern cheerleader has had years of gymnastics and athletic training in order to be qualified for high school cheerleading.

  1. Organized School Spirit

    • Cheerleading originated at the collegiate level. In the late 1800s students at school sporting events in Great Britain began to cheer for their classmates. Students would cheer for their friends and top athletes in order to give them the support they needed to bring the school a winning score. Princeton was the first school in the United States to start cheering for school athletes in an organized manner. In 1884 a student by the name of Thomas Peebles organized a cheer chanting "Sis Boom Rah!" The first official person to be named a cheerleader was Johnny Campbell at the University of Minnesota in 1889. Campbell had a megaphone and used it to lead the spectators in a cheer of "Rah, Rah, Rah! Ski-U-Mah! Hoo-Rah! Varsity! Minn-E-So-Tah!"

    Cheerleading Enters High Schools

    • American high schools began having organized cheerleading in the 1920s. High school cheerleaders imitated many of the cheers and yell-leading styles from the collegiate level. Cheerleaders were typically male students who led fellow students in cheers that supported their school team.

    Female Cheerleaders

    • In 1923 the University of Minnesota allowed the first female student to be a member of a cheerleading squad. This move prompted high schools in the late 1920s to allow female students on their cheerleading squads. Female cheerleaders began using motions while they cheered, which was the advent of cheer routines. Male cheerleaders continued to lead yells while female cheerleaders preformed routines to the cheers.

    Cheerleading Props

    • The megaphone was a widely used prop in high school cheerleading. It gave cheerleaders the ability to easily project their voices. Megaphones had already been in use by college cheerleaders since the late 1800s and entered into high school cheerleading in the 1920s. Oregon State University began using signs in the 1920s to lead their fans in cheers. High school cheerleading squads caught on fast by making signs of their own. The signs would typically have one or two words that the cheerleading squad wanted the crowd to chant in unison, such as "Go Team." Paper Pom Pons became popular props in the 1930s to attract attention from the crowd. Pom Pons were made out of shredded paper attached at one end to a cardboard handle. They were used by female students in the 1930s and 1940s.

    Cheerleading Becomes Athletic

    • In the 1940s school spirit was at a low point because of World War II. Male cheerleaders began jumping and tumbling in order to gain the attention of fans and get them to cheer. Female cheerleaders began to choreograph more complicated cheerleading routines with motions and dance steps. This was the turning point for high school cheerleading. Cheerleading was no longer a group of students making noise. It was now a group of athletic cheerleaders leading a crowd. In the 1980s high school cheerleading coaches needed to obtain a certification by completing an ICF Training Course, which ensured safety standards were being observed during jumps, stunts, and tumbling routines.

    Cheerleading Camp

    • Lawrence R. Herkimer was a cheerleader at Southern Methodist University in the late 1940s. He organized the first cheerleading camp in 1949. The camp allowed college cheerleaders to teach the athletic form of cheerleading done by college cheerleaders to high school students. The camps taught high school cheerleaders how to jump, stunt, tumble, and create interesting dance routines. The first camp was held in Huntsville, Texas. Herkimer's camp was well received by high school students, which inspired him to form a company called the National Cheerleaders Association or NCA. NCA is still in operation and holds cheerleading camps for high school students throughout the United States. In 1957 Herkimer invented the "Spirit Stick." The Spirit Stick is a prize awarded to cheerleading squads at camp that display exemplary team spirit. It is one of the most prestigious awards a high school cheerleading squad can earn.

    High School Cheerleading Today

    • High school cheerleading is now recognized as a sport in several states, including Wisconsin. Competitions between cheerleading squads are held at the national level and shown on television networks such as ESPN. Colleges recruit high school cheerleaders for their squads and offer them scholarship money. High school cheerleading is recognized as a leadership activity and sport throughout high schools in the United States.