Cheerdance.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION 3.
Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants
(called "cheerleaders") cheer for their team as a form of
encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to
intense physical activity. It can be performed to motivate
sports teams, to entertain the audience, or for competition.
Competitive routines typically range anywhere from one to
three minutes, and contain components
of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting.
Cheerleading originated in the United States, and remains
predominantly in America, with an estimated 1.5 million
participants in all-star cheerleading. The global
presentation of cheerleading was led by the 1997
broadcast of ESPN's International cheerleading
competition, and the worldwide release of the 2000
film Bring It On. Due in part to this recent exposure, there
are now an estimated 100,000 participants scattered
around the globe in Australia, Canada, China, Colombia,
Finland, France, Germany, Japan,[1] the Netherlands, New
Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
Before organized cheerleading
Cheerleading began during the late 18th century with the
rebellion of male students. After the American Revolutionary
War, students experienced harsh treatment from teachers. In
response to faculty's abuse, college students violently acted
out. The undergraduates began to riot, burn down buildings
located on their college campuses, and assault faculty
members. As a more subtle way to gain independence,
however, students invented and organized their own
extracurricular activities outside their professors' control. This
brought about American sports, beginning first with collegiate
teams.
In the 1860s, students from Great Britain began to cheer and
chant in unison for their favorite athletes at sporting events.
Soon, that gesture of support crossed overseas to America.
On November 6, 1869, the United States witnessed its
first intercollegiate football game. It took place between
Princeton and Rutgers University, and marked the day the
original "Sis Boom Rah!" cheer was shouted out by student
fans.
Beginning of organized cheer
Organized cheerleading started as an all-male activity. As
early as 1877, Princeton University had a "Princeton
Cheer", documented in the February 22, 1877, March 12,
1880, and November 4, 1881, issues of The Daily
Princetonian. This cheer was yelled from the stands by
students attending games, as well as by the athletes
themselves. The cheer, "Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah! Tiger! S-s-
s-t! Boom! A-h-h-h!" remains in use with slight modifications
today, where it is now referred to as the "Locomotive".
Princeton class of 1882 graduate Thomas Peebles moved
to Minnesota in 1884. He transplanted the idea of organized
crowds cheering at football games to the University of
Minnesota. The term "Cheer Leader" had been used as
early as 1897, with Princeton's football officials having
named three students as Cheer Leaders: Thomas, Easton,
and Guerin from Princeton's classes of 1897, 1898, and
1899, respectively, on October 26, 1897. These students
would cheer for the team also at football practices, and
special cheering sections were designated in the stands for
the games themselves for both the home and visiting
teams.
Female participation
In 1923, at the University of Minnesota, women were
permitted to participate in cheerleading. However, it took
time for other schools to follow. In the late 1920s, many
school manuals and newspapers that were published still
referred to cheerleaders as "chap," "fellow," and
"man". Women cheerleaders were overlooked until the
1940s. In the 1940s, collegiate men were drafted for World
War II, creating the opportunity for more women to make
their way onto sporting event sidelines. As noted by Kieran
Scott in Ultimate Cheerleading: "Girls really took over for the
first time." An overview written on behalf of cheerleading in
1955 explained that in larger schools, "occasionally boys as
well as girls are included,", and in smaller schools, "boys can
usually find their place in the athletic program, and
cheerleading is likely to remain solely a feminine
occupation." During the 1950s, cheerleading in America also
increased in popularity. By the 1960s, some began to
consider cheerleading a feminine extracurricular for boys,
and by the 1970s, girls primarily cheered at public school
games. However, this did not stop its growth. Cheerleading
could be found at almost every school level across the
country, even pee wee and youth leagues began to appear.
In 1975, it was estimated by a man named Randy Neil
that over 500,000 students actively participated in
American cheerleading from elementary school to the
collegiate level. He also approximated that ninety-five
percent of cheerleaders within America were
female. Since 1973, cheerleaders have started to attend
female basketball and other all-female sports as well.
As of 2005, overall statistics show around 97% of all
modern cheerleading participants are female, although at
the collegiate level, cheerleading is co-ed with about 50%
of participants being male.
Professional Cheerleading.
In the 1950s, the formation of professional cheerleading
started. The first recorded cheer squad in National Football
League (NFL) history was for the Baltimore Colts. Professional
cheerleaders put a new perspective on American cheerleading.
Women were selected for two reasons: visual sex appeal, and
the ability to dance. Women were exclusively chosen because
men were the targeted marketing group. The Dallas Cowboys
Cheerleaders soon gained the spotlight with their revealing
outfits and sophisticated dance moves, debuting in the 1972–
1973 season, but were first widely seen in Super Bowl X (1976).
These pro squads of the 1970s established cheerleaders as
"American icons of wholesome sex appeal." By 1981, a total of
seventeen Nation Football League teams had their own
cheerleaders. The only teams without NFL cheerleaders at this
time were New Orleans, New York, Detroit, Cleveland, Denver,
Minnesota, Pittsburg, San Francisco, and San Diego.
Professional cheerleading eventually spread to soccer and
basketball teams as well.
The Advances and Traditions of Cheerleading.
The 1980s saw the beginning of modern cheerleading,
adding difficult stunt sequences and gymnastics into
routines. All-star teams popped up, and with them, the
creation of the United States All-Star Federation
(USASF). ESPN first broadcast the National High
School Cheerleading Competition nationwide in 1983.
Cheerleading organizations such as the American
Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Advisors
(AACCA), founded in 1987, started applying universal
safety standards to decrease the number of injuries and
prevent dangerous stunts, pyramids, and tumbling
passes from being included in the cheerleading
routines.
Evolution
Competitive cheerleading is
scored subjectively based on
components including, but not
limited to, the cheer itself,
dance/choreography, pyramids,
stunting, and tumbling. In order to
prevent injuries, there are certain
rules that cheerleading teams
have to follow according to their
level (high school, all-star, or
college). According to the
Encyclopedia of Sports Medicine,
there are two purposes of
cheerleading - to cheer on the
sidelines for other athletes, and to
be a "highly skilled competing
athlete."
Along with this evolution to the sport's structure,
there have been significant advancements made to
the typical cheerleading uniform. What began as
the classic sweater and mid-calf pleated skirt
uniform has now come to incorporate materials
that allow for stretch and flexibility. Uniform
changes are a result of the changing culture since
the 1930s.
Cheerleading may seem like a light-hearted activity to
some, but injuries that can come from practice or a
competition can be severe if the athlete is not properly
trained. There have been many catastrophic injuries from
cheer, especially from tumbling and stunting. Because of
the lack of studies on injuries in competitive cheerleading,
many injuries that happen could be avoided. Most studies
in sports medicine pertaining to cheerleading are focused
on whether it is a sport or not.
Types of teams in the United States today

School-sponsored
Most American middle schools, high schools, and colleges
have organized cheerleading squads. Many colleges offer
cheerleading scholarships for students. A cheerleading
team may compete locally, regionally, or nationally, as well
as cheer for sporting events and encourage audience
participation. Cheerleading is quickly becoming a year-
round activity, starting with tryouts during the spring
semester of the preceding school year. Teams may attend
organized summer cheerleading camps and practices to
improve skills and create routines for competition.
Student cheerleaders compete with recreational-style
routine at competitions year-round. Teams practice
intensely for competition and perform a routine no longer
than 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Like other school-level
athletes, teams compete to win league titles, and move on
to bigger competitions with the hopes of reaching a
national competition. The advantages to a school squad
versus an all-star squad is cheering at various sporting
events.
The tryout process can sometimes take place
over a multiple day period. The cheerleading
coach will arrange for a cheerleading clinic,
during which basic materials are taught or
reviewed before the final day of tryouts. The
clinic gives returning cheerleaders and new
cheerleaders an equal chance of becoming
familiar with the material. Skills that are
necessary to be a cheerleader include jumps,
tumbling, motions, and dance ability. Tryouts
often take place during the spring, so that the
coach has the squad chosen in time to attend
summer camp as a team.
Middle school -cheerleading evolved shortly after high
school squads were created. In middle school,
cheerleading squads serve the same purpose, and follow
the same rules as high school squads. Squads cheer for
basketball teams, football teams, and other sports teams
in their school. Squads also perform at pep rallies and
compete against other local schools from the area.
Cheerleading in middle school sometimes can be a two- .
season activity: fall and winter. However, many middle
school cheer squads will go year-round like high school High school
squads. Middle school cheerleaders use the same
cheerleading movements as their older counterparts, yet In high school, there are usually two squads per
they perform less extreme stunts. These stunts range school: varsity and a junior varsity. High school
from preps, thigh stands, and extensions, to harder one- cheerleading contains aspects of school spirit as well
legged stunts. as competition. These squads have become part of a
year-round cycle. Starting with tryouts in the spring,
year-round practice, cheering on teams in
the fall and winter, and participating in cheerleading
competitions. Most squads practice at least three
days a week for about two hours each practice during
the summer. Many teams also attend separate
tumbling sessions outside of practice. During the
school year, cheerleading is usually practiced five- to
six-days-a-week.
College
Most American universities have a cheerleading squad
to cheer for football, basketball, volleyball, and soccer.
Most college squads tend to be large coed although in
recent years; all-girl and small coed college squads
have increased rapidly.
College squads perform more difficult stunts which
include pyramids, as well as flipping and twisting basket Youth league/athletic association
tosses.
Not only do college cheerleaders cheer on the other Organizations that sponsor youth cheer teams usually
sports at their university, many teams at universities sponsor either youth league football or basketball teams
compete with other schools at either UCA College as well. This allows for the two, under the same sponsor,
Nationals or NCA College Nationals. This requires the to be intermingled. Both teams have the same mascot
teams to make a 2 minute 30 seconds that is full of name and the cheerleaders will perform at their football
tumbling, stunting, basket tosses, and pyramids. or basketball games. Examples of such sponsors
Winning these competitions are very prestigious include Pop Warner and Pasco Police Athletic League
accomplishments and is seen as another national title (PPAL). The YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association) is
for most schools. also a well-known sponsor for youth cheerleading
leagues.
 Associations, federations, and organizations

Americheer - Americheer was founded in 1987 by Elizabeth Rossetti.

It is the parent company to Ameridance and Eastern
Cheer and Dance Association. In 2005, Americheer
) became one of the founding members of the NLCC.
International Federation of Cheerleading - Established on April 26, 2004, the ICU is recognized
(IFC) by the SportAccord as the world governing body of
cheerleading and the authority on all matters with
relation to it.
International Cheer Union (ICU)- Established on July 5, 1998, the International
Federation of Cheerleading (IFC) is a non-profit
federation based in Tokyo, Japan, and is the world
governing body of cheerleading.
National Cheerleaders Association - The NCA was
founded in 1948 by Lawrence Herkimer. Every year, the
NCA hosts the NCA High School Cheerleading Nationals
and the NCA All-Star Cheerleading Nationals in Dallas,
Texas. They also host the NCA/NDA Collegiate Cheer &
Dance Championship in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Competitions and companies
Asian Thailand Cheerleading Invitational (ATCI)-
Organised by the Cheerleading Association of Thailand
(CAT) in accordance with the rules and regulations of
the International Federation of Cheerleading (IFC). The ICU World Championships- The International
ATCI is held every year since 2009. At the ATCI, many Cheer Union currently encompasses 105
teams from all over Thailand compete, joining them are National Federations from countries across the
many invited neighbouring nations who also send cheer globe. Every year, the ICU host the World
squads. Cheerleading Championship. Unlike the USASF
Cheerleading Asia International Open Championships Worlds, this competition uses Level 6/
(CAIOC)- Hosted by the Foundation of Japan Collegiate style rules. Countries assemble and
Cheerleading Association (FJCA) in accordance with the send only one team to represent them.
rules and regulations of the IFC. The CAIOC has been a
yearly event since 2007. Every year, many teams from all
over Asia converge in Tokyo to compete.
Cheerleading World Championships (CWC)- Organised
by the IFC. The IFC is a non-profit organisation founded in
1998 and based in Tokyo, Japan. The CWC has been held
every two years since 2001, and to date, the competition
has been held in Japan, the United Kingdom, Finland,
Germany, and Hong Kong. The 6th CWC was held at
the Hong Kong Coliseum on November 26–27, 2011.
National Cheerleading Championships (NCC)- The
NCC is the annual IFC-sanctioned national cheerleading
competition in Indonesia organised by the Indonesian
Cheerleading Community (ICC). Since NCC 2010, the
event is now open to international competition,
representing a significant step forward for the ICC.
Teams from many countries such as Japan, Thailand, the
Philippines, and Singapore participated in the ground
breaking event.
NLCC Final Destination- Nation's Leading
Cheer Companies is a multi brand company,
partnered with other companies such as:
Americheer/Ameridance, American Cheer &
Dance Academy, Eastern Cheer & Dance
Association, and Spirit Unlimited. Every year,
starting in 2006, the NLCC hosts The US
Finals: The Final Destination of Cheerleading
and Dance. Every team that attends must
qualify and receive a bid at a partner company's
competition. In May 2008, the NLCC and The
JAM Brands announced a partnership to
produce The U.S. Finals.
Title IX sports status
There is a large debate on whether or not cheerleading
should be considered a sport for Title IX (a portion of the
United States Education Amendments of 1972 forbidding
discrimination under any education program on the basis of
sex) purposes. Supporters consider cheerleading, as a
whole, a sport, citing the heavy use of athletic
talents[66][67]while critics see it as a physical activity because
a "sport" implies a competition among all squads and not
all squads compete, along with subjectivity of competitions
where—as with gymnastics, diving, and figure skating—
scores are assessed based on human judgment and not an
objective goal or measurement of time.[68][69][70]
On January 27, 2009, in a lawsuit involving an accidental
injury sustained during a cheerleading practice,
the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that cheerleading is
a full-contact sport in that state, not allowing any
participants to be sued for accidental injury.[71][72] In
contrast, on July 21, 2010, in a lawsuit involving whether
college cheerleading qualified as a sport for purposes
of Title IX, a federal court, citing a current lack of program
development and organization, ruled that it is not a sport at
all.
Dangers of cheerleading
Cheerleading carries the highest rate of catastrophic
injuries to girl athletes in sports.The risks of cheerleading
were highlighted when Kristi Yamaoka, a cheerleader for
Southern Illinois University, suffered a fractured vertebra
when she hit her head after falling from a human
pyramid.She also suffered from a concussion, and a
bruised lung.The fall occurred when Yamaoka lost her
balance during a basketball game between Southern
Illinois University and Bradley University at the Savvis
Center in St. Louis on March 5, 2006.The fall gained
"national attention",because Yamaoka continued to
perform from a stretcher as she was moved away from the
game.Yamaoka has since made a full recovery.
The accident caused the Missouri Valley Conference to ban its
member schools from allowing cheerleaders to be "launched or
tossed and from taking part in formations higher than two levels"
for one week during a women's basketball conference
tournament, and also resulted in a recommendation by
the NCAA that conferences and tournaments do not allow
pyramids two and one half levels high or higher, and a stunt
known as basket tosses, during the rest of the men's and
women's basketball season. On July 11, 2006, the bans were
made permanent by the AACCA rules committee.
The committee unanimously voted for sweeping revisions
to cheerleading safety rules, the most major of which
restricts specific upper-level skills during basketball
games. Basket tosses, 2½ high pyramids, one-arm stunts,
stunts that involve twisting or flipping, and twisting
tumbling skills may be performed only during halftime and
post-game on a matted surface and are prohibited during
game play or time-outs.

Another major cheerleading accident was the death of

Lauren Chang. Chang died on April 14, 2008 after
competing in a competition where her teammate had kicked
her so hard in the chest that her lungs collapsed.
Of the United States' 2.9 million female high school athletes, only 3% are
cheerleaders, yet cheerleading accounts for nearly 65% of all catastrophic
injuries in girls' high school athletics.[80] The NCAA does not recognize
cheerleading as a collegiate sport; there are no solid numbers on college
cheerleading, yet when it comes to injuries, 67% of female athlete injuries at
the college level are due to cheerleading mishaps.[citation needed] Another study
found that between 1982 and 2007, there were 103 fatal, disabling, or
serious injuries recorded among female high school athletes, with the vast
majority (67) occurring in cheerleading.