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The History Of Cheerleading

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A cheerleader is a person who is a member of a group who shout out special songs or chants to encourage sports teams. (“Cheerleading”. World of SportsScience. Ed.K Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner. Vol 1. Detroit: Gale,2007.139-141 Gale Virtual Reference Library. 9 Nov. 2016). Cheerleading began in the late 1800s at the University of Princeton, in New Jersey. (“History of Cheerleading.” iSport Online.Cheerleading.iSport 9 Nov. 2016 cheerleading.isport.com/cheerleading-guides/history-of-cheerleading). Cheerleading was in fact created by men at this time. The men who started cheering were called “yell leaders.” Women did not start cheering until 1923, and since then women have dominated cheerleading. Cheerleading started to evolve …show more content…

Stunts play an important role in every cheerleading routine. In a basic stunt group there are four people which are known to be the top girl, main base, secondary base, and a back spot. The top girl is the one in the air executing everything and making sure that she is performing in the air. The main base is the base on the right of the top girl, and the main base’s job is to initiate everything. While doing a stunt Known as a “full-up,” it is the main base’s job to turn the foot and make sure that the top girl does a 360 degree spin in the stunt. The secondary base is the base to the left of the top girl, and secondary is support for the main base. The secondary base’s main job is to catch the foot on all of the stunts. The back spot is behind the top girl. The back spot’s main objective is to make sure the stunt does not fall. If the flyer falls in a stunt it is the back spot’s job to catch the top girl and make sure she does not hit the ground. The basic stunts that are used in a routine are “prep” or an “extension.” Flexibility is very important for the top girls when they are expected to execute body positions. Body positions are when the top girl puts their leg in a certain position to show off their flexibility. A liberty is a stunt which everyone is familiar with and it is called a liberty. A liberty is …show more content…

In order to be successful in cheerleading you have to have a strong body and mindset, because cheerleading takes physical and mental strength. Cheerleading is a yearlong sport so if an athlete survives for that long then that means the athlete is dedicated to his/her team. When the athletes finish the entire season they are acknowledged at a banquet. At the banquet the team talks about things in the past and they look back at everything that happened earlier in the season. The seniors of the team and everyone who is on that team for the last year get really emotional. Cheerleading is a tough sport to do but the experiences that they gain with their teammates make the it not so

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