vendredi 3 juin 2016

Cheerleading Has Long And Interesting History

By Richard Graham


Attending a sport event, even a minor event, has become synonymous with cheerleaders. One almost feel a little bit cheated if their are no cheerleaders at a sports match. Many people think that this is an American phenomenon, but cheerleaders can be found at events all over the world. They provide lustre to events and they work very hard at their art. In fact, cheerleading is popular everywhere, from Morganville NJ in the United States to Oslo in Norway.

Cheerleaders are mostly associated with sporting event but the tradition of cheering is ancient. The Old Testament describes battles where special groups of soldiers were tasked to bang their cymbals, blow their trumpets and display their flags, all in aid of cheering on their armies and to motivate them to try even harder. This tradition of using cheerleaders during battle persisted for hundreds of years.

In modern times, the first occasion of organised cheer leading was recorded at Princeton University in 1877. A small squad of male students taught the spectators of football matches a cheer and directed them towards chanting the cheer over and over again in support of their team. To this day Princeton use that original cheer. In America, the practice took hold at the University of Minnesota in 1884, when an old Princeton student introduced it there.

It was only in 1923, also at the University of Minnesota, that females entered the picture of cheerleaders. However, the idea of using females did not become popular until the nineteen forties. Being a cheerleader quickly became a popular ambition for girls of all ages and by the early nineteen sixties cheerleaders were almost exclusively a female activity. By the mid seventies there were more than half a million active cheerleaders in the USA.

The main purpose of organized cheering has not changed over the ages. The task of the cheerleader is to direct the spectators to cheer in unison, to chant special cheers and to motivate the team to perform better. In latter years, cheerleaders also started to fulfil an entertainment need. They would perform special cheers and movements prior to, during and after matches.

Cheer leading has become immensely popular. Being part of the squad is an automatic ticket to social acceptance and popularity. Competition is fierce and there are now even tournaments for cheerleader squads. In fact, cheer leading is no longer just a supporting act to sports events. It has become a sport in itself. To succeed in this sport requires a very high level of dedication.

Cheerleaders have many critics. They say its modern form is exploitative and sexist. They also point out that cheer leading has proved to produce the highest rate of serious injuries in any sport. Participants need to be extremely fit and fierce competition lead to the development of ever increasing dangerous stunts. Critics are calling for a review of the rules governing this activity in order to increase safety.

Regardless of the risks involved, most girls still dream of being a cheer leader. A place in the squad is considered prestigious. Supporters of cheer leading point out that it is a healthy and wholesome activity that requires strict discipline and a high level of dedication.




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