RP336 The Artful Imparting of Enthusiasm

 RP336 The Artful Imparting of Enthusiasm

When most of us think of cheerleading, we picture elaborate routines, extremely dangerous stunts, and short skirts. Did cheerleading always look as glamorous as it does in Hollywood movies like Bring it On? Where did this peculiar sport that is now practiced by over 1.6 million people around the world come from?
The story of cheerleading begins in late-nineteenth-century America. In 1898, a University of Minnesota student named Johnny Campbell was stumped over how he could help his school's football team win a critical game against a rival school. He decided that the best way he could help the team would be to get the crowd more involved. On the day of the big game, he stood in the stands and led cheers of “rah rahrah, Minn-e-so-tah!” His enthusiasm was infectious, and Minnesota won the game. The concept of cheerleading was born.
In the years following 1898, cheerleading squads started to pop up in schools across America, yet the sport continued to be completely dominated by men in its early years. This changed in 1923 after the University of Minnesota once again pioneered a new trend— this time, the concept of female cheerleading squads. When World War II broke out in the 1940s, women made further advances by filling the gap left by men going overseas to fight. This is how cheerleading became the primarily female sport that we know it as today.
Female cheerleaders meant different kinds of cheerleading routines. The stationary and monotonous cheers of old were quickly replaced with arm movements, kicks, and tumbles. The sport continued to evolve with every passing year.
Cheerleading took another step toward its modern form in 1975, when the Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) opened a training camp that included cheerleaders performing routines set to background music. This laid the foundation for competitive cheerleading.
In 1982, the sport stepped into the spotlight when ESPN broadcasted the 1st Cheerleading National Championship. Since then, competitive cheerleading has grown in popularity in America. It has also become more and more popular overseas. There are an estimated 100,000 cheerleaders competing in countries such as Australia, Canada, Japan, Finland, France, Germany, and China.