Cheerleading is an athletic activity combining cheering, dance, stunts, and tumbling. It began with cheerleaders leading spectators in organized cheers during sporting events. But cheerleading has also developed into a competitive sport all its own. Schools, cheerleading gyms, and professional sports teams field cheerleading squads. Physically, cheerleading requires a combination of endurance, flexibility, speed, and strength. 
Some cheerleading stunts present a risk of serious injury, and some institutions have campaigned to impose or improve safety standards. Many universities have banned dangerous aerial stunts, for example. Cheerleading associations have worked to develop safety standards for cheerleading equipment and stunts.
Competitive cheerleading.
High school and collegiate cheerleading teams compete at the regional, state, and national levels. Competitions may divide squads by women’s or coed (men and women) teams and by small or large squads, from about 5 to 30 members. Routines generally last around 2 1/2 minutes. They are choreographed to music. Routines include cheers, dance, pyramids (stacked formations), stunts, throws, and tumbling. Judges score the teams based on many of these factors.
Private cheerleading gyms offer training for middle school and high school cheerleaders. Some gyms field competition-only teams that do not represent a specific school or cheer for a specific sports team. These teams, sometimes called “all-star” teams, are for girls aged 5 to 18. Other opportunities outside school include club teams run by federations such as USA Cheer. The World Cheerleading Association holds training camps and conducts a worldwide competition for high school cheerleaders.
School cheerleading
generally takes place at sporting events, often football and basketball games. The cheerleaders lead yells and chants with rhythmic body motions to generate enthusiasm and entertain spectators. They also may dance in coordinated movements and perform acrobatic stunts. School cheerleading programs generally begin about sixth grade and continue through college. Some college cheerleaders are paid for their work.
Tumbling moves such as back handsprings, roundoffs, and toe touches are often tryout requirements for high school and collegiate teams. Some squads have distinct cheer and dance teams, separating the main elements.
Professional cheerleading.
Some professional sports teams employ cheerleaders. Such cheerleading teams are usually made up of women only. Their routines tend to incorporate many dance elements and few or no high-strength stunts, such as throws or pyramids.
Professional cheerleaders cheer at games, entertain crowds, and promote their team at public appearances and charity events. They may be paid little for their work, and most professional cheerleaders have another job.
History.
Cheerleading has its roots in organized cheering that was a part of the U.S. military in the mid-1800’s. The Army and Navy designated a “yell leader” to encourage crowds to motivate their football teams. The first sporting event with documented cheering was a collegiate football game between Rutgers and Princeton in 1869. Players on the bench would encourage the spectators to show support. Yell leaders eventually became known as cheerleaders. Johnny Campbell became the first regular college cheerleader at the University of Minnesota in 1898. In the following decades, yell leaders served as captains of small cheerleading squads of four or more.
Cheerleading became popular throughout the United States by 1920. In the 1920’s, women began joining collegiate squads, but few high schools allowed girls to join cheerleading. Women cheerleaders grew in importance during World War II (1939-1945), as many college-age men were off fighting in the war. By the 1950’s, many high-school teams were comprised mostly of girls, while college teams remained coed. Tumbling became part of cheerleading routines around the same time.
In 1946, the first cheerleading clinic (camp) was held. In 1948, Larry Herkimer of Dallas, Texas, started the National Cheerleading Association (NCA). The NCA ran several cheerleading camps every year, starting in 1949 at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. Herkimer—later known as the father of cheerleading or Mr. Cheerleader—became a major figure in the development of cheerleading. Herkimer patented and sold pom-poms, pairs of colored crepe-paper balls with handles held and waved by cheerleaders. They were created to add color for televised cheerleading and to replace chrome sticks that cheerleaders used to twirl. Herkimer also invented a popular cheer move called the “Herkie jump.” His wife, Dorothy Brown, designed the pleated skirt many cheerleading teams wore. After establishing the NCA, Herkimer founded Megaphone, the first cheerleading magazine. Herkimer and Phyllis Hollander wrote The Complete Book of Cheerleading (1975). 
In 1950, universities began hosting large-scale cheerleading clinics for hundreds of athletes. In the 1960’s some of the first Black cheerleaders introduced the classic stomping and clapping still prevalent in cheers today.
Also in the 1960’s, professional football and baseball teams began employing professional cheerleading squads. The first team to have professional cheerleaders was the Baltimore Colts. The first professional squad to perform a dance routine with pom-poms was the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. They gained attention when they performed at Super Bowl X in 1976. The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders popularized dance-focused cheer routines.
Many people began to see cheerleaders as competitive athletes, beyond their role in cheering for teams on the sidelines. A growing athleticism was shown in the increased use of gymnastics and stunts in cheerleading performances. In 1974, the American businessman Jeff Webb started the Universal Cheerleading Association (UCA). Webb intended to emphasize the athletic elements of the sport. In 1979, he started Varsity Spirit Fashion and Supplies to sell cheerleading equipment and uniforms. The company remained popular for decades.
The first televised cheer competition was the National Collegiate Cheerleading Championships, broadcast in 1978 by CBS Sports. The first national high school competition was held in the early 1980’s. The national competition was televised by the network ESPN beginning in 1983. All-star squads started in the late 1980’s and grew in popularity.
By the 1980’s, competitive cheerleading had spread beyond the United States. Several countries created national cheerleading organizations. The creation of the World Football League in 1991 expanded cheerleading across the world. The European Cheerleading Association (ECA) was established in 1994 and held its first championship the following year. The first Cheerleading Worlds competition was held by the U.S. All Star Federation in 2004. In 2006 it became international, eventually with hundreds of teams competing.
