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Cheerleading is a sport that uses organized
routines made from elements of tumbling, dance, and stunting
to direct the events spectators to cheer-on sports teams at
games and matches and/or compete at cheerleading competitions.
Cheerleading first appeared in the United States
in the late 1880s with the crowd chanting as a way to encourage
school spirit at athletic events.
In the early 1980s, cheerleading squads not
associated with a schools or sports leagues, whose main objective
was competition, began to emerge. The first organization to
call themselves All Stars and go to competitions were the
Q94 Rockers from Richmond, Virginia.
The squad prepares year-round for many different
competition appearances, but they only actually perform for
up to 2½ minutes during their routines. During a competition
routine, a squad performs carefully choreographed stunting,
tumbling, jumping and dancing to their own custom music. Teams
create their routines to an eight-count system and apply that
to the music so the team members execute the elements with
precise timing and synchronization.
Judges at the competition watch for moves that
are not allowed in that division due to difficulty and safety
restrictions. More generally, judges look at the difficulty
and execution of jumps, stunts and tumbling, synchronization,
creativity, the sharpness of the motions, showmanship, and
overall routine execution.
If a team places high enough at selected USASF/IASF
sanctioned national competitions, they could be included in
the Cheerleading Worlds and compete against teams from all
over the world.
Cheerleading has increasingly become a larger
influence in the media today. With the influence of Bring
It On, High School Musical and Bratz the movie to name a few.
British cheerleaders have performed at just about every major
venue in the nation, before crowds of up to 61,000. Twelve
clubs have won awards at United States championships over
the last three years, including three First Place wins. Media
attention has rocketed with numerous TV appearances, pop videos
and TV commercials. Cheerleading is growing as a world-wide
community, there are already at least 43 countries involved.
Having squads in schools will not only involve
students in a fun and exciting fitness activity, but helps
to generate spirit and pride in the school. So what is stopping
schools in Britain from creating cheerleading squads that
represent the same positive ideals as in the States? Surely
selecting a group of talented, well-behaved youngsters, providing
them with athletic goals and a reason to enjoy keeping fit
and presenting them to the school as the students to which
all can aspire cannot be a bad thing.
"In my role as the National
School Sport Champion I have been surprised but excited to
see pupils given the chance to have a go at cheerleading.
The surprise was not only that schools are giving such a wide
range of activities but also how physical it was. I have given
it a go and thoroughly enjoyed it. Good luck to everyone involved.
Best wishes"
Dame Kelly Holmes, Double
Olympic Champion
Cheerleading is an amazing activity because
it involves lifting like in weight lifting, dance, gymnastics,
strength and conditioning, teamwork and much more, what other
sport incorporates all of these things. It involves so many
positive attributes such as Making friends, increasing self
confidence, listening skills, developing trust, encouraging
healthy lifestyles, participation and planning, accepting
differences, taking responsibility, accessing training, keeping
commitments, speaking in a group, assertiveness training and
many more.
“Cheerleading
is such a positive and fun activity and it’s about to
explode throughout Britain, so get involved!”
British Cheerleading Association: The national governing
body for Cheerleading in Britain. The non-profitmaking voluntary
committee organises national and interntional events, hosts
camps clinics and competitions, plus provides a central
resource of cheerleading information and assistance. Future
Cheer: Welcome to the next level of International Cheer
and Dance. 
Scot Cheer: Dedicated to the growth and promotion of
cheer leading. Includes training, coaching, judging and
competition information.  First
Cheer: Leading supplier of cheerleading uniforms, dance
wear and accessories. 
U.S. All
Star Federation (USASF): Seeks to maximize the number
of participants benefiting from the positive life experiences
of all star cheerleading and dance by developing competition
rules and all star gym training guidelines consistent with
the latest best known safety, educational, and ethical practices. American
Cheerleader Magazine: Recommended reading by BCA. Bi-monthly.
78 page colour glossy - loads of good stuff. Yes, They do
mail to Europe!. Overseas subscriptions are $28. Suggest
you use VISA as this cuts out foreign currency complications.
Cheer Leader Magazine: The official Journal of the British
Cheerleading Association - established 1991. Distributed
to cheerleaders & sports organisations in 12 countries,
now available on internet. 
North
London Wild Cats: North London cheerleading squad founded
in 2004.
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