HOW CHEERLEADERS STARTED

Ray, Ray, Ray!
Tiger, Tiger, Tiger!
Sis, Sis, Sis!
Boom, Boom, Boom!
Aaaaah! Princeton, Princeton, Princeton!

In 1884, a Princeton graduate by the name of Thomas Peebles exported the yell ( as well as the sport of American Football to the University of Minnesota. It was in the cold Midwest that crowds first took a keen interest in hopping around and shouting - no doubt to survive the chill and in 1898, Johnny Campbell made cheerleading what it is today. As an undergrad at Minnesota, Campbell directed the crowd in the still-used cheer:

Rah, Rah, Rah!
Sku-u-mah, Hoo-rah, Hoo-rah!
Varsity, Varsity!
Minn-e-so-tah!

From there, cheerleading took off. Minnesota again pioneered innovations in the sport in the 1920s, when women first became active cheerleaders - prior to that time, boys had all the fun.
It was not until the middle of the Twentieth Century that pom-poms were developed as a vital prop. Cheerleaders incorporated tumbling and gymnastics into their routines around the same time. The sport reached the big time in 1978, when an american television network, CBS, first televised the National Collegiate Cheerleading Championships, and by that time, Universities began offering scholarships, college credit, and four-year letter programs in the sport. Today, cheerleading has become an important part to a wide range of team sports, all around the world.
A good cheerleader must have a wide range of skills, which should include precision movements, gymnastics and tumbling, lifting and pyramids, and dancing ability. These techniques all involve coordination and timing, but each has its own distinctive flavour too.

THE FOUR PARTS OF A GOOD CHEERLEADER
A good cheerleader must have a wide repertoire of skills, which should include precision movements, gymnastics and tumbling, lifting and pyramids, and dancing ability. These techniques all involve coordination and timing, but each has its own distinctive flavour too. Most competitive teams have cheerleaders who specialize in one or another of these skills, so if you have one that is your favourite, you may be able to become a specialist in it. First, though, you should be sure you know and try each of them, if only to get a sense of what your options are.

• Precision movements
  Most Cheerleaders are excellent dancers, but the classic cheerleader spends a good deal of time performing precision movements. These involve strict timing and sharp, defined motions. There are only a few basic arm movements: daggers, vertical-up, high v, horizontal, low v, vertical-down, hands on hips, punch, and diagonal. You'll want to practice these motions in a mirror to work on your precision. Also be aware of your presentation, which should always involve your smiling, keeping your head up, keeping the motions sharp and snappy, and refraining from staring at one point.
  
• Gymnastics
  Gymnastics and tumbling are skills that are sports in their own right, and we can't hope to tell you how to do them here. Because they add so much to any cheerleader's skills, though, we recommend that you pursue these skills with specialists. The most spectacular movements are often tumbling runs involving back-to-back handsprings, but you'll want to be sure to have a trained teacher educate you.
  
• Lifting
  Working with a partner can open up an even broader range of cheerleading movements, and many excellent squads rely on partner and double stunts as a mainstay of their routines. These are best practiced with the assistance of trained teachers and “spotters”, as the risks of injury are high for novices. Oh, and always smile, you want this to look easy.
  
• Dance
  Dance in many ways is the opposite of precision movement. Rather than punctuating each motion as a separate move, dance focuses on smooth and flowing routines. Many cheerleading squads combine dance with precision movements, by using dance moves for the legs, for instance, while using the arms for precision movements.
  If you have a background in gymnastics, you should have a friend teach you some dance moves. Similarly, if you've never participated in any strength moves, you may discover that you have a great skill with partner movements and building pyramids. So explore all your options, and become the best cheerleader you can be.

FOR MORE INFO ON HOW TO BE A CHEERLEADER, GET YOUR MUM TO CONTACT A DANCE STUDIO IN YOUR LOCAL AREA.

Pom Poms require a little bit of patience, but its quite satisfying when you finally get to cut them and produce your pom pom. You can make them whatever size you like, but I would suggest starting with a small pom pom so it doesn't take forever.
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You will need:

• Cardboard
• Compass, or two circular items you can trace around
• Wool
• Scissors

Method
Step one in making pom poms is to create two donut shaped pieces of cardboard. Using your compass or larger of your two circular items, trace out two circles on your cardboard. I would suggest about 5cm (2 inches) diameter. Next put a smaller circle, say 2cm (a little under 1 inche) in the middle of your larger circles. Now cut out the two larger circles, then cut out the inner circles. You will now have two donut shaped rings, 5cm outside diameter with a 2cm diameter hole.

Place the rings together. The idea now is to wind the wool around the rings. Cut the wool into manageable lengths, perhaps a couple of meters (about 6 feet) at a time. Hold one end on the outside of the ring and feed the other end through the hole, round the back and through the front again. Repeat this, working your way around the ring until all the cardboard is covered. As you use additional lengths, you don't need to tie them together, just make sure the ends are on the outside, not in the middle. If it makes it easier for you, try using a large darning needle to feed the wool through.

The next step is the trickiest in making pom poms. Once your rings are fairly full of wool, cut the wool around the edges (i.e. the scissor blade should eventually pass between the two pieces of cardboard as you are cutting.) You won't be able to cut it all in one go so just do a few layers at a time.

Pass a length of wool between the two pieces of cardboard, around all the strands of wool, and tie it firmly together. Now you can remove the cardboard rings (cut them if necessary). Trim any lengths of wool which are uneven to give your pom poms a tidy look.

Variations
To provide variety you could make pom poms in different colours, or use different coloured lengths of wool in the one pom pom. Look out for interesting types of yarn, string or fibre - sometimes you can get string with glittery streaks in it for instance.

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