Cheerleading is a team sport that uses organized routines made from elements of tumbling, dance, and stunting to direct the event's spectators to cheer on sports teams at games and matches.

Cheerleading is the sport of energizing a crowd during a sporting event. This is done by co-ed squads calling out cheers and performing acrobatic stunts. Organized cheerleading squads are active at many different levels and are present in most cities and towns across the country. An element of danger exists, as certain tricks can lead to serious injury. As such, cheerleaders should use caution when performing

Entertain and rally a crowd with cheers and acrobatic routines.

Cheerleading has few rules that exist outside of competitions. Most cheerleading squads won't cheer during various parts of games, and will self-impose restrictions on certain tricks that can be performed.

Cheerleading began in 1884, when a male student directed the crowd to cheer during a University of Minnesota football game. Soon after, the school formed a "yell leader" squad comprised of six male students. In 1923, due to a lack of other athletic options, females began cheering. The National Cheerleading Association (NCA) was formed in 1948 to teach cheerleading and to be a much-needed source for uniforms and equipment. The 1960's saw cheerleading move into the mainstream, when NFL teams began organizing professional squads. The revealing outfits and sophisticated moves of the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders became a template of where professional cheerleading would go in the future. Today, cheerleading is an extremely popular recreational, collegiate and professional sport for young women across the country.

Megaphone
Pom-Poms
Signs

Cheerleading can be dangerous due to the amount of formations and acrobatics performed in a typical routine. Broken bones and torn ligaments are becoming more common, as are serious head and spinal injuries. This being the case, cheerleaders should practice for many hours and approach every stunt and trick with extreme caution.

Experience in dance and gymnastics is extremely beneficial to modern cheerleaders. Weight training that focuses on the upper body is also helpful.

Pom-Poms - clusters of brightly colored strands of plastic, waved in pairs by cheerleaders

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheerleading