Hey, Sports Fans!
Especially those of the home team—Give me an ‘E’! Give me an ‘S’! Give me a ‘C’! What does that stand for? EVERYTHING SUMMER CAMP!!! Cheering for the home team has been a time-honored tradition for more than a hundred years. Chanting mottos and catchy slogans to show loyalty and encouragement from the sidelines is an essential part of spectating sporting events.
This activity offered at many camps can be anything from a chant or rhyme to incredibly skilled and choreographed physical activities or even stunts. Cheer performances are there not just to motivate the team but to entertain the audience as well or for discouragement to the competition.
That’s how it all got started. British students started cheering and chanting in unison for their favorite athletes and team—an activity that only males engaged in. This support from the sidelines slowly made its way overseas and landed in America. And by the 1920s, women started participating in cheers.
It took a little time, but popularity steadily grew among women interested in cheerleading until women in Cheerleading exploded in the 1940s when plenty of the university student men were drafted for the second World War. This gave way for women to begin their takeover of sideline cheers and start developing the idea of cheering into a sport of its own including elements of dance, tumbling, jumping, and stunts.
A 1955 overview for cheerleading explained that in a bigger school, "occasionally boys as well as girls are included". However, by the 1960’s women had completely taken over the activity. Of course, guys are still allowed to join a squad, but nowadays Cheerleading remains a predominantly female activity.
There are currently 116 nations that take membership in the International Cheer Union and more than 7 million individuals the world over who cheer. Cheerleading has really grown in popularity in places like Australia, Canada, Mexico, China, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and plenty more.
If you have an interest in embodying team spirit and positive attitude, be sure to look for Cheerleading on the activity lists of the summer camps you check out. Get into the spirit with our Color War Spirit Pack including pom-poms, bandana, whistle, and more. And, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans!
- John