Cheer has a long history, dating back to 1860, when the first known cheer was shouted at an Ivy League college sporting event. In 1884, Princeton University cheered out, “Ray, Ray, Ray! Tiger, Tiger, Tiger! Sis, Sis, Sis! Boom, Boom, Boom! Aaaaah! Princeton, Princeton, Princeton!” Even though the first cheers were in the 1860s, cheer didn’t really start until November 2nd, 1898, the day cheer is now celebrated. Cheers used to be started spontaneously, instead of in unison as a whole, until Johnny Campbell, a fellow student at the University of Minnesota, stood from his seat and walked onto the football field. While on the field, he led the student body in a cheer.
From that day on, November 2nd, 1898, we have what nowadays we call cheerleading. Years later, as cheer got more popular, they added cheer competitions that were televised, which allowed cheer to be expanded outside of school events, creating all-stars. Cheer is a more female-dominated sport, with 85% of participants being women, even though it started as a male-dominated sport. In 1939, going into World War 2, when the men got drafted into the war, women had to take their role as cheerleaders. Since then, men haven’t really participated in the sport like they used to. We don’t really know why that is, but it could be all the new female athletes who joined the sport.
Over the years, cheer has changed and grown, but one thing has stayed the same: the people who take part in this sport work so hard to cheer everyone up at games, make sure they’re having fun, and make their very hard tricks and cheers look easy. Our school’s team, the Forest Grove High School cheer team, does a great job at doing all these things during their long and tiring practices.
A normal week of practice isn’t easy for the Forest Grove High School cheer team. They have a whole week of practice ahead of them, starting on Monday with tumbling (Tumbling is where people flip around, by themselves or with others). Followed by a normal practice on Tuesdays and Wednesdays (normal practice is working on stunting, conditioning, comp, and other routines). On Thursdays, they end with game day prep, followed by the game on Fridays. “Average practice is long and tiring, but fun, and to prepare for the Friday game, we have ‘ame day prep’practices on Thursday to help everyone know their positions and material,” Hailey said as a junior on the varsity cheer team. At the end of the week, they get to show off what they have been working so hard on during practice.
Performing plus cheering is a huge part of cheer; furthermore, competition and games are a way to show that, as they can thrive in their element. When asked what it feels like to perform, Lauren, a freshman on the junior varsity team, said, “It’s an amazing feeling that all the hard work is worth it, the feeling is equivalent to a football player walking onto the field for the homecoming game times ten. You know that when the spotlight hits you, all those people are here for you. Even when you’re nervous, it just means you care and are excited, which is what cheer is all about, saying cheers and letting it all out.”
If you have been wanting to try out for the Forest Grove High School cheer team, you totally should. Some advice some of the girls on the team had was to prepare yourself. Learn the dances, cheers, and jump sequences that go with the try-out plan. Before the tryout, decide if you want to tumble or not. “I would say if you want to try out, go for it! Don’t be scared! All the girls on the team are so welcoming, and we are one big family. Just be confident in yourself! Confidence goes a long way in cheerleading! If you have never cheered in your life, that doesn’t matter because everyone can learn something new.” Dani, a senior on the team, said. While cheer has changed a lot over the years, cheerleading has always been there to support and lift the mood of others. Forest Grove High School cheer team does a great job of pepping us up at our school football games.
