The Cheerleading Industry
Cheerleading - a sport that is so controversial whether or not it is an actual sport. A sport is defined as “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.” Cheerleading is a highly demanding, physical sport, but not many people see that.
All Star and School cheerleading, the two basic categories of the sport. All-star focuses more on one flashy, showy routine full of skills that is competed all year at several competitions. School cheer focuses more on being crowd leader and spirit raisers. Within that, schools are advanced cleanly to show off the vigorous sport.
Cheerleading was born in the 1860’s when cheers and chants debuted at an Ivy League college sporting event. “It was that day that a University of Minnesota student, Johnny Campbell, got up from the seats and took the field in order to lead the student body in a chant – “Rah, Rah, Rah! Ski-u-mah, Hoo-Rah! Hoo-Rah! Varsity! Varsity! Varsity, Minn-e-So-Tah!” He jumped over the fence, and cheerleading as we know it was born.”
Ironically, the sport today is more female dominated, but it turns out that men created cheerleading. A man that changed cheerleading itself was named Lawrence Herkimer or “Herkie.” Herkie kicked off the first cheerleading camp at Sam Houston State University in 1949. Here is where skills in cheerleading actually began to be born. Herkie was an amazing athlete and person. He was into the circus and acrobatics, which was the formula when he was building skills. Herkie created the company - Nationals Cheerleaders Association, which still stands today (fun fact: I actually work for them). The National Cheerleaders Association or NCA falls under the staple company of cheerleading - Varsity Spirit. Varsity is the largest cheerleading company there is, bringing more attention, awareness, and satisfying the actual needs of cheerleading.
Varsity Spirit has seven camp brands and over seventeen competition brands they own. The company hosts cheerleading camps, targeted towards school cheer, but also hosts competitions for both school and all-star cheer. Varsity also has a fashion side and is the biggest cheerleading uniform retailer there is. This company is the driving force of cheerleading and without it, the sport would not live.
The industry itself needs highly passionate and knowledgeable cheerleaders to work to bring more attention and awareness of the sport. While those who live, breathe, and eat cheerleading know what it takes, the sport still faces little to no recognition everywhere. My goal is to work within an industry that I am passionate about to help others. As a digital marketer, I want to help cheerleading marketing directors strategize social campaigns and plan content by providing skills in content creation along with having extensive knowledge of the sport and company. I want cheerleading to be well known for a sport, so that those who are in the cheerleading world feel effective, eager, and empowered. As a cheerleader most of my life, at many times did I feel like I was on the back burner because no one cared for the sport. It’s time to change that.