Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity. It can be performed to motivate sports teams, to entertain the audience, or for competition. Cheerleading routines typically range anywhere from one to three minutes, and contain components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting. Cheerleading originated in the United States, where it has become a tradition. It is less prevalent in the rest of the world, except via its association with American sports or organized cheerleading contests.
Trampolining or trampoline gymnastics is a competitive Olympic sport in which athletes perform acrobatics while bouncing on a trampoline. In competition, these can include simple jumps in the straight, pike, tuck, or straddle position to more complex combinations of forward and/or backward somersaults and twists. Scoring is based on the difficulty and on the total seconds spent in the air. Points are deducted for bad form and horizontal displacement from the center of the bed.
Jennifer Parilla is an American trampolinist who was born in Newport Beach, California. She was the first and only American to qualify to the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney as a trampolinist when the sport debuted; and finished in 9th place. She competed for the US at the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics.
George Peter Nissen was an American gymnast and inventor who developed the modern trampoline and made trampolining a worldwide sport and recreation.
Jefferson Thomas Hennessy Sr. was trampoline coach and physical educator.
World Cup All Stars, founded by Elaine Pascale and Joelle Antico, is home to the 2007, 2008, 2009, 2015, 2017, and 2019 USASF Cheerleading Worlds champions in the Large Senior All Girl division, the World Cup Shooting Stars. In the International Junior All Girl division, the World Cup Starlites are the 2007 and 2008 World Champions. World Cup was founded in 1994 in Freehold, New Jersey by owner Elaine Pascale and her daughter Joelle Antico. World Cup is one of the most respected all-star programs in the U.S.
Cheerleading is a sport that is practised all throughout the world, with increasing popularity within the United Kingdom. Cheerleading has over 89,000 athletes within the United Kingdom, with just over 900 teams in England alone, with the newfound success and passion of UK based teams on the international stage helping to change perceptions within the region. Teams from the United Kingdom have gained international recognition, with the Olympic Channel producing a 10 minute short documentary following Unity Allstars' team Ruby to highlight the increase momentum of competitive cheerleading within the United Kingdom.
Dakota Ridge Senior High School is a public school located in Littleton, Colorado, United States. It is part of the Jefferson County Public Schools system.
Sammy Bearkat is the mascot of Sam Houston State University (SHSU), located in Huntsville, Texas. He is a popular attraction at many athletic events such as football, basketball, and volleyball. He also appears for various campus and community functions. Sammy's two-minute routine earned him a national championship of the mascots division at the 2005 United Spirit Association Collegiate National Championship. Sammy was also named the 2010 and 2011 National Cheerleading Association (NCA) Mascot National Champion. In the 2012 nationals season, Sammy competed with the SHSU Co-Ed Cheer Team at the National Cheerleading Association (NCA) collegiate cheer competition. Together they won first place and earned the title of NCA Division I Cheer National Collegiate Champions. In 2013 Sammy also competed with the SHSU Co-Ed Cheer Team who won their second straight national championship title for NCA. Sammy returned to the Band Shell in Daytona Beach to compete alongside the SHSU All-Girl cheer team who won the NCA All-Girl Division I National Championship Title in 2014. In 2015 Sammy was able to wrap his paws around another NCA Division I title as he competed alongside the Co-Ed Cheer Team. In 2016, Sammy competed alongside the SHSU Division I Co-Ed Cheer Team to win another 1st place NCA National Championship. Sammy was also chosen as the 2016 NCA Mascot National Champion after showcasing a great routine in Daytona Beach, Florida. Sammy has now brought home 1st place in various different flavors in 2005, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 & 2016, 2017, 2018.
The US National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) was established as a way to bring cheerleaders together to learn new skills. Since 1951, the NCA has held summer camps, and is credited with the invention of the herkie jump, the pom-pom, the spirit stick and being the first uniform manufacturer.
Dakota Earnest (Tauferner) (born November 16, 1993) is an American trampoline gymnast. Earnest competed in the Women's Individual Trampoline at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara and won the silver medal. Earnest was also named as the female trampoline alternate for the United States at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Steven Gluckstein is a former American 2012 Olympian in gymnastic trampoline. He is a six-time National Men's US Trampoline Champion, five-time National US Men's Synchronized Trampoline Champion, and a six-time World Team member. In 2009, he and his partner Logan Dooley were the first gymnastic trampolinists in Team USA history to win a gold medal at a World Cup Series event. Gluckstein retired from competitive gymnastics in 2016 and is currently the head coach of the Junior U.S. National Trampoline team, as well as a trainer at Elite Trampoline Academy in New Jersey. He also regularly works with his wife, Camilla Lopes Gomes, a top-ranked Brazilian trampolinist.
Mary Maddison "Maddie" Gardner is an American news reporter and internationally recognized former Allstar Cheerleader. She was the point (center) flyer for the Senior Large All Girl Level 5 competitive cheerleading team Senior Elite of the Cheer Extreme Allstars from 2006-2012, winning a gold medal at the Cheerleading Worlds in 2010 and 2012.
Savannah Vinsant is an American trampoline gymnast. She competed at the first Summer Youth Olympic Games. Vinsant also represented the United States at the 2012 Summer Olympics. She became the first ever U.S. trampoline athlete to qualify for the finals. Savannah finished sixth place during the trampoline finals. She was the youngest female trampoline competitor at the games. In 2024, Vinsant was inducted into the USAG Hall of Fame.
The University of North Carolina has run cheerleading teams since 1914, performing at Tar Heels sports events. They have frequently participated in cheerleading competitions at the national level. Currently there are two teams: JV and Varsity.
Erin Jauch is an American trampoline gymnast. Jauch competed in the 2014 World Trampoline and Tumbling Championships at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach and won the women's double-mini gold medal. Erin retired from the sport in 2016.
In Australia, competitive cheerleading is a minor sport, seeing over a 10,000% increase in athlete participation between 2000 and 2022. This growth happened through a 15–20% increase in participation each year between 2006 and 2016.
Gabriella "Gabi" Butler is an American cheerleader, YouTuber, television personality, and professional wrestler that is currently signed to WWE. She received national recognition after appearing in the Netflix docuseries Cheer and had been on many teams before her appearance in the Netflix show, such as the California All Stars Smoed, Top Gun TGLC, Cheer Athletics Wildcats, and Gymtyme Blink. She is most recently a member of the Weber State University and the Navarro College cheer teams.
Ruben Padilla is an American trampoline gymnast. He has won seven senior national titles across three disciplines and two World Championships on double-mini and was named alternate to the 2024 Olympics for men's trampoline.
Yuliya Stankevich-Brown is an American tumbling gymnast, and coach. She was inducted into USA gymnastics hall of fame.
United States