National Cheerleaders Association

Last updated
National Cheerleaders Association
Sport Cheerleading
Founded1948
CountryUnited States of America
Official website www.varsity.com/nca/

The US National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) was established as a way to bring cheerleaders together to learn new skills. Since 1951, [1] the NCA has held summer camps, and is credited with the invention of the herkie jump, the pom pom, the spirit stick [2] and being the first uniform manufacturer.

Contents

History

The NCA was founded in 1948 by the "Grandfather" of cheerleading, Lawrence "Herkie" Herkimer, a former member of the Spirit Squad at Southern Methodist University. The NCA, incorporated in 1948, is the first organization to hold cheer camps with the purpose of bringing cheerleaders together to learn new skills under qualified instructors and compete against other schools in dance, jumps, tumbling and stunting. The first camp was held in 1951 at Sam Houston State University with only athletes in attendance. The camp was so popular, that the next year attendance skyrocketed to 450 athletes. Summer Camps were also established across the United States with Cheer and Tumbling Classes led by some of the most outstanding Collegiate Cheerleaders in the United States. The National Cheerleaders Association, at one point was held at around 430 different sites, along with 1,500 instructors. During this time, there were up to 150,000 anticipated cheerleaders yearly. [3]

NCA today

Summer Camps

NCA Summer Camps were first started in 1948. Today the NCA still hosts summer camps as a way to bring new skills to teams in a safe controlled environment. The main goal of the summer camps is to help teams and athletes learn more about cheerleading. The summer camps are supposed to help athletes learn new skills and enhance old skills. The NCA summer camps are a way for teams to get started and ready for the season. The NCA staff help teams create choreography, enhance skills, build leadership, master stunts and many more things. [4]

NCA Competitions

The NCA hosts competitions for school teams and All-star teams. For school teams, they host the NCA Nationals. This is a competition for high school teams to compete after earning a bid. Many high school teams have to win at their state competition before being able to move on to nationals. The All-star teams compete at NCA All-star Nationals. These All-star cheerleaders compete at many competitions within their region to earn a bid to compete at nationals. The College National Championships are held in Daytona Beach, Florida in April. NCA has granted adolescent men and women the opportunity to showcase their gymnastic based abilities on a national and international level, and the number of its participants has exponentially increased every year for nearly over a decade. At the 2018 NCA Dallas National Championship alone 23,655 athletes from over 39 states and 9 countries, gathered together to participate in one of the most premier competitions of the cheerleading community.

As of September 12, 2023 any member of the squad with the designation of "Flyer" must be under 103lbs total including uniform [5]

Athletes from across the country compete at the National Cheer Association (NCA) and National Dance Association (NDA) Collegiate National Championship in Daytona Beach. Teams gather in Daytona Beach to compete against the nation’s top universities in hopes of winning the title of NCA & NDA Collegiate National Champion and taking home the coveted golden trophy. The competitions are based at the Ocean Center and Bandshell. These competitions allow cheerleaders to showcase their skills and have the honor of becoming National Champs. [6]

The "Idea" of Cheerleading Challenged

NCA challenges the societal ideas that cheerleading is a feminine sport that does not require athletic abilities. NCA is to be considered by many, as a strong community activist especially in relation to non-profit organizations that advocate for the health benefits of children. The growth of NCA has inspired many upcoming cheerleading programs, to strive for a level of excellence that has allowed it to achieve as much as the company has over the past 70 years. [2]

Many of these athletes are stereotyped as not being as intelligent and only being good at cheerleading because of their looks. However, today’s cheerleaders are athletes, scholars, and leaders. Ninety percent of cheerleaders are “B” students or better. 98.5% plan on going to college. Over half participate in other extra-curricular activities. Many hold leadership positions in their class and in clubs at school. 40% of cheerleaders participate in school sport outside of cheerleading. Also, over half of all cheer teams participate in community charity events. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheerleading</span> Athletic activity based on cheering for a team

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.

A dance squad or dance team, sometimes called a pom squad or song team, is a team that participates in competitive dance. A dance squad can also include: a jazz squad, ballet squad, or any kind of religion dance squad. Dance squads are a type of performance dance.

The herkie is a cheerleading jump named after Lawrence Herkimer, the founder of the National Cheerleaders Association and former cheerleader at Southern Methodist University. It is similar to a side-hurdler and to the abstract double hook, except instead of the bent leg's knee being pointed downward, it should be flat while the other leg is straight in a straddle jump (toetouch) position.

A cheerleading uniform is a standardized outfit worn by cheerleaders during games and other events. These uniforms typically include the official colors and mascots of the school or team and are designed to make the wearer appear physically attractive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SMU Mustangs</span> Collegiate sports club in the United States

The SMU Mustangs are the athletic teams that represent Southern Methodist University in University Park, Texas, United States. The Mustangs were founded in 1911 and joined the Southwest Conference, competing against Baylor, Rice, Texas, Texas A&M, Arkansas and Oklahoma A&M.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. All Star Federation</span> American cheerleading organization

The U.S. All Star Federation (USASF) is one of the four main governing bodies for all star cheerleading and dance in the United States. The USASF was founded in December 2003 by cheerleading competition sponsors National Cheerleaders Association, Universal Cheerleaders Association, Cheersport, and America's Best to develop a standard set of safety rules and competition regulations and conduct the Cheerleading Worlds.

The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers Spirit Squads comprise the cheerleading organization at the Twin Cities campus of the University of Minnesota. Being the first program ever to form worldwide, the University of Minnesota is consequently considered the "Birthplace of Cheerleading". Today, the Gopher Spirit Squads consist of four separate squads: a cheer squad, a dance team, a hockey cheer squad, and the school's mascot, Goldy Gopher. The squads consistently perform well at national competitions including 21 national championships in dance since 2003, a 2nd-place finish for All-Girl in 2013, a fifth-place finish in 2017, and four-time national champion Goldy Gopher in 2011, 2013, 2017, and 2018. The current head coach is Sam Owens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Cheerleading Championship</span>

The National Cheerleading Championship, commonly known as NCC, is the Philippines’ first and oldest National cheerleading competition. The annual competition, which started in 2006, is modeled after U.S. competitive cheerleading competitions.

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 United Allstars' team Ruby to highlight the increase momentum of competitive cheerleading within the United Kingdom.

Lawrence Russell Herkimer was an American innovator in the field of cheerleading. He created the Herkie cheerleading jump, which was named after him, and received a patent for the pom-pom. Herkimer described his contribution to the field as taking it "from the raccoon coat and pennant to greater heights".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sammy Bearkat</span>

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.

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References

  1. ↑ "Cheerleading pioneer and SMU Alumnus Lawrence Herkimer dies - SMU". www.smu.edu. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
  2. 1 2 "Cheerleading.org - The History of Cheerleading & Cheer Organizations". Cheerleading.org - The Home and Future of Cheerleading. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
  3. ↑ Roberts, Sam (2015). ""Lawrence Herkimer, Grandfather of Modern Cheerleading Dies, at 89"". The New York Times. Retrieved 2022-08-17.
  4. ↑ "2022 NCA Summer Camp Brochure". NCA. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  5. ↑ "National Cheerleaders Association", Wikipedia, 2022-02-18, retrieved 2022-03-10
  6. ↑ "NCA & NDA Collegiate National Championship | Daytona Beach, FL 32118". www.daytonabeach.com. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
  7. ↑ "Cheerleading.org - The History of Cheerleading & Cheer Organizations". Cheerleading.org - The Home and Future of Cheerleading. Retrieved 2022-03-10.

3. "National Cheerleaders Association" Dallas NewS. Retrieved March 2018

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