Some people may say that cheerleading is not a sport. Well cheerleading is actually one of the most dangerous sports out there. It is very easy to get hurt if something is not done correctly. Cheerleading started in the United States in the 1880's. It began with a group of people cheering on their team. The first cheer was never documented but credit went to Princeton University in 1884, when they came up with the Princeton cheer. When cheerleading went to the university of Minnesota it was ordinally a male squad. This was because their deep voices projected more then the women's voice. Women didn't become involved in cheer till 1920's.

To do a good jump you must push off the ground, put you arms in a high V, and swing into a T formed by making your arms horizontal to your body. You should also keep your back straight. You must pull your feet to your hands, but do not bring you body to your legs or you will drop your shoulders. The straighter your back is and the tighter your T is the higher your jump will get. Also land on your toes. If you land flat footed you will hurt your legs or could roll your ankle. Jumps are based off an 8 count.

Toe touch: To preform this jump you must bring your feet to your arms and keep your back straight.

Herkie: In this jump you bend one of your legs back and keep the other leg straight. The leg that gets bent is determined by what side your jump is meant to be. So if you keep your right leg straight you are going a right side herkie.

Herdler: For this jump you should turn to the side so that that bent leg is faced to the crowd. This is similar to a herkie. The only difference is that your straight leg is brought right in front of your body.

Pike: A pike is also to the side. In this jump you bring your arms straight directly in front of you. You must keep your head up and bring your leg in front of you so they are horizontal to the ground.

Stunts: Stunting is when a group literally lifts a girl into the air. When stunting you should have a four-person group unless doing a one-man stunt or a fifth person is added to spot. You will have one back, which is the person behind the group holding the girls ankle. The back is important and helps lift the weight off the bases. There are Two bases which are right below the girl, hold her feet. When basing it is important to keep your back straight and lift with your legs. Lifting with your arms will tire you out fast. Also you should stay a shoulder length away from each other and keep your arms locked when the dtunt is over your head. Being to far from each other makes it hard on the flyer. The flyer is that girl on top. A flyer must stay tight and pull up with her shoulders to hold some of her weight. Stunting can be dangerous so it is absolutely essential that the back and the bases keep and eye on their flyer and catch her if anything were to go wrong.
Of course few of these can be put together to create a pyramid. Here are only a few examples of stunts out of the many.

Half: A half is when the flyers feet are at the height of the bases shoulders.

Full: A full is when the bases arms are locked out above their heads.

Lib: When putting up a lib, the main base will be holding the flyer's foot (in this case she will be holding her right foot) . Her left leg is bent next to her right leg. The second base gets under the right foot and helps pull up. The flyer MUST stay tight in this stunt and keep her hip up or it will not be tight. This can be done on the flyer's left leg as well.

Bow an arrow: This stunt is similar to a lib. The only difference is that the flyer's leg is not bent next to her leg. Her left leg is being held with her right arm up to her head and the left arm is horizontal across her leg. This can also be done with her right leg.

Scorpion: This stunt is turned to the side. This is also similar to a lib but the flyer pulls her leg behind her and up to her head with one or her arms.

Arabesque: This stunt is also normally turned to the side. Similar to a bow an arrow, the flyer pulls her leg up horizontal to the floor without dropping her shoulders or she will fall forward. It is important to keep your arms in a T when flying.

Scale: In a scale, the flyer pulls her leg behind her butt up to her head.

Heel stretch: This is very similar to a scale expect for that her leg is brought right to the side of her body to her head.

Basket: In a basket the bases connect their hands so that the flyer has a flat surface to place her feet. The bases then throw their hands right over their heads. The back holds the flyers ankels throw her feet over her head. The flyer must pull up and ride straight up so she wont go sideways.

The three main tumbling skills are round offs, back tucks and a back handspring. Depending on your skill level you may be able to combine all three of these skills or do many more types of tumbling passes.

Round off: This is when you run and place your hands next to each other on the floor and turn your body to the side. You bring your legs over your head and land on two feet.

Back handspring: Here you bend your legs and push off the ground and jump backwards. You must lock your elbows and push off you're hands and pull your feet over your head.

Back tuck: In a back tuck you must set in order to get off the ground enough. You jump with your legs, set and pull your legs to your chest and over your body.

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Citations

Herkie. Cheerleader City. 2 Dec. 2010 <http://cheerleadercity.blogspot.com/2008/12/list-of-cheerleading-jumps.html>

Toe Touch. Perfecting Jumps. 2 Dec. 2010 <http://www.oakharborcheer.com/CheerleadingJump.html>

Pike. Perfecting Jumps. 2 Dec. 2010 <http://www.oakharborcheer.com/CheerleadingJump.html>

Hurdler. Cheerleader City. 2 Dec. 2010 <http://cheerleadercity.blogspot.com/2008/12/list-of-cheerleading-jumps.html>

LC @ Tournament - Nicki in half after backhandspring. 2004-2005. Stunts. 2 Dec. 2010 <http://home.lagrange.edu/cheerleading/2004-2005%20pics/stunts0405.shtml>

LC @ Tournament - Lydia in an extension. 2004-2005. Stunts. 2 Dec. 2010 <http://home.lagrange.edu/cheerleading/2004-2005%20pics/stunts0405.shtml>

Heel Stretch. 22 Jan. 2009. Stunts. 2 Dec. 2010. <http://www.narragansett.k12.ri.us/NHS/computer/First_Semester_08-09/FS_Period_1B/sam_leighton_cheerleading/stunts.htm>

Scorpion. 22 Jan. 2009. Stunts. 2 Dec. 2010. <http://www.narragansett.k12.ri.us/NHS/computer/First_Semester_08-09/FS_Period_1B/sam_leighton_cheerleading/stunts.htm>

Liberty. 22 Jan. 2009. Stunts. 2 Dec. 2010. <http://www.narragansett.k12.ri.us/NHS/computer/First_Semester_08-09/FS_Period_1B/sam_leighton_cheerleading/stunts.htm>

Bow and Arrow. Octorara High School Cheerleading. 2 Dec. 2010 <http://www.bravescheerleading.com/coolstunts.htm>

Toe Touch Basket Toss. Octorara High School Cheerleading. 2 Dec. 2010 <http://www.bravescheerleading.com/coolstunts.htm>

Arabesques. About Cheerleading. 2 Dec. 2010 <http://cheerleading.about.com/library/stunts/blstunt_newark.htm>

Limits. 1 Dec. 2010 <http://www.limitscheerleaders.com/summercamps.html>

Back Handspring. 2006. Tumbling for Kids. 2 Dec. 2010. <http://www.cheerleadingsupply.net/cheerleadingsupply08.php>

Round Off. 2006. Tumbling for Kids. 2 Dec. 2010. <http://www.cheerleadingsupply.net/cheerleadingsupply08.php>>/p>

How to get the Perfect Standing Tuck. 7 Dec. 2008. Cheerleading 101. 2 Dec. 2010. <http://cheerstop.blogspot.com/2008/12/how-to-get-perfect-standing-tuck.html>

Bean, Keith. �History of Cheerleading�. (2010) Ezine @rticles. 2 Dec. 2010. <http://ezinearticles.com/?History-of-Cheerleading&id=748811>