College Cheerleaders

College Cheerleaders and Leadership

Girls who participate in cheerleading in high school understand the team work that is necessary for developing strong routines. A cheerleading squad performs well when everyone works together in a team effort. On the collegiate level, cheerleading is about leadership, cooperation, team building and successful integration.

College cheerleaders are there to prepare for their future lives as well as participate in a sport. Scholarships for college cheerleaders come in all different shapes and sizes. Like their football and basketball counterparts, cheerleaders have to try out, do their best and prove their value to the university or college they are applying to. They have to earn their scholarships through hard work and commitment.

History of College Cheerleaders

The first college to field its own cheerleaders was a little school by the name of Princeton University in the 1880s. The cheerleaders were the crowd and they rabble roused with the best of them. A Princeton graduate by the name of Thomas Peebles took the crowd chanting idea to a new level in 1884 at the University of Minnesota. In 1898, a young man named Johnny Campbell directed the crowd’s cheers and became the first official college cheerleader.

Yell leaders, as they were called in those days, helped to fire the crowds up to support their sports teams. The crowd could be whipped into frenzy, leading to more game attendance and even better performance by other athletes as they felt the support and the pressure. The yell leaders were typically male, but many still consider modern day cheerleaders to be a female sports activity.

College Cheerleaders and Sports Scholarships

How do colleges justify sports scholarships for cheerleaders? Cheerleading is a sport. It involves physical prowess, skill and stunts. Cheerleading is more dangerous than baseball or basketball and often results in high intensity injuries that can take a lifetime to recover from. Cheerleaders must be gymnasts and they must be dancers. They have to be familiar with the sports they are supporting and they have to deliver original choreography and style that not only whets the crowd's appetite but has them yelling for more.

School spirit is often placed into the trusted hands of the cheerleading squads. They deliver with jumps, twirls, flips, pyramids and tosses that bring the crowds to their feet and have them screaming the team’s name. Most cheerleaders also go unidentified by the vast majority of sports attendees. They are just cheerleaders in uniforms, lacking a personal identity beyond what they deliver on the field. It takes a unique devotion to a craft to lose your personal identity for the greatness of the team.

Commitment

Being a part of a college cheerleading squad is a commitment. You will be required to practice regularly, participate in team fund raising and appear at a minimum number of events. You will also face academic requirements and image requirements. At all times, cheerleaders represent their school spirit in the classroom, on the quad and on the field.

Obtaining a College Scholarship for Cheerleading

Interested in using cheerleading to get a college scholarship? Contact the financial aid office of the college you are interested in attending. Request their financial aid packet; list cheerleading among your interests. Most colleges that field cheerleading squads will offer some type of scholarship or financial aid program associated with the sport.

Send a letter of interest and request a packet from the college’s cheerleading staff office. Always do your research so you know when tryouts are, what they require for the squad and what they are looking for.

Be sure to check out local competitions that you and your squad attend, as many offer financial rewards and scholarships that can help you pay for college.

Additional Information

To learn more about what it's like to be a cheerleader, visit LoveToKnow Cheerleading.