Cheering is fun–and it releases endorphins, which is one of those “feel-good” hormones. When you’re waving your shiny metallic cheer poms around in sync with your friends, it’s not only good exercise, but it builds team spirit. Add in music from your favorite band, plastic megaphones calling out moves, and you’re all set for a great time.
Did you know that every year, 36 million children play some type of organized sports? Just imagine if they were all rustling youth cheerleading pom poms! What a colorful display–and sound–that would be. . .
Did you know that being part of an athletic team can promote healthy choices? It’s been found that 92% of young women in high school say “NO!” to drugs–and that’s a really good reason to get out those cheer poms.
While anyone can get a pair–or two–of colorful cheer poms to dance or exercise with, there are about four million cheerleaders in America. Approximately 400,000 of these cheerleaders are part of a high school cheerleading team.
Did you know that cheerleading used to be all-male? It started back in October 26, 1897, when football officials from Princeton University chose three men to cheer for them and the guest teams. Times have certainly changed since then, as girls and young woman are cheer leaders and some even form football teams.
About 100 years later in the 1980s, All Star cheerleading was formed. It combines gymnastic tumbling, dance, acrobatics, and traditional cheerleading moves all set to music. These All Star cheer teams have 36 members and perform professionally choreographed routines.
Another great thing about sports is that when boys and girls are active in their teens it continues to have a positive effect into early adulthood. It’s been found that when teens play sports, they are eight times as likely to still be active at 24. And that is yet another reason to cheer. .
Getting regular exercise can make a major difference in a person’s state-of-mind and how they feel about themselves and others. When students exercised six-to-seven days a week, they tended to feel less sad than those students who only exercised a day a week or not at all.
Over a 12-month period, of those students that exercised six-to-seven days every week, 25.1% said they only felt said for about two weeks. However, the students that didn’t exercise at all, or only exercised one time a week, 35.7% said they felt said for the same period of time.
