Cheerleading brings to mind images of smart, young girls dressed colorfully, holding props, and belting out an array of “wow-inspiring” gymnastic moves that gets the crowd into the mood for a clash between their favorite teams. Although it started as a team-motivating, inspiration-extracting, team power-building activity; today, it has evolved into a sport of its own!

Here are some interesting and amazing facts about cheerleading that you might not have ever heard of or expected could be true!

 Fact 1:

Soccer or football might be the most loved, most played and most watched sport in the world; but when it comes to sports related injuries, cheerleading occupies the first place among female sports! It also enjoys the second place when it comes to catastrophic injuries; the first place being enjoyed by American football.

 Fact 2:

Many people often confuse gymnastics and cheerleading as being different variations of one and the same sport; however, they are two distinct entities. Nevertheless, there are a lot of similarities between the two. Their similarities lie in their tumbles, the use of cartwheels, vigorous and awe-inspiring moves, and the need to do all this with elegance and grace. The major difference being the use of various apparatus in gymnastics and the absence of the same in cheerleading!

 Fact 3:

Cheerleading is a highly athletic sport and requires a great degree of fitness and an even greater level of expertise. After all, you cannot dream of getting all those powerful, quick, and graceful moves without a great deal of energy and experience. Now you know why cheerleaders need to hit the gym and practice their moves as much as the actual team-mates of the game they are cheering!

 Fact 4:

Cheerleading, as we know it today, mainly comprises of young girls; guys are mostly there for support in highly complicated moves or build-ups. But this was not a predominantly women’s sport until 1923. From the latter part of the 19^th century, when cheerleading is believed to have its beginnings, this sport was dominated by men.

Fact 5:

Although women were brought into the sport by 1923, it was not until the Second World War that women started becoming active cheerleaders. And it was almost 1960 when cheerleading groups started becoming an active part of educational institutions.

 Fact 6:

Today, cheerleading has become an active sport related activity right from elementary school. This means; if you are interested in this sport, you can pursue it from elementary through your middle and high school and even continue it till the completion of your University. Wow, that would be a great way to maintain great fitness levels through your childhood and up to your adulthood!

 Fact 7:

Like all sporting activities, cheerleading also has rules. For this sport, these rules have been created by the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators. These rules were created to reduce the incidence of injuries during the execution of cheerleading activities during practice and games.

 Fact 8:

Cheerleading has one of the highest incidences of injury. According to the University of North Carolina’s National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research, around 65.2 percent of all disastrous injuries in the field of youth sports can be attributed to cheerleading.

 Fact 9:

If you are wondering why a sport that appears to be so full of energy, enthusiasm, and acrobatics results in such life-threatening and life-changing injuries, read this – the impact caused from falls during cheerleading stunts, based on gymnastic moves, have a much greater impact than those suffered by professional football players!!

 Fact 10:

Cheerleading does not involve just motivating and inspiring their home teams, it also includes taunts that are meant to demoralize the opposing team. Thus, it is a play of positive and negative forces meant to encourage or inspire and discourage or demotivate; at the same time.