Comprehensive Study Notes on Competitive and Non-Competitive Cheerleading

Overview and Broad Impact of Cheerleading

  • An unknown author stated, "In a world full of critics, be a cheerleader," a sentiment that reflects the widespread positive influence of cheerleading across the nation and globally.

  • Division I cheerleading programs, such as the one at Auburn University, directly impact audiences both at live sporting events and through community outreach initiatives off-campus.

  • Cheerleading is analyzed through three core structural areas:

    • The historical origins of organized cheering.

    • The demographic evolution from an exclusively all-male activity to a predominantly female sport.

    • The operational and stylistic distinctions between competitive and non-competitive cheerleading squads.

Historical Origins of Organized Cheerleading

  • According to varsity.com, the first recorded cheerleader in history was Johnny Campbell.

  • Campbell attended a college football game at Princeton University, where he observed the crowd collectively chanting in unison.

  • Inspired by the synchronized engagement at Princeton, Campbell brought the concept back to his home institution, the University of Minnesota.

  • At a University of Minnesota home football game, Campbell organized and taught the crowd the first official chant in cheerleading history: "Ra ra ra ski u ma varsity varsity Minnesota".

  • The rhythmic cadence introduced by Campbell became a foundational template adopted by collegiate institutions across the United States to construct traditional school chants.

  • Auburn University adapted this exact cadence to create its traditional chant, Badaketa (also referenced as "body get up").

Demographic Shift from All-Male to Majority-Female Sport

  • According to usachear.org, cheerleading originated strictly as an all-male activity.

  • The earliest cheer practitioners were designated as "yell leaders":

    • Yell leaders stood at the front of stadium crowds in full attire.

    • Their primary purpose was to display high energy and maintain continuous crowd engagement throughout athletic contests.

  • The first documented female cheerleaders entered the sport in 1923 at the University of Minnesota, the recognized birthplace of cheerleading.

  • A major demographic shift occurred during World War II, as large numbers of male cheerleaders were deployed for military service.

  • Women stepped in to fill the vacant cheerleading roles during World War II, permanently shifting the demographic balance of the sport toward a female majority.

  • Coed cheerleading squads became common post-war fixtures at major universities, including Auburn University by the 1960s.

Competitive vs. Non-Competitive Cheerleading Squads

  • Origin of Competitive Cheerleading:

    • According to Wikipedia, CBS Sports broadcasted the first formal cheerleading competition in 1978.

  • Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA):

    • The televised competition format established in 1978 continues to be held annually at Walt Disney World.

    • It is run by UCA (Universal Cheerleaders Association / Universal True Winning Association), which is the largest cheerleading association in the world.

    • UCA emphasizes a traditional cheerleading style, focusing on crowd leading and classic techniques.

  • National Cheerleaders Association (NCA):

    • The NCA (National Cheerleaders Association / National Truity Association) hosts its flagship national competition in Daytona Beach, Florida.

    • NCA governs the "All Star" competition format.

    • All Star cheerleading is distinguished by high-acrobatic routines, larger visual presentations, bright aesthetic formatting, and highly complex stunt difficulty.

  • Non-Competitive Cheerleading Squads:

    • Non-competitive squads outnumber competitive cheerleading squads.

    • The primary purpose of a non-competitive squad is to serve as official ambassadors for their institution and athletic department.

    • Auburn University operates a non-competitive cheer squad dedicated to university ambassadorial duties.

    • On the Talking Tigers podcast, Auburn cheerleading coach Latisha Dura outlined the squad's core duty: "An Auburn University cheerleader's job is to serve the university, the community, and our athletic department."

    • Coach Latisha Dura enforces a specific standard during tryouts: "I want kids who want to come and cheer at Auburn, not kids who want to cheer in college."

Traditional Chant Execution

  • Lead-in call for chant demonstration: "Alright, Tyler Vans. Fisher, heads up for body get up. Oh, you ready? Kill it all. One, two, three."


Yes! Here is the word-for-word transcript from Source 1 (Comprehensive Study Notes on Competitive and Non-Competitive Cheerleading):

Chapter 1: "An unknown author once said, in a world full of critics, be a cheerleader. Truly has affected the lives of millions of people from across the country and the world, including my own. For the last three years, I've chaired the division one level here at Auburn. And whether you realize it or not, you've probably been impacted by the Auburn University cheerleaders, whether at a sporting event or at an event off campus in the Auburn community. So today, I'm going to be informing you about cheerleading by talking about its origins, its transition from an all male activity into a majority female sport, and then lastly, talking about the differences between a competitive and a non competitive cheer squad. But first, let's talk about its origins. According to varsity.com, the very first cheerleader was a man named Johnny Campbell. Now Johnny attended a football game at Princeton University where he saw the entire crowd leading cheers in unison, and it sparked an idea in his head. So Johnny went back home to the University of Minnesota where he did the same thing and taught the entire crowd at a home game the following cheer. Ra ra ra ski u ma varsity varsity Minnesota. Now some of you might recognize that cadence because it's the exact same one that we do with the famous Auburn chant, Badaketa. So what a lot of universities across the country have done is adopt that cadence and come up with their own traditional cheers that their fans have come to know and love. Next, let's talk about the transition of cheerleading from being an all male activity into a majority female sport. So according to usachear.org, cheerleading started out as an all male activity. So when you think of the first cheerleaders, think of these people known as yell leaders."

Chapter 2: "These are people in front of the crowd, all dressed up, going crazy, just making sure that they were keeping the crowd engaged throughout the entire game. The first female cheerleaders were put on record in 1923 at the University of Minnesota, where else in the birthplace of cheerleading itself. Then World War two happened and we saw a lot of females start taking on that role of the cheerleaders as a lot of the guys were shipped off to go and fight in the war. And so I thought it'd be a great idea to add a picture of a coed squad from here at Auburn from back in the 1960s. Lastly, let's talk about the differences between a competitive and a non competitive cheerleading squad. So according to Wikipedia, CBS Sports actually hosted the very first cheerleading competition back in 1978, And that same competition is still hosted today at Walt Disney World by UCA, also known as the Universal True Winning Association, which is the largest true association in the entire world. There's another form of a competition known as NCA, which also happens in Florida at Daytona Beach. NCA is known as the National Truity Association, and that form of competition is known as All Star. UCA is much more traditional, and NCA is much more acrobatic. Things are bigger and brighter and the studs are a lot more crazy. When we're talking about a non competitive squad, those actually probably outnumber the competitive squads. So a non competitive Truity squad, like the one here at Auburn, our job is to be an ambassador for the university and our athletic department. So Auburn cheerleading coach Latisha Dura on the Talking Tigers podcast said the following, an Auburn University cheerleader's job is to serve the university, the community, and our athletic department. I remember when I was first trying out for Auburn cheerleading for my very first year and I heard her say the following, and it's something that's really stuck with me. She said, I want kids who want to come and cheer at Auburn, not kids who want to cheer in college."

Chapter 3: "So to wrap this all up, let's talk about everything we've talked about so far today. We've talked about the origins of cheerleading, how cheerleading transitioned from an all male activity into a majority female sport, and the differences between a competitive and a non competitive cheerleading squad. Now let's end this on a cheer. Alright, Tyler Vans. Fisher, heads up for body get up. Oh, you ready? Kill it all. One, two, three."