Behind the Pompoms: Cheerleading’s Checkered Past (Part 1)

Every Little Thing

Gimlet

Comedy, Education, Science

4.6 • 4.6K Ratings

🗓️ 15 April 2019

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

How did one style of cheerleading come to dominate in so many American schools? In part one of a two-part episode, ELT flips through the history of cheerleading and meets the man who held cheerleading in the pompom of his hand. Guests: Cheerleading researcher and professor at the University of Alabama Natalie Adams; Barbara Hazlewood; Thanks to caller Jessica for the question. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You have reached the Every Little Thing Helpline.
0:05.0	Give me a B. Give me an E. Give me an E. Give me an E. Give me a P.
0:10.0	Hey Flora, it's Jessica. My husband and I were talking earlier today around 420 and we were
0:20.8	wondering how did cheerleading start?
0:25.0	It is a factual emergency.
0:28.0	Thanks.
0:28.6	Bye. Hello? Hey, it's Flora from every little thing.
0:35.0	Hey, it's Flora from every little thing.
0:38.0	Hey, Flora.
0:39.0	Jessica, it's funny, a lot of listeners call us with questions they thought up around 420
0:44.4	looking for lasagna recipes telling us our eclipse episode lines up perfectly with
0:51.0	the Wizard of Oz. It's a good time to clear your mind and we were doing such and I
0:59.5	literally have no recollection of how the question was brought up but I think I just in true
1:06.6	420 fashion spun around to my husband and said hey cheerleaders are weird.
1:14.4	What do you mean?
1:16.8	All of the cheers, all of the moves, the clothing, the social status, the pom poms,
1:21.5	you know, standing on top of each other, throwing people in the air,
1:25.0	just the whole thing.
1:26.1	If you look at it out of context, seems real strange.
1:29.8	Did you have any firsthand experience with this strangeness?
1:33.0	I was a cheerleader for a small period of my life as a kid.
1:38.3	It was intense.
	...

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