To find out what exactly Paula Abdul, Cameron Diaz, Madonna and Meryl Streep had in common in their youth, it is enough to come to a basketball or hockey hall and watch the performance of a cheerleading group, which is mandatory at official sports competitions. It consists of girls dancing incendiary at the matches of their team. Many dream of getting into such a group, but only the most prepared can do it. Like, for example, the same Madonna. The selection is too serious.
Profession with pompoms
At first, the support groups were completely amateur, but gradually many of them gained professional status. And some even became part of sports clubs, becoming for spectators and players an integral part of the matches of Russian and international tournaments.
Accordingly, the approach to the formation of groups has radically changed: they stopped accepting everyone there, starting to conduct real castings. So dances, jumps and shouts of not quite dressed girls at matches, for example, at CSKA Moscow or UMMC Yekaterinburg, can be considered as fulfilling official duties. Even if all the participants not only take part in the home matches of their club taking place from September to May and train at least three times a week, but they are still studying or working.
Dance while you are young
The selection criteria for the team, which usually includes two dozen girls, are practically the same. Although, of course, there are nuances. The first thing any pompom applicant should do is send an email to the team leader with first name, last name, height and full date of birth. And then, perhaps, tell out loud why she wants to perform at the Sports Palace.
The minimum age is not the same: from 15 to 18 years old. The maximum is not limited - it all depends on the desire and capabilities of the girl herself. The Russian Cheerleading Federation proudly recalls the Japanese team, whose average age was 65 years! However, in Russian reality, this is not very realistic. As a result, auditions to attract newcomers are held, if not annually, then quite often. By the way, both the minimum allowable and the maximum height vary - from 164 to 170 cm. Girls often have to perform on the playground. And to the fans sitting in the upper rows of the stadium, miniature athletes may even seem Thumbelina.
Wheel of Fortune
Having received an invitation to a casting or, in sports terms, a screening, candidates come to the gym, where the trainer and choreographer very meticulously evaluate external data, including long and well-groomed hair, as well as a fairly loud voice, charm and a positive attitude. Of course, plastic, choreographic and sports training are no less important. Even the ability to perform not only independently, but also as part of a team is taken into account.
Of course, theoretically, any girl is allowed to try herself. However, in reality, preference is given to those who have previously passed a good gymnastic, acrobatic and dance school, are able to easily withstand, like any professional athlete, many hours of stress and even stress. For example, those wishing to become a member of the support group of the football club Krylia Sovetov are immediately invited to show a 30-second musical composition with such gymnastic elements as a jump, stretching, ligament, swing and "wheel". According to the head of the group, it is impossible to start serious training without passing such a test.
It all started with football
The official name for what many cheerleaders do is cheerleading (or cheerleading). Translated from English, this vivid action means a combination of invocations and effective control of your movements. Cheerleading was born in 1898 at the University of Minnesota, USA, when their fellow students unexpectedly came to the aid of a poorly playing college football team. Having made a dance team and picking up pom-poms, the girls inspired the guys so much that they began to win match after match. It is curious that in Russia cheerleading also appeared on American football, but almost a century later. And although it was not students who played in Moscow, but teenagers, they appreciated the performance of the girls very highly.
Over time, cheerleading has become a real sport, combined with shows and theatrical performances. It even hosts international competitions with their own rules and elements that must be shown in two categories - "dance" (dance) and "chir" (sports, where support groups perform). Moreover, young people, whose path to Russian support groups is still closed, take part in tournaments.
