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History
In 1914, Frank Porter Graham was the first student to organize cheerleading at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. According to The Daily Tar Heel, Graham said, "I was trying out for the baseball team, but I didn't make the regular squad. As a substitute I got in the habit of leading the cheering when I wasn't need. The next thing I knew I was a cheerleader." Graham was succeeded by Charlie Coggins, Kay Kyser, Billy Arthur, Vic Huggins, Norm Sper and other notable university figures. In 1940, the university officially approved the program's transition to a co-ed team.
Contents
- History
- National recognition
- Teams
- Varsity
- Junior Varsity
- Practice schedule
- Community outreach
- Coaching staff
- Fall tryouts
- Spring tryouts
- Standing tumbling
- Series tumbling
- Males
- Tumbling
- Stunting
- Eligibility
- Scholarships
- References
National recognition
Teams
The UNC cheerleading program consists of two co-ed squads: JV and Varsity. Both teams cheer for home football games and Varsity travels to away games. In the winter, the JV squad cheers at all home women's basketball games and Varsity at all home men's basketball games. Both squads cheer on their respective teams during the ACC and NCAA basketball tournaments.
Varsity
The Varsity squad is generally composed of 15–20 members with 6–8 couples of male bases and female flyers, as well as 2–4 female tumblers. Varsity members include seniors, juniors and few sophomores.
Junior Varsity
The 2012 JV cheerleading team had about 40 members. The co-ed team is also composed of male bases, female flyers and female tumblers. In addition to participating at home football and women's basketball games, members of the JV squad attend UNC volleyball matches, men's soccer games, gymnastics meets, and volleyball matches. Generally speaking, members are required to cheer at least one year on JV before moving up to Varsity. The majority of members on JV are underclassmen.
Practice schedule
Varsity and JV practices are held in Fetzer Gym C Monday and Wednesday evenings. Additional weight sessions are held Tuesday and Thursday afternoons in the Kenan Football Center. Fridays before home football games, the UNC cheerleading program practices with the Marching Tar Heels on Navy Field to coordinate the football pre-game show.
Community outreach
The UNC cheerleading team is proud to be an integral part of the Carolina community. In the past, members have made visits to local hospitals appeared at numerous charity events, volunteered on campus and made appearances on behalf of the athletic community. The Carolina cheerleaders have recently participated in:
Coaching staff
Fall tryouts
Cheerleading tryouts are typically held during the second week of school in Fetzer Gym C.
Spring tryouts
Tryouts are also held in April in Fetzer Gym C. High school seniors are eligible to try out in April if they been accepted to the university for early admission. Those who make the team in the spring are required to participate in summer workouts in preparation for the upcoming season.
Standing tumbling
Series tumbling
Males
Males should be athletic and willing to learn. Most males trying out for the program have never cheered before. No previous experience or background with cheerleading is necessary. The requirements listed below are for varsity males.
Tumbling
Stunting
Eligibility
Scholarships
Although the university does not award scholarships to members of the cheerleading team, the program participates in fundraisers to offer book scholarships to each senior cheerleader.