FATHER OF MODERN CHEERLEADING DIES

Lawrence Herkimer, the man who did more than anyone to transform cheerleading into an art, a science and a multi-million dollar business, died of heart failure last Wednesday in Dallas at age 89. Herkimer, who was frequently referred to as the grandfather of modern cheerleading or simply “Mr. Cheerleader,” invented (and patented) the pompom. He came up with an iconic cheerleading leap, the “Herkie jump,” where one leg is extended out and the other leg is behind you in a bent position. Herkimer was head cheerleader at Southern Methodist University in Dallas when, after graduating in 1948, he borrowed $600 from a friend of his father-in-law’s to begin what would amount to an American cheerleading industry, setting up shop in his garage. His first cheerleading camp attracted 52 girls and one boy; in his second year, enrollment climbed to 350. He founded the National Cheerleaders Association, which trains 150,000 cheerleaders each year. On the invention of the pompom, Herkimer explained to American Profile: “When I first saw color television, I thought: ‘We need something colorful on the field.’ So I got the idea to put crepe paper streamers on a stick.”
* Mr. Herkimer said he first got into cheerleading so he could get co-eds to stand on his shoulders, so he could look up their skirts.
* He’s also the man who invented the line, “What’s that spell?”
* At the funeral, the minister said, “Gimme an R! Gimme an I! Gimme a P!”
* If he gave us cheerleaders he gets the Nobel Prize in Sexy. Yeah, baby!
* The pompom didn’t just happen you know. Early versions were made of sheet metal and weighed several hundred pounds.
* Then he tried crepe paper streamers that were way too long and the girls kept tripping.
* Finally, he got it just right and the world has been grateful ever since.
* He was from Dallas? Makes you wonder if he ever nailed one of the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders?