1984 Memphis State University Cheerleading Squad

[revmccance]

I love the dominoes thing.

[mckinleys2]

@revmccance During the 1985 Summer NCA Collegiate Cheer Camp after teaching the @ 1000 attendees they created the idea of having Domino's fall from one sideline of UT (Tennessee) football field to the other, 50 yeards of human domino's! Someone has the footage. Spotters were in place for anyone not confidant in the stunt, no injuries, lots of fun!

[LadyCheeks97]

all i kan say is wow! cheerleading has surely changed in the past yrs.! my sister is going to this school !

[peaceluvcheer97]

i wish we could do cheerleading lik that

[ADofTexas]

@peaceluvcheer97

You can, but you have to abandon the current organizations that are restricting cheerleading today. Get your own cheerleaders together and put on a show in this fashion. Think outside the box.

[hahahahippo]

i think i just peed my pants watching this. it was so good. =]

[ALittleAud]

I love how athletic cheer has gotten today but I wish it had this kind of spirit still.

[ADofTexas]

@ALittleAud

I agree that "spirit" has nothing to do with cheerleading today.

[DriveAustra]

@ADofTexas That's my biggest complaint with the University of Kentucky. They win nationals every year and they have no spirit. The routine is all precision and stunts.

[ADofTexas]

@DriveAustra

Drive, I agree. My passion is the stunts, but my love is Christ. What made cheer-leading a unique American activity was the unity created by squads with school spirit. The word spirit is bandied about, but there is no spirit in competitive cheerleading at all.

[lululuv2surf]

This cheer is wayyyyy better then the routines now done HAHAHAHAHA

Did the rules change?? is that why their is like no creativity to me it seem like the cheerleaders in 2009 are like robots

BLAHHHHH

[ADofTexas]

Yes, the rules changed because the leaders of cheer only care about profit and avoiding lawsuits.

[squishy13]

Their pyramids are so creative. I think its crazy that they start off of the mat and run that pyramid right across to the other side!

[ADofTexas]

With proper practice and team focus, such things are no more dangerous than the Blue Angels screaming together side by side at mach speed.

[DriveAustra]

What many people don't know is that one of the first college cheerteams ran professionally was at Indiana State University in the 70s. Larry Bird turned the spotlight on the university and the media was amazed at how professional the squad looked and performed. Each member to weight a certain weight. The girls wore hose, big hair, bright make-up and tight little Indian costumes. They made the cover of Sports Illustrated in 79. They gave all their secrets away and program eventually went subpar.

[ADofTexas]

Thanks for the insight. I would love to read a book on the real history of cheerleading in America.

[mckinleys2]

@DriveAustra They had some pretty good success at the ICF College Cheer Championship in 1980 winning, but as other schools began pursuing Cheer like other Sports they fell behind rapidly. They were great leaders in their moment in the spotlight!

[Lili1466]

wow that was a big show!

[DriveAustra]

College cheerleading peaked in the 1980s as far as creativity and genuine spirit. I saw UCA's college demos the last five years and it was nothing but technical stunts. The demo had no life in fact the guys walked from position to position as opposed to the explosive "pep-step" jog Ohio State University started back in the early 80s.

[ADofTexas]

I couldn't agree more. Thank you for your comment.

[holdmydrinkbitch]

There is so much to be learned and pulled from this. The talent and spirit is just as much as today.

[benynjoon]

peaked in the 80s? hahahahahaha

[ADofTexas]

The meaning of "spirit" is unknown to cheerleading today.

[alibabiie12]

half of the cheerleaders can't even do that now.

[ADofTexas]

Rules change. Think outside the box.

[1dragon2hot]

Very cool.

[lopito37]

definitely astonishing, no wonder times had changed for that squad.

[ADofTexas]

astonishing, indeed. I hope these videos inspire a change back to the amazing stunts done back then.

[lopito37]

thanx, i know.

[poopmouth93]

wow man that routine was far out ,no lie

[yukichan664]

ok

but still they should have put training in the first place this wouldn't have happen

[ADofTexas]

You are right, but you miss their priority: greed. They make huge amount of money hosting national competitions that are televised. If they loved the sport more than the money, then they would have made training the priority. But choreographers can make up to $2,000 a routine, cheer outfits can easily be a grand, and networks bring in thousands of dollars advertising feminine products. And men all over the nation have sex in their mind when they think cheerleader. Those are the priorities.

[yukichan664]

but all the dangerous stuff back then really wasn't all that dangerous

still haven't seen any one get hurt

any way why did they banned some of the amazing stunts

i mean think of the fans

i mean y did they make it legal in the first place to start out with

[ADofTexas]

The stunts because of improper training. It was easier for the various organizations that run competitions, but did not oversee training, to forbid elements. All Stars have a progressive program for training now, but their program still needs a lot of work.

[yukichan664]

wow i think cheerleading back then were more

cool

it must have been dangerous

wow that was perfect to me

[ADofTexas]

I agree. It was may more cool then than now.

[BagoLang]

wow..eventhough it was years ago, they are still great..i was laughing at the dismount in the last part..when girls jumped directly to the foam without being catched by the lifters into cradle..

[xoBabyDoll]

woahhhhh.

[whymustwe712]

Visuals 0:45 and 2:30 are absolutely brilliant!!! That's creativity at work!!

[Dtorp]

Is that Bart Conner commentating?

[ADofTexas]

I think it is. Bart has done voice over for many gymnastics related sports. But I am not certain.

[mckinleys2]

@Dtorp Bart Conner was co-host with then Director of the NCA Collegiate Cheer Division Van Power, former Ole Miss Cheerleader. Bart was around for every teams runthoughs prior to actual competition, during a Safety meeting Bart was encouraged to flip for everyone & threw a standing back tuck without warmup, mats in Cowboy boots. It was downtown Dallas! He was approachable, interested & energetic but then who isn't around 20 of the Top Collegiate Cheer teams in the country?

[katiebubowicz]

Wow this is so cool!!! :)

[ADofTexas]

I am glad that you enjoy them. I agree with you.

[AACScheer107]

wow these are some good stunts

[abesykagdfu]

I wish our new teams of 2008 would show as much spirit and skill wow

[ADofTexas]

Use this video to inspire them. There is no reason for the skills and spirit to be low.

[kayleigh567]

did they not know how to do anything else besides a backhandspring or a tuck..?i mean come on they could at least do a layout of something

[ADofTexas]

Kayleigh,

Gymnastics has greatly changed in the last 30 years. Back then there was no springfloor, and tumbling was not widely performed at the high levels. There were gymnasts who threw double backs in the 1960's on wood floors, but they were the exception. Also, cheerleading was more about the stunts in the '80's than tumbling. When stunts were banned in the '90's and 2000 tumbling was emphasized because there wree so many schools that could teach it safely.

[kayleigh567]

oh,i didnt know that, sorry.

[ADofTexas]

I don't have that routine. If you know some one who does, please let me know. I would love to watch it.

[DriveAustra]

I went to NCA's web site looking for competition videos and did not see any such page. I would order it if I knew how. Do you have Cal State Long Beach Cheer routine? They introduced a whole new style of dancecheer in the early 80s.

[ADofTexas]

Your best bet is to find out who was on the team and Google or do a people search to find them. Someone probably has it on video in their home just as I did. I don't have much more cheerleading routines since the bulk of my videos are in acrobatic gymnastics. I will upload what I have in time, though, and maybe i will come across it.

[DriveAustra]

You have to post Memphis's 1983 National Championship Routine. You have to show the "Sacrifice." That pyramid was insane!!!