Editing Cheerleading (section)

===School-sponsored===
Most American elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, and colleges have organized cheerleading squads. Some colleges even offer cheerleading scholarships for students. A school cheerleading team may compete locally, regionally, or nationally, but their main purpose is typically to cheer for sporting events and encourage audience participation.  Cheerleading is quickly becoming a year-round activity, starting with tryouts during the spring semester of the preceding school year. Teams may attend organized summer cheerleading camps and practices to improve skills and create routines for competition.

In addition to supporting their schools' football or other sports teams, student cheerleaders may compete with recreational-style routine at competitions year-round.

====Elementary school====
In far more recent years, it has become more common for elementary schools to have an organized cheerleading team.  This is a great way to get younger children introduced to the sport and used to being crowd leaders.  Also, with young children learning so much so quickly, tumbling can come very easy to a child in elementary school.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Soard |first1=Lori |title=Elementary School Cheerleading |url=https://cheerleading.lovetoknow.com/about-cheerleading/elementary-school-cheerleading |website=LoveToKnow |access-date=2021-04-01 |archive-date=2020-08-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200815144603/https://cheerleading.lovetoknow.com/about-cheerleading/elementary-school-cheerleading |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Middle school====
[[Middle school]] cheerleading evolved shortly after high school squads were created and is set at the district level. In middle school, cheerleading squads serve the same purpose, but often follow a modified set of rules from high school squads with possible additional rules.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Lord|first=Jim|title=Junior High Cheer|url=https://www.usacheer.org/junior-high-cheer|access-date=2021-12-14|website=USA Cheer|language=en-US}}</ref> Squads can cheer for basketball teams, football teams, and other sports teams in their school. Squads may also perform at pep rallies and compete against other local schools from the area.  Cheerleading in middle school sometimes can be a two-season activity: fall and winter. However, many middle school cheer squads will go year-round like high school squads. Middle school cheerleaders use the same cheerleading movements as their older counterparts, yet may perform less extreme stunts and tumbling elements, depending on the rules in their area.{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}}.

====High school====
[[File:Mercer Island High School Cheerleaders.jpg|thumb|High school cheeerleaders from [[Mercer Island High School]] in [[Mercer Island, Washington]] in December 2005]]
In high school, there are usually two squads per school: [[varsity team|varsity]] and a [[junior varsity team|junior varsity]].  High school cheerleading contains aspects of school spirit as well as competition. These squads have become part of a year-round cycle. Starting with tryouts in the spring, year-round practice, cheering on teams in the [[Autumn|fall]] and [[winter]], and participating in cheerleading competitions. Most squads practice at least three days a week for about two hours each practice during the summer.{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}} Many teams also attend separate tumbling sessions outside of practice. During the school year, cheerleading is usually practiced five- to six-days-a-week. During competition season, it often becomes seven days with practice twice a day sometimes. The school spirit aspect of cheerleading involves cheering, supporting, and "hyping up" the crowd at football games, basketball games, and even at wrestling meets. Along with this, cheerleaders usually perform at pep rallies, and bring school spirit to other students. In May 2009, the [[National Federation of State High School Associations]] released the results of their first true high school participation study. They estimated that the number of high school cheerleaders from public high schools is around 394,700.<ref>[http://www.nfhs.org/web/2009/05/survey_indicates_nearly_400000.aspx NFHS.org] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090608110413/http://www.nfhs.org/web/2009/05/survey_indicates_nearly_400000.aspx |date=June 8, 2009 }}</ref>

There are different cheerleading organizations that put on competitions; some of the major ones include state and regional competitions. Many high schools will often host cheerleading competitions, bringing in IHSA judges. The regional competitions are qualifiers for national competitions, such as the UCA (Universal Cheerleaders Association) in [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]], [[Florida]], every year.<ref>Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) 2008. 7 December 2008. [http://uca.varsity.com Varsity.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100818141533/http://uca.varsity.com/ |date=2010-08-18 }}</ref> Many teams have a professional choreographer that choreographs their routine in order to ensure they are not breaking rules or regulations and to give the squad creative elements.