Fun on the Field, Part 1: Football Frenzy!
As every sports fan knows, fall is football season! For most of the high schools in Mercer County, that also means marching band, drill team, color guard, and fall cheerleading season, too. For all those interested in these fall activities, keep reading to learn some interesting facts, discover some good books and movies, and find links to all local high school schedules. Part one of this miniseries will deal with football and cheerleading, and part two will cover the marching unit.
Fun Facts & Trivial Trivia
Cheerleading
Pom-pons, normally associated with cheerleaders, are only used with cheers that have few stunts. They are not used in routines with difficult moves because they get in the way.
How do you spell ‘pom-pom’? Not that way! The correct forms are “pom pons” or the hyphenated “pom-pons.” The origin of the word is unclear, but it may be derived from the French “pompe” meaning “display” or “parade.”
Cheerleading initially began as an all-male activity up to the 1920s. Once stunts that included lifts were added, women were welcomed for their lighter weight and agility. It became a mostly female activity in the 1940s when many young men were in the armed forces during World War II. Today’s cheerleading teams are predominantly female, but guys are welcome additions.
Cheerleading’s popularity paralleled that of football, beginning in the first half of the twentieth century. Pro teams began using cheerleaders in the 1950s.
Cheerleading uniforms were instituted in the 1950s – a letter sweater and a skirt with a hemline below the knee!
Every hand position has its own name – blades, buckets, candlesticks, daggers, and knockers.
Cheerleaders try to use loud, low, “chest” voices because they carry better than high-pitched ones.
Celebrity cheerleaders (a surprising list!): Kirk Douglas, Samuel L. Jackson, Jack Lemmon, Steve Martin, Luke Perry, James Stewart, Halle Berry, Sandra Bullock, Cameron Diaz, Kirsten Dunst, Calista Flockhart, Terri Hatcher, Kelly Ripa, Sela Ward, Reese Witherspoon, Paula Abdul, Christina Aguilera, Toni Basil, Faith Hill, Lauryn Hill, Madonna, Reba McEntire, Natalie Maines (Dixie Chicks), George W. Bush, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, and Franklin D. Roosevelt
For all those headed to college, there are cheerleading scholarships, although they are fairly rare.
Football
High school football, also referred to as ‘prep football’ or ‘preps football,’ dates back to the late 19th century, the same time as many college football programs.
Most states have state football champions – all except four: New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. These states crown regional state champions. For example, instead of having a NJ State Champion, there are champions from South Jersey, Central Jersey, the two North Jersey sections, and the non-public section.
The first football ever used was round! Today, the definition of a football in the NFL rule book: “an inflated rubber bladder enclosed in a pebble grained, leather case. It shall have the form of a prolate spheroid.”
Professional players are assigned certain numbers to represent their positions:
1-19 = quarterbacks and kickers
20-49 = running and defensive backs
50-59 = centers and linebackers*
60-79 = linemen
80-89 = wide receivers and tight ends
*Centers may be assigned numbers up to 79, moving linemen’s numbers to the 90-99 range
Skin-tight pants are not just a fashion statement; they prevent other players from grabbing hold and slowing down/stopping a play.
The width between the goalposts in high school and college are different than in professional football: 23 ft. 4 in. for high school/college vs. 18 ft. 6 in. for the pros.
Each quarter of a high school football game is 12 minutes; three minutes shorter than the 15-minute college and pro games.
Many larger high schools have a separate junior varsity (JV) team along with their regular, or varsity, team. In most cases, freshman and some sophomores will play for the JV team, though occasionally these younger players may be called up to the varsity team to replace injured players. In rare instances younger players may go direct to the varsity team without having first played JV. If football is very popular, there may even be a third team for freshmen called the freshman team. These teams usually have no playoffs, but the team with the best record is named champion of their individual league.
Books, Movies, and More
Books (fiction & nonfiction)
Football
The Dairy Queen series by Catherine Gilbert Murdock (Y MUR)
The Off Season, Book 2 (also a book on CD and a downloadable audiobook from ListenNJ)
Front and Center, Book 3 (also a book on CD)
Roughnecks by Thomas Cochran (Y COC)
Football for Dummies by Howie Long & John Czarnecki (796.332 FOO)
The 80-Yard Run: A Twenty-Week, Coast-to-Coast Quest for the Heart of High School Football by Theron Hopkins (796.332 HOP)
Cheerleading
A Non-Blonde Cheerleader in Love by Kieran Scott (Y SCO)
Techniques of Dance for Cheerleading by Craig Peters (Y 791.6 PET)
We’ve Got Spirit: The Life and Times of America’s Greatest Cheerleading Team by James T. McElroy (Y 371.89 MCE)
Competitive Cheerleading by Craig Peters (Y 791.6 PET)
Movies
Football:
Remember the Titans (PG-13)
Angels in the Endzone (not rated)
Cheerleading:
Fired Up! (PG-13)
Bring it On (PG-13)
Schedules
I’ve listed all the schedules I could find that have current info. If you find one that I missed, please leave a reply with the URL. Thanks!
Ewing High (The Blue Devils; Blue & white)
Hamilton West (Hornets; Orange & black)
Hightstown (Rams; Blue & white)
- Marching unit (site has a link to the schedule)
Hopewell Valley Central (Bulldogs, Black & gold)
- Football (Varsity, JV, & Freshman)
Hun (Raiders; Red & black)
Lawrence High (Cardinals; Red & white)
The Lawrenceville School (Big Red; Red & black)
Notre Dame (Fighting Irish; Columbia blue, navy blue & white)
- Football (use the drop-down menu)
- Cheerleading (use the drop-down menu)
Nottingham ( Northstars; Blue & gold)
Peddie ( Falcons; Blue & gold)
Princeton (Little Tigers; Blue & white)
Robbinsville (Ravens; Red & black)
- Cheerleading (info pending as of 9/1/11)
Steinert (Spartans; Green, white, & black)
- Marching Unit (no band-specific schedule posted, just the football schedule)
Trenton Catholic Academy (formerly McCorristin Catholic HS; Iron Mikes; Blue & white)
Trenton Central High (Tornados; Black & red)
- TCH website (No sports schedules posted as of 9/1/11. See TCH website for a nice picture of the color guard.)
West Windsor-Plainsboro South (Pirates; Green & gold)
- Marching Band
- Jennifer P.
Comments
Post a Comment