Home > Learning Center > Cheer Pom

Cheer Pom

The word pompon is a French work meaning ornamental spheres.  Throughout time, and use of the word a hyphen was added to make the word more American.  Now they are commonly referred to simply as cheer poms.  Poms are basically a decorative ball of some sort of fluff.  They can be made from fabric, wool, cotton, paper, plastic and even feathers.   They are available in an array of sizes and even colors.  It is most common to use poms in cheer performances to accentuate the movements of the performers as well as add to visual entertainment.  They are most commonly made of plastic and usually match the color scheme of the cheerleaders uniforms and school, or team, colors. 

The cheer pom originated in the 1930’s when they were copyrighted for use in high schools and universities.  The first poms were made of crepe paper and were extremely fragile.  Many cheerleaders hated poms because they would break and fall apart during performances and if it rained or the pom got wet in anyway they would stain the cheerleaders hands.  In 1965 the vinyl pom was introduced and the use of poms grew rapidly.  Vinyl poms were extremely light in weight and came with handles that allowed the cheerleaders to hold them easily.  These poms did not fall apart and they could get wet with no consequence.  Vinyl poms also came in many more colors then crepe paper and they were more vibrant and eye catching. 

Since the creation of the cheer pom it has risen and fallen from popularity.  Some generations have loved poms while other generations have preferred alternate accessories.  Ribbons and megaphones have each replaced poms in some generations.  Today cheer poms are extremely popular in the cheerleading community.  Most cheer squads have poms they use for every performance and even practices.  Poms are used alongside megaphones and ribbons now in many performances.

 

Cheerleading Shoes | Cheerleading Outfits | Learning Center | Site Map | Links | Contact | Home

©