Lawrence Herkimer was called the grandfather of modern cheerleading. He died last week in Dallas. He was 89.
Herkimer was cheerleading’s biggest cheerleader.
The guy created a cheerleading empire. He started camps. He founded the National Cheerleaders Association. He even invented the pompom and something called a spirit stick.
But he’s probably best known for what’s called the Herkie jump.
It’s a classic move in the cheerleading world. You can try it yourself by watching tutorial videos on YouTube, like this one: “On 1, you’re gonna hit a high V. On 2, hold. On 3, swing your arms into this X position with your knees bent On 4, you’re gonna jump off the ground, hit a T motion with your arms.”