Misplaced Pages

#504495

47-491: The NCA was founded in 1948 by the "Grandfather" of cheerleading, Lawrence "Herkie" Herkimer , a former member of the Spirit Squad at Southern Methodist University. The NCA, incorporated in 1948, is the first organization to hold cheer camps with the purpose of bringing cheerleaders together to learn new skills under qualified instructors and compete against other schools in dance, jumps, tumbling and stunting. The first camp

94-490: A humid continental climate ( Dfa ) with hot summers and cold winters. Precipitation is consistent year-round. Muskegon receives heavy lake-effect snow from Lake Michigan during winter. As of the census of 2010, 38,401 people, 13,967 households, and 7,895 families resided in the city. The population density was 2,702.4 inhabitants per square mile (1,043.4/km ). The 16,105 housing units had an average density of 1,133.4 per square mile (437.6/km ). The racial makeup of

141-403: A French-Canadian trader named Joseph La Framboise established a fur-trading post at the mouth of Duck Lake. Between 1810 and 1820, several French-Canadian fur traders, including Lamar Andie, Jean Baptiste Recollect, and Pierre Constant, had established fur-trading posts around Muskegon Lake . Euro-American settlement of Muskegon began in earnest in 1837, which coincided with the beginning of

188-870: A National Register Historic District. The mansions are operated with the Lakeshore Museum Center, which details the history of Muskegon County, from the Pottawatomi and Ottawa Native American tribes and lakeside fur traders to the Lumber Queen of the World to today. Events held in the town include: Fraternal organizations are a vibrant part of life in Western Michigan. Clubs with active memberships include: Previous sports teams to play in Muskegon have included: The Seaway Run

235-488: A World War II submarine; USS  LST-393 , a World War II tank landing ship ; and USCGC McLane , a Prohibition-era United States Coast Guard cutter. In addition, Muskegon also berths Milwaukee Clipper , a former passenger ship built in 1904 that traveled the same route as Lake Express does today. The Frauenthal Center for the Performing Arts includes two theaters, the main historic Frauenthal house and

282-483: A bike trail. Muskegon State Park has a Winter Sports Complex that features ice fishing , cross-country skiing , ice skating , and a luge track. P.J. Hoffmaster State Park has many sand dunes as well as two campgrounds and a public beach. Michigan's Adventure , the largest amusement park in the state, is in Muskegon County , a few miles north of the city of Muskegon. Michigan's Adventure features

329-684: A classic hits format. The station is based out of nearby Roosevelt Park. Other local FM stations include 90.3 WBLV -FM (classical/jazz/NPR), 91.7 WMCQ -FM (religious), WWSN FM 92.5 (adult contemporary), WGVS-FM 95.3 (public radio), WLAW-FM FM 97.5 (country), WLCS -FM 98.3 (oldies), WVIB -FM 100.1 (urban contemporary), WMRR -FM 101.7 (classic rock), WSNX -FM 104.5 (top 40, studios in Grand Rapids), WOOD-FM -FM 106.9 (news/talk, simulcast of WOOD-AM 1300/Grand Rapids), and WMUS FM 107.9 (country). Other local AM stations aside from WKBZ include WSMZ 850, WLAW 1490 (country). Public transportation

376-514: A day in the summer, and two roundtrips in the fall. Several major highways serve the city, including: Interstates U.S. Highways Other state highways CSX Transportation , along with the Michigan Shore Railway, provide rail service for many of Muskegon's industries. Rail passenger services ended in the 1960s. The nearest passenger rail available is via Amtrak in nearby Holland or Grand Rapids. Until 1971,

423-448: A friend of his father-in-law. By the following year, enrollment had grown to 350 participants. Shortly thereafter, he was making more money from his summer programs than he was teaching the remainder of the year at Southern Methodist, so he gave up teaching and took up the cheerleading business full-time. His camps had as many as 1,500 instructors teaching tens of thousands of students nationwide each summer, and his Cheerleader Supply Company

470-538: A health club three days weekly. He acknowledged that herkies were no longer a part of his exercise regimen, stating that "I was about 60 when I did my last one", and that it would require "a crane and piano wire [for him] to perform one now". Herkimer appeared as himself on the September 13, 1965, episode of To Tell the Truth , receiving one of the four possible votes. Herkimer died of heart failure July 1, 2015, at

517-505: A midway with roller coasters, other rides, amusements, and a full water park. Muskegon Country Club was founded in 1908 and features a course design by Tom Bendelow and a course redesign by Donald Ross . The city operates under a Commission-Manager form of local government. A seven-member city commission, comprising a mayor and six commissioners, serves as the legislative and executive branch. Four commissioners are elected from wards, while two commissioners are elected at large. The mayor

SECTION 10

#1732780182505

564-738: A visually appealing device for cheerleaders, given the advent of color television , his pom-pon with a hidden handle was granted patent 3,560,313 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office in 1971. Herkimer chose the name "Pom pon" after hearing that the word "pompom" had vulgar meanings in other languages. In 2009, Herkimer lived with his second wife in a large apartment in Aventura, Florida . Still physically active and fit at age 83 — he weighed 165 pounds (75 kg) on his 5-foot- 7 + 1 ⁄ 2 -inch (1.715 m) frame — he golfed three mornings each week and also exercised at

611-477: Is Tornado Over Kansas , by John Steuart Curry . Muskegon has a growing collection of publicly owned and displayed art pieces. More than two dozen pieces are on permanent display, predominately in the downtown area. Lakeshore Museum Center and Hackley & Hume Historic Site, built by Muskegon's lumber barons , are restored and open to the public. The Hackley & Hume mansions are part of downtown Muskegon's Heritage Village—two blocks from Muskegon Lake, and

658-544: Is also elected at large and serves as chairman of the commission. The city commission hires a city manager to manage the daily operations of the city. Muskegon Public Schools was founded in 1860 and serves students from preschool through grade 12. Additionally, it runs the Muskegon Training and Education Center. Muskegon is also served by these private K-12 schools: Muskegon Catholic Central, Fruitport Calvary Christian, and Western Michigan Christian . Muskegon

705-593: Is also served by Muskegon Community College and Baker College . Western Michigan University , Ferris State University , and Grand Valley State University all operate programs out of the Stevenson Center for Higher Education on the Muskegon Community College campus. Muskegon's leading newspaper is The Muskegon Chronicle . The Chronicle is a daily newspaper owned by Booth Newspapers . It started publication in 1857. Muskegon

752-633: Is currently provided by Denver Air Connection operating regional jet flights at Muskegon County Airport (MKG), with nonstop service to Chicago O'Hare Airport . Other airlines provide passenger service via the Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR) in Grand Rapids . Muskegon is the eastern port of the Lake Express High-Speed Car Ferry that crosses Lake Michigan to Milwaukee , Wisconsin offering three roundtrips

799-399: Is in western Muskegon County, on the south side of Muskegon Lake , a harbor of Lake Michigan . The city is bordered to the north, across Muskegon Lake, by the city of North Muskegon and Laketon Township . It is bordered to the east by Muskegon Township , to the southeast by Fruitport Township , to the south by the cities of Muskegon Heights , Roosevelt Park , and Norton Shores , and to

846-705: Is provided by the Muskegon Area Transit System (MATS – "The Shore Line"), which operates nine bus routes, three trolley routes, and a paratransit system. MATS serves the Herman Ivory Passenger Terminal. MATS operates the Muskegon Trolley Company. Three routes cover the north side, south side, and downtown; each trolley stops at 11 locations, including Hackley and Hume Historic Site, USS Silversides, and Muskegon State Park. Commercial air service

893-461: Is run every year in late June. It features a 15k race, 5k race, 5k walk for fun, 15k wheelchair race. Pere Marquette Beach is the largest free public beach on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan . Windsurfing , kite boarding competitions, and professional volleyball tournaments are held there. Its quartz sand beach is expansive and bordered by large sand dunes. The beach area is popular with cyclists, runners, and hikers, and families. It faces to

940-534: Is served by the local television station WMKG-CD . The Muskegon area is also served by several radio stations. WUVS-LP 103.7 is a popular urban (hip-hop/R&B) and gospel station with local programming as well as Sunday religious programming and local-based talk. Another local low-powered FM station is WUGM-LP 106.1, owned by the Muskegon Training and Education Center, which airs an Urban Oldies format dubbed "M-TEC 106 FM, Rock 'n' Soul." A Newer LP-FM Station WFFR-LP 100.9 also offers local programming along with

987-815: The Chesapeake & Ohio Railway (successor to the Pere Marquette Railway ) operated day and night trains from Union Station to Holland and Chicago . The Grand Trunk Western and the Pennsylvania Railroad had earlier operated passenger trains out of another Muskegon station to various points in Michigan. In 1937, the Grand Trunk Western began operating ferries that met up with train and carried passengers and automobiles across Lake Michigan to Milwaukee. Earlier,

SECTION 20

#1732780182505

1034-580: The Herkie by accident while intending to perform a split jump. The move features one arm extended straight up in the air and the other on one's hip, with one leg extended straight out, and the other bent back. At SMU, he formed a national organization for cheerleaders and created a cheerleading-oriented magazine called Megaphone . Herkimer started his first cheerleading camp in 1948 at Sam Houston State Teachers College (now Sam Houston State University ) with 53 participants, funded with $ 600 he had borrowed from

1081-490: The Trinity Health Arena . The Muskegon Farmer's Market welcomes more than 10,000 visitors every Saturday in the summer, and the boutique incubator shops and chalets on Western Avenue are a popular attraction for residents and tourists looking to support small businesses. Muskegon is home to several historical war ships and vessels. The USS Silversides Submarine Museum which features USS  Silversides ,

1128-402: The 14,569 households, 31.1% had children under 18 living with them, 33.2% were married couples living together, 20.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.4% were not families. About 34.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.42, and the average family size was 3.13. In the city,

1175-668: The NCA Nationals. This is a competition for high school teams to compete after earning a bid. Many high school teams have to win at their state competition before being able to move on to nationals. The All-star teams compete at NCA All-star Nationals. These All-star cheerleaders compete at many competitions within their region to earn a bid to compete at nationals. The College National Championships are held in Daytona Beach, Florida in April. NCA has granted adolescent men and women

1222-628: The NCA still hosts summer camps as a way to bring new skills to teams in a safe controlled environment. The main goal of the summer camps is to help teams and athletes learn more about cheerleading. The summer camps are supposed to help athletes learn new skills and enhance old skills. The NCA summer camps are a way for teams to get started and ready for the season. The NCA staff help teams create choreography, enhance skills, build leadership, master stunts and many more things. The NCA hosts competitions for school teams and All-star teams. For school teams, they host

1269-453: The age distribution was 25.8% under 18, 11.6% from 18 to 24, 32.2% from 25 to 44, 18.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 109.6 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 110.3 males. The city's median income for a household was $ 27,929, and for a family was $ 32,640. Males had a median income of $ 29,114 versus $ 22,197 for females. The per capita income for

1316-464: The age of 89, in Dallas, Texas. Muskegon, Michigan Muskegon ( / m ə ˈ s k iː ɡ ən / mə- SKEE -gən ) is a city in and the county seat of Muskegon County, Michigan , United States. Situated around a harbor of Lake Michigan , Muskegon is known for fishing, sailing regattas , and boating. It is the most populous city along Lake Michigan's eastern shore. At the 2020 census ,

1363-408: The area on his fateful trip to St. Ignace in 1675, and a party of French soldiers under La Salle's lieutenant, Henry de Tonty , passed through the area in 1679. The county's earliest known Euro-American resident was Edward Fitzgerald, a fur trader and trapper who came to the Muskegon area in 1748 and who died there, reportedly being buried in the vicinity of White Lake . Between 1790 and 1800,

1410-435: The city was $ 14,283. About 16.8% of families and 20.5% of the population were below the poverty line , including 27.6% of those under age 18 and 14.3% of those 65 or over. Downtown Muskegon serves as the hub for much of Muskegon County. Positioned along the southern shoreline of Muskegon Lake, it stretches for nearly two miles. Downtown is home to a number of hotels, a 25,000-square-foot convention center completed in 2021, and

1457-552: The city was 57.0% White, 34.5% African American, 0.9% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 2.6% from other races, and 4.5% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 8.2% of the population. Of the 13,967 households, 32.5% had children under 18 living with them, 27.9% were married couples living together, 22.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.5% were not families. About 36.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who

National Cheerleaders Association - Misplaced Pages Continue

1504-579: The city's northeast end. In May 2022, local environmental groups announced cleanup efforts along Muskegon Lake officially have been completed, leading the Environmental Protection Agency to begin its study to remove Muskegon Lake from the EPA's list of "Areas of Concern", which was expected to be finalized by the end of 2022 and promised additional new economic activity in the downtown and nearby lakefront neighborhoods. Muskegon has

1551-468: The city's population was 38,318. The city is administratively autonomous from adjacent Muskegon Township , and several locations in Muskegon Township and other surrounding townships have Muskegon addresses. Muskegon is the center of the Muskegon metropolitan statistical area , which is coextensive with Muskegon County and had a population of 175,824 as of the 2020 census. It is also part of

1598-411: The city. The population density was 2,794.5 inhabitants per square mile (1,079.0/km ). The 15,999 housing units had an average density of 1,114.8/sq mi (430.4/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 57.9% White, 31.7% African American, 2.3% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 2.7% from other races , and 3.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any origins were 6.4% of the population. Of

1645-509: The coveted golden trophy. The competitions are based at the Ocean Center and Bandshell. These competitions allow cheerleaders to showcase their skills and have the honor of becoming National Champs. NCA challenges the societal ideas that cheerleading is a feminine sport that does not require athletic abilities. NCA is to be considered by many, as a strong community activist especially in relation to non-profit organizations that advocate for

1692-592: The exploitation of the area's extensive timber resources. The explosion of the lumber industry in 1837 inaugurated what some regard as the most romantic era in the history of the region. Lumbering in the mid-19th century brought many settlers, particularly from Germany , Netherlands , and Sweden . Some Muskegon neighborhoods began as separate villages. Bluffton was founded as a lumbering village in 1862 in Laketon Township . It had its own post office from 1868 until 1892. Muskegon annexed it in 1889. Muskegon

1739-964: The health benefits of children. The growth of NCA has inspired many upcoming cheerleading programs, to strive for a level of excellence that has allowed it to achieve as much as the company has over the past 70 years. Many of these athletes are stereotyped as not being as intelligent and only being good at cheerleading because of their looks. However, today’s cheerleaders are athletes, scholars, and leaders. Ninety percent of cheerleaders are “B” students or better. 98.5% plan on going to college. Over half participate in other extra-curricular activities. Many hold leadership positions in their class and in clubs at school. 40% of cheerleaders participate in school sport outside of cheerleading. Also, over half of all cheer teams participate in community charity events. 3. "National Cheerleaders Association" Dallas NewS. Retrieved March 2018 Lawrence %22Herkie%22 Herkimer Lawrence Russell Herkimer (October 14, 1925 – July 1, 2015)

1786-472: The larger Grand Rapids - Kentwood -Muskegon- combined statistical area . The name "Muskegon" is derived from the Ottawa mashkiigong , meaning "marshy river or swamp". The "Masquigon" River ( Muskegon River ) was identified on French maps dating from the late 17th century, suggesting French explorers had reached Michigan's western coast by that time. Father Jacques Marquette traveled northward through

1833-449: The opportunity to showcase their gymnastic based abilities on a national and international level, and the number of its participants has exponentially increased every year for nearly over a decade. At the 2018 NCA Dallas National Championship alone 23,655 athletes from over 39 states and 9 countries, gathered together to participate in one of the most premier competitions of the cheerleading community. As of September 12, 2023 any member of

1880-556: The smaller Beardsley Theater in the adjoining Hilt Building. It was refurbished in 1998 and again in 2021, and hosts JAM Theatrical productions, Muskegon Civic Theatre productions, and is home of the West Michigan Symphony Orchestra . The Frauenthal was originally built as the Michigan Theater in 1929. The Muskegon Museum of Art opened in 1912. Among the highlights of its permanent collection

1927-508: The squad with the designation of "Flyer" must be under 103lbs total including uniform Athletes from across the country compete at the National Cheer Association (NCA) and National Dance Association (NDA) Collegiate National Championship in Daytona Beach. Teams gather in Daytona Beach to compete against the nation’s top universities in hopes of winning the title of NCA & NDA Collegiate National Champion and taking home

National Cheerleaders Association - Misplaced Pages Continue

1974-404: The west by Lake Michigan. It is 42 miles (68 km) northwest of Grand Rapids , 36 miles (58 km) north of Holland , and 58 miles (93 km) south of Ludington . According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the city has an area of 18.20 square miles (47.14 km ), of which 4.05 square miles (10.49 km ), or 22.3%, are covered by water. The Muskegon River empties into Muskegon Lake at

2021-479: The west so sunsets are remarkable. Muskegon Lakeshore Bike Trail allows for biking along the shores of Muskegon Lake to Lake Michigan, with two trails for bike paths, one on the east side of Muskegon and the other along the north side, which northerly connects to other trails, such as the Hart-Montague Bike Trail , making it possible to bike from Muskegon to Hart, Michigan , without ever leaving

2068-434: Was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.38. and the average family size was 3.09. The median age in the city was 34.1 years; the age distribution was 23.3% were under 18; 12.2% from 18 and 24; 28.8% from 25 to 44; 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% were 65 or older. The city's gender makeup was 52.1% male and 47.9% female. As of the census of 2000, 40,105 people, 14,569 households, and 8,537 families were residing in

2115-477: Was an American innovator in the field of cheerleading . He created the Herkie cheerleading jump, which was named after him, and received a patent for the pom-pom . Herkimer described his contribution to the field as taking it "from the raccoon coat and pennant to greater heights". He was born in Muskegon, Michigan . As a cheerleader at Southern Methodist University , Herkimer developed what became known as

2162-656: Was held in 1951 at Sam Houston State University with only athletes in attendance. The camp was so popular, that the next year attendance skyrocketed to 450 athletes. Summer Camps were also established across the United States with Cheer and Tumbling Classes led by some of the most outstanding Collegiate Cheerleaders in the United States. The National Cheerleaders Association, at one point was held at around 430 different sites, along with 1,500 instructors. During this time, there were up to 150,000 anticipated cheerleaders yearly. NCA Summer Camps were first started in 1948. Today

2209-583: Was successfully retailing skirts and sweaters for cheerleading squads. Herkimer sold his cheerleading camp program in 1986 for $ 20 million. It was originally purchased by the BSN Corporation, which sold it to the Prospect Group in June 1988, with Herkimer staying on to run the business. By 1990, Herkimer expected the business to bring in $ 50 million in revenue. As part of an effort to provide

#504495