CheerWiki: Pompons

A short post for the day ;)

Fun fact time!!

Do you know why pompons are spelt 'pompoNs' instead of 'pompoMs'?

Pompon is actually an automatic rapid-firing, small-calibre cannon, or a type of anti-aircraft cannon used in World War II! Lawrence Herkimer, dubbed the 'father of modern cheerleading', discovered that 'pompom' is also a lingo or slang used by military men to denote 'sexual intercourse', which is erm.. VERY VERY obviously inappropriate to the family-friendly, wholesome and healthy image of cheerleading! So he changed the spelling and it has been pompoN eversince! :)

So if you think there's a spelling error about the word pompons, nope, there isn't! And it's perfectly appropriate too! :D

Source: "Pom Pom" Dictionary of American Slang, 1975 ed.

til then,
The Cheer Addict