Edited by Azizi Powell
[Additional comments added: October 14, 2018]
This is Part III of a three part pancocojams series about the stomp and shake cheerleading custom of performing basketball cheers in gym bleachers.
Part III [Added October 14, 2018] showcases a video of a cheer battle in the bleachers between two North Carolina High Schools. Selected comments from the Video given as #4 are also included in this post. Most of these comments are about "cheer battles in general and this cheer battle in particular.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/10/stomp-and-shake-cheerleaders-performing.html for Part I of this series. Part I presents information and commentary about this custom and customs that probably influenced it. I'm interested in sussing out what influenced the custom of performing basketball stomp and shake cheers in bleachers and when this custom may have begun. I'm also interested in documenting information about and comments that I've found online about this custom.
Part II of this series showcases some YouTube video examples of stomp and shake basketball cheerleading in bleachers. Two of these chants are transcribed in this post.
This post is part of an ongoing pancocojams series on stomp and shake cheerleading. Click the "stomp and shake cheerleading" tag for other posts in this series.
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The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, and recreational purposes.
All copyright remains with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to all those who are featured in these videos and thanks to t he publishers of these videos on YouTube.
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DEFINITION OF STOMP AND SHAKE BLEACHER CHANTS (CHEERS)
"Bleacher chants" ("Bleacher cheers) is a term that is used for chants/cheers that pre-college/university stomp and shake cheerleader squads perform while standing or sitting in the bleachers during basketball games. A chant is shorter and more repetitive than a cheer.
Stomp and shake cheerleaders perform these chants/cheers while doing rhythmic individual hand claps, alternating with bass sounding foot stomps on the floor of the bleachers, banging their hands on the bleachers themselves, and other characteristic stomp and shake cheerleader moves.
As far as I've been able to determine, college/university stomp and shake cheerleaders don't perform chants/cheers in the bleachers.
In one comment (given in the discussion thread for a video in Part II of this series), "bleach banging" is a term that is used for cheerleaders performing cheers while standing or sitting in the bleachers. I don't know how widely that term is used.
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SHOWCASE VIDEO: Cheerleaders: EPIC Cheer Battle Carver High School Vs. Winston Salem Prep Academy (Cheerleaders)
Two Sockz, Published on Feb 1, 2018
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Chants are performed throughout this video.
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Carver's cheerleaders wore the blue with black stripe [My computer shows this color as "purple".]
Winston Prep's cheerleaders wore white with red.
Both of these high schools are in North Carolina.
Note that my research strongly suggests that stomp and shake cheerleading began at certain Historically Black colleges and universities in the 1970s in North Carolina and-at the same time or around the same time- in Virginia. The tradition of stomp and shake cheerleading appears to be very strong among a number of Black high schools and middle schools in those two states and, it appears from YouTube videos, particularly in North Carolina.
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Bleacher chants were performed throughout this video.
Here are selected comments from this video's discussion thread, with numbers added for referencing purposes only (All of these comments are from 2018):
1. Shawn Quish
"Was there a basketball game happening while all this was taking place?"
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2. Bobby Rashaad
"Shawn Quish yes that’s how our games be like they don’t even come for the basketball team any. Cheerleaders make the game sell out 4 hours before the game start"
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3. AltaMay11
"Ahahahahaha exactly
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4. PSALMSOFSONGS
"They was looking too. 🤣"
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5. Firstclass82 A/D
"PREP! That battle was real but prep takes the win alumni and all was on point claps and stomps, beats was 🔥 !!"
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6. Cameron Powell
"Key you skipped a scene when everybody gets to fighting"
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7. Jalessa Bragg
"Yo the chills I have watching this is wild!!!! Both teams went so hard! I know the vibe in that gym is something serious💥 I’m so shook"
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8. Rochford Legal
"idiotic...ended up with fight, both squads apparently suspended for remainder of season."
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9. MrMalibupj
"The cheer battle scene is not my cup of tea. Sportsmanship is lost in all of that negativity. We don't need to put others down in order to build ourselves up. This was NOT friendly competition. Dudley would never boo another squad. My compliments to Coach T for teaching positive behaviors to her squads. And if a cheer battle must take place, take it to the mat at a sanctioned competition and see who's got stunt, jump, tumbling and cheer game."
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Dudley High School is another North Carolina High School that has a stomp and shake cheerleading squad. Dudley is located in Greensboro, North Carolina. The schools in this video are located in Winston Salem, North Carolina.
Coach T is the cheerleading coach for Carver High School.
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10. Michelle Whitfield
"MrMalibupj I agree with you on the poor sportsmanship like on the home team for booing the opponent team but they are rival schools and in a different district where cheer battles are accepted. Coach T's squad is in a district where they can't battle and against the rules. If her squad was able to do a cheer battle, it would be friendly and keeping cheer unity alive. Coach T wouldn't let her girls go that far to be rude and disrespectful. Her cheerleaders are amazing girls. I loved the video and I know that rival schools have no respect."
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11. MrMalibupj
"To me, "Cheer Battle" is an oxymoron, because I never see cheerfulness at these events; only anger, derision and disrespect. Why do women still fall into that trap? How can a coach-who models not only cheer technique but also self conduct- encourage and PARTICIPATE in HOSTILE exchanges with the other side? It's basically Worldstar material without the physical beatdown. But the posturing, tone of voice and sneering faces are all there. And I find it particularly unfortunate to see Black girls fall prey to this, because we live in a Nation whose current leaders depend on minorities destroying one another. NOW MORE THAN EVER is the time for Black Girls to drop the put downs, embrace one another and say "I love you. I see you. I support you." Because THAT''S WHAT CHEERLEADERS DO. I hope Coach T reads this because I think she's an exemplary role model. Her cheerleaders will walk away better citizens because of her."
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12. Michelle Whitfield
"MrMalibupj I understand that everyone is entitled to own opinion and that is okay but I think you missed my point that these two teams are rival schools and have no respect for each other. All gloves were off in this epic cheer battle. After a little bit of insight from Kevin, he didn't to shine the negativity on both squads in this video. So rival schools have no respect for each other."
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13. Michelle Whitfield
"MrMalibupj you act like Carver is the only school that had a fight breakout on the basketball court. I'm pretty sure that has happened to many schools around the nation."
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14. MrMalibupj
"That's not how I'm acting. Just emphasizing my point how negative and pointless cheer battles are. They never seem to end well. Remember my comparison to Worldstar? Carver and Prep went there."
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15. Michelle Whitfield
"MrMalibupj POB vs Harding are rival schools. I watched their cheer battle and it didn't end like this one did. You can't always assume that cheer battles will end in a fight."
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16. MrMalibupj
"Not saying they all end in fights. Sadly not surprised when they do. But they tend to end with the cheerleaders walking away feeling irrational animosity toward the other squad/school. And for WHAT?! UCA certainly doesn't hand out trophies for sassiest comeback. And the clacking back and forth IS A FIGHT. They're ratchet arguments that rhyme.. It's the cheerleader's responsibility to exhibit a higher standard of behavior. The downward spiral direction that the sacred institution of cheerleading is going serves as an example among many as to why parents are taking their children out of public schools."
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17. Michelle Whitfield
"MrMalibupj there is one thing that you and I can agree on is what Coach T thinks about cheer battles. They go too far like what these two squads did. The cheerleaders ended up in a brawl and I wonder if the basketball players finished their game. So I agree with you on this going too far but it won't stop me from watching more cheer battles. I love watching them. I encourage Twosockz to have more videos of cheer battles like these at times. I think Twosockz filmed the most epic cheer battle on YouTube."
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18. MrMalibupj
"I think we'd probably agree on many things. Not putting down twosockz for filming cheer battles. Not putting you down for watching them. I'll just choose not to watch them."
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19. Michelle Whitfield
"MrMalibupj so I won't put you down on this but why did you watch this video if you don't like cheer battles?"
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20. MrMalibupj
"Because I've enjoyed Twosockz' past videos. He's given stomp and shake squads a platform. But even his knack of video doc doesn't erase the ick factor I get from cheer battles. I'll only watch the positive stuff Dudley or similar squads put out from now on."
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21. Bobby Rashaad
"It’s all for fun it ain like they beefing for real"
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22. Michelle Whitfield
"rashaad parker this battle ended in a brawl. They were really beefing it out."
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23. Bobby Rashaad
"But cheer battles be for fun they fought because they went over in they area which was not suppose too happen. Ima cheerleader Nd because of these reason we get fined for battle but they have loosing up on it"
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24. Michelle Whitfield
"rashaad parker this cheer battle is between two rival schools in NC and that is how it it ended in a brawl. Like with Coach T, her team isn't allowed to battle. I think in certain areas, teams are allowed to battle. There is no cheer unity."
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25. Bobby Rashaad
"We battle our rival teams every year but it don’t get too the point where we fight we also do a unity cheer together during halftime"
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26. Michelle Whitfield
"rashaad parker I love teams that do a cheer unity during half time. It shows appreciation for each other."
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27. Stephanie Taylor
"I totally agree. When did we stop teaching our kids sportsmanship. They booing them was terrible and downing each other is bad also"
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28. Michelle Whitfield
"Stephanie Taylor well you do have a point but it isn't just cheerleading. It is also in all sports as well. Including national sports. I watch NASCAR and there are times when drivers fight each other because they didn't like what they did on the track. Grown men fighting on national tv."
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29. leandrea humphrey
"That's so not fair they have alumni and the squad against them"
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30. Brianna Covington
"leandrea humphrey the people in black are alumni from Carver and they had way more than prep and prep still took the W"
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"took the W"= won
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31. Pat Mitchell
"overall great battle, however so many other cheers seen in this video: WSSU, HUHS, seen a little blue chip. I think it’s okay to use other cheers and even melodies but don’t take them directly"
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This commenter is critical of the fact that these cheerleading teams used cheers (chants) from Winston Salem State University, Harding University High School (in Charlotte, North Carolina) and blue chip [[?]
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32. Bobby Rashaad
"Pat Mitchell right u suppose too remix them and make em better"
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33. Keekuleeks G
"I just can't get over the fact that there's a whole basketball game going on while this is happening😂😂😂😂😂😂"
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34. AlyceeluvWKND
"What happened to cheer unity...?"
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35. Politemizrahi85
"I'm a proud Alumna of CHS!! Cheerleading was not this intense when I attended, also.......I don't think WS Prep was even around. Our rivals were Dudley and sometimes (lol) Parkland. But anyways at the end of the game they would hug and meet and greet. Now they throw hands. Lol This was tooooooo much! But interesting to watch. Let's do better Jackets. 💋 OH and our Cheerleaders have always been great!! They a lil ratchet now but they still clean and sharp."
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CHS = Carver High School
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36. finisher3x
"Peep the score at 1:10. It's only 10 - 2 in favor of the home team at the start of the 2nd quarter. This mean the actual basketball game SUCKED. No wonder they got so hyped up for the cheer battle. ( EDIT: Looks like the home team got blown out by the time the 4th quarter came around )"
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37. Natasha Carter
"I'm so behind the times. When did they start cutting their skirts like that?"
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38. Soraiya Ford
"I haven't seen a cheer battle this good since the clovers showed up at the game on bring it 😂"
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This commenter refers to the first Bring It On high school cheerleading movie (2000).
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39. Blessed One
"Nothing better than cheer squads HBCU and high schools from North Carolina"
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HBCU = historically Black colleges and universities
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40. FoxyByProxy
"This is a complete and utter DISGRACE to the sport. It goes against everything it is to be a cheerleader. When you put on that uniform, you're a representative of not only your team, but the entire school. A cheerleader promotes positive team spirit and sets an example for their peers. The fact that this disgusting display not only occurred in front of others, it was filmed and posted online for the masses is outrageous and demands repercussion. I would kick everyone of them off the squad and perhaps shut down the program until someone comes in to give it some serious overhaul. These aren't cheerleaders."
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41. lavette gayles
"so what do they do grab plain clothes fans to join the battle. I've never seen anything like this!! hype as heck"
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Several commenters wrote that the people wearing black were alumni cheerleaders.
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42. Itsxtajah
"Who else forgot there was a basketball game even going on 😂"
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43. xxjay Wxx
"I don't think no one was paying any attention to the game they were to busy watching the cheer battle 😂😂😂"
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44. kobe bryant
"I found myself skipping through carvers cheers and started just watching prep. Both teams were good no doubt, but preps energy had me shook. This wasn’t even there home gym and they set the place on fire. A little ghetto especially the fighting but other than that prep showed out literally. Ps, no shade intended I know from personal experiences when you face a rival and there aren’t many to calm the hype anything is bound to happen."
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45. kobe bryant
"& mind you if this is how prep coming and this wasn’t even there territory, just imagine what carver is in for when they have to go to them"
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46. Rayana Miller
"kobe bryant same thing I skipped into prep :)"
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47. Tesha Barnett
"?? So the cheerleaders of today dont cheer on the actual basketball team during a game? So no one saw the game huh they did a battle during the game? Wasnt that distracting to the players however cute"
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48. 22Tamyra Russell
"am i tripping or was prep saying "we just see blood" lol, i couldn't really under stand what they were saying ... does anyone know what they were saying when all those girls who weren't on the team started cheering with them?! i neeed to knowww"
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49. Duone Campbell
"we just get ready"
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50. Tony Hodges
"The stomps were ON FIRE!!! But, this is NOT cheerleading. They were not leading a crowd..more like inciting them."
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51. Derrek Townsend
"So the cheerleaders don't stand on the sidelines no more ? Lol"
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52. Let's Talk
"You know the beef is real when the team is using the other team cheers they said we can do your own cheers better than you 😂😂😂"
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53. ImSoJessica Nichole
"This should of been just a cheer battle forget the game lol"
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54. ChrissyChanel
"I loved how the boy cheerleader annunciated all his words! he went hardddd‼️‼️both teams were great. loved the energy!"
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55. Marlon Jiles
"Do every southern school have the same cheers and deep voice."
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56. santonianone1
"Y’all make mad some times but I love my BLACK people!...❤️🤷🏿♂️"
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57. Bernie Spencer
"I must agree this battle was very intense that's what kept me watching. Those girls were dead serious. All the girls did a awesome job. 👍👍👏👏"
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58. Michelle Whitfield
"My final comment. I think this is the number 1 EPIC Cheer battle on YouTube. All other cheer battles on YouTube are weak. I feel like it shouldn't have ended in a brawl but these were rival schools. Great Job Kevin on your editing and not showing the brawl itself."
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59. Jazz
"Michelle Whitfield you need to watch the Harding high school cheer battle that’s definitely the best hands down"
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60. Michelle Whitfield
"Jazz Hello dear! I've watched that video and that is how I started following Two Sockz."
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61. Michelle Whitfield
"Jazz This battle had more intensity than the other one. With watching the last upload of Dudley and Smith, these two squads should learn from them on what it is like to have good cheer battle and still have fun with respect."
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Ry Ry Brown
"Yo our cheer team nvr go this hard. I'm in the step team so we basically act like this so"
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nvr= never
hard = intense
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This concludes this three part pancocojams series on stomp and shake cheerleading in the bleachers.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
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