Lawrence Herkimer
Encyclopedia
Lawrence Herkimer is an American
innovator in the field of cheerleading
. He created the Herkie
cheerleading jump, which was named for him, and received a patent for the pom-pon
. Herkimer has described his contribution to the field as taking it "from the raccoon coat and pennant to greater heights".
As a cheerleader at Southern Methodist University
developed what became known as 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 friend of his father-in-law. By the following year, enrollment had grown to 350 the following year. 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 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 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.
, he lived with his second wife in a large apartment in Aventura, Florida
. Still physically active and fit at age 83 — he weighs 165 pounds on his 5 foot 7 ½ inch frame — he golfs three mornings each week and also exercises at a health club three days weekly. He acknowledged that herkies are 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".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
innovator in the field of cheerleading
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
. He created the Herkie
Herkie
The Herkie is a cheerleading jump named after Lawrence Herkimer, the founder of the National Cheerleaders Association and former cheerleader at Southern Methodist University...
cheerleading jump, which was named for him, and received a patent for the pom-pon
Pom-pon
A pom-pon is a fluffy, decorative ball or tuft. Pom-pons may come in many colors, sizes, and varieties and are made from a wide array of materials, including wool, cotton, paper, plastic, and occasionally feathers....
. Herkimer has described his contribution to the field as taking it "from the raccoon coat and pennant to greater heights".
As a cheerleader at Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
developed what became known as the Herkie
Herkie
The Herkie is a cheerleading jump named after Lawrence Herkimer, the founder of the National Cheerleaders Association and former cheerleader at Southern Methodist University...
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
Sam Houston State University
Sam Houston State University was founded in 1879 and is the third oldest public institution of higher learning in the State of Texas. It is located in Huntsville, Texas. It is one of the oldest purpose-built institutions for the instruction of teachers west of the Mississippi River and the first...
) with 53 participants, funded with $600 he had borrowed from friend of his father-in-law. By the following year, enrollment had grown to 350 the following year. 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 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 a visually appealing device for cheerleaders, given the advent of color television
Color television
Color television is part of the history of television, the technology of television and practices associated with television's transmission of moving images in color video....
, his pom-pon
Pom-pon
A pom-pon is a fluffy, decorative ball or tuft. Pom-pons may come in many colors, sizes, and varieties and are made from a wide array of materials, including wool, cotton, paper, plastic, and occasionally feathers....
with a hidden handle was granted patent 3,560,313 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office
United States Patent and Trademark Office
The United States Patent and Trademark Office is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that issues patents to inventors and businesses for their inventions, and trademark registration for product and intellectual property identification.The USPTO is based in Alexandria, Virginia,...
in 1971. Herkimer chose the name "Pom pon" after hearing that the word "pompom" had vulgar meanings in other languages.
, he lived with his second wife in a large apartment in Aventura, Florida
Aventura, Florida
Aventura is a planned, suburban city located in northeastern Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city name is from the Spanish word for "adventure", and was named "Aventura" after one of the developers of the original group of condominiums in the area remarked to the others, "What an adventure this is...
. Still physically active and fit at age 83 — he weighs 165 pounds on his 5 foot 7 ½ inch frame — he golfs three mornings each week and also exercises at a health club three days weekly. He acknowledged that herkies are 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".