Since 1951,[1] the NCA has held summer camps, and is credited with the invention of the herkie jump, the pom-pom, the spirit stick[2] and being the first uniform manufacturer.
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 NCA staff help teams create choreography, enhance skills, build leadership, master stunts and many more things.
NCA has granted adolescent men and women 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.
NCA is to be considered by many, as a strong community activist especially in relation to non-profit organizations that advocate for 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.