12 Actresses who were cheerleaders in their high school days

Millions of high school girls in USA dream about being a cheerleader, and if you thought cheerleading was just holding up pom-poms and a bit of gymnastics, you are so mistaken. According to a new research, cheerleading is the most dangerous sport amongst women in America! A study by the Journal of Pediatrics shows that 66% of catastrophic sports injuries or injuries that cause permanent disability among school children, happen in cheerleading. At college level, the statistics climb higher at 70%!

Pom-poms seem dangerous now? Well, that doesn’t affect high school girls one bit; the desire to become a cheerleader and belong to the most popular group in high school blurs everything else. They love their cheerleading experience and even go on sites like GiftUnicorn looking for the perfect thank you present for their coaches! And those who were cheerleaders once, understand the excitement, rush and hard work cheerleading is all about. Celebrities are no different! Here are 12 actresses who were cheerleaders during their high school days.

1 Miley Cyrus

The famous and very talented singer, who has also been making news for her outrageous outfits and soulful concerts, was born into an equally talented family. She shot to fame with her show ‘Hannah Montana’. Before auditioning for ‘Hannah Montana’, she was a cheerleader for Tennessee Premier Soccer team in Nashville, her hometown.

2 Charisma Carpenter

Charisma Carpenter rose to fame as Cordelia Chase in ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ and Angel television shows. She not only played a cheerleader in the Buffy series, but she actually started her career as a cheerleader in San Diego. She says that her cheerleading helped during stunts for the show. Now, that’s cheerleading put to use!

3 Carrie Underwood

Carrie Underwood’s career rocketed when she was declared the winner of the fourth season of American Idol in the year 2005. She is one of those actresses who werecheerleaders in their younger days. You could have been witness to her ecstatic performance if you were also in Checotah High School, Oklahoma. Carrie also played basketball and softball when she wasn’t cheerleading.

4 Amy Poehler

Amy Poehler, comedian and actress, was nominated for Emmy award fifteen times in her career and was also a member of the Saturday Night Live cast. She was a cheerleader during her high school days at Burlington High School in Newton, Massachusetts.

5 Rachael Ray

Rachael Ray has won three Emmys for the three food network shows that she hosts. This famous Day time TV talk show host, celebrity chef and author, has many cook books and magazines to her credit. She also explored her talent as a cheerleader in her younger days!

6 Lindsay Lohan

A very popular actress, Lindsay Lohan was also into cheerleading before fate took her to stardom. Famous for her role in ‘Mean Girls’ and ‘Freaky Friday’, she was a cheerleader for Sanford H. Calhoun High School before she was home schooled for the last two years of her high school.

7 Megan Fox

The girl who stole the hearts of millions with her role in ‘Transformers’, also played a cheerleader in ‘Jennifer’s Body’. This role suited her well as she was a cheerleader of her high school, Morningside Academy.

8 Alicia Silverstone

Before Alicia Silverstone shot to fame with her movie ‘Clueless’, she starred in three Aerosmith music videos. She was a cheerleader at San Mateo High School in San Fransisco. She later became one of the greatest female actors during 90’s.

9 Kristen Dunst

Kristen Dunst, or popularly known as Mary Jane in the Sam Raimi‘Spider-Man’ trilogy is another of those actresses who were cheerleaders at some point of time. One of her famous roles was as a cheerleader in the movie ‘Bring It On’. No wonder, it suited her perfectly as she was a cheerleader in both middle and high school.

10 Stacy Ann Ferguson

Globally known as Fergie, a famous solo artist and ¼ of Black Eye Peas, was an all rounder. She was a straight A student, spelling bee champ, and a cheerleader for Glen Wilson High School in California.

11 Halle Berry

The Bond girl, who had also landed major roles in ‘Monster Ball’ and ‘X-men’, was a cheerleader at Bedford High School, Cleveland. She was also the first runner up in the 1986 Miss USA pageant and won Miss Teen All American in 1985 and Miss Ohio USA in 1986.

12 Eva Longoria

Eva Longoria started her career as Isabella Braña on the CBS soap opera ‘The Young and the Restless’ and became very popular by being on the television show ‘Desperate Housewives’. However, before all this happened, she was a cheerleader in high school and in college at Texas A&M University, where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology.