Jerry Starnes

Jerry Starnes began his cheerleading career at Jacksonville State University before joining the Universal Cheerleaders Association as an instructor in 1975, when the organization was only a year old and operating a rapidly expanding camp system. That summer, 4,000 cheerleaders attended 24 UCA camps focused on partner stunting, pyramids, coaching, and team development—an environment in which Starnes became known for improvised "boogie chants" and creative routine-making.

Starnes's central contribution came through collaboration with Kris Shepherd. During the 1976 camp season, they created what is recognized as the first cheerleading routine set to music, with Starnes selecting the theme from *Rocky* as the background score. This innovation transformed music from incidental accompaniment into a structural organizing element of cheer performance. The same 1976 season introduced liberty and tossing stunts, and the new routine format integrated such skills into continuous performance arcs timed to musical phrasing rather than separated chants and demonstrations.

In 1977, Starnes assisted Shepherd with the first college demo. He later moved to Salt Lake City but continued collaborating with Shepherd on college demonstrations for years, allowing their routine logic to circulate through instructor training and reach campus teams across the country. Starnes is memorialized within Varsity Spirit's Legends history as a choreographic innovator in UCA's formative years.