Quick answer: a pom-pom (also spelled "pom-pon", and often just called a "pom") is a handheld prop made of many thin plastic strips fixed to a handle, used to make motions look bigger and sharper. Pom-poms are a staple of sideline cheer and dance, but are used much less in competitive All Star routines, where hands need to be free for stunts and tumbling.
What It's For
A pom-pom's main purpose is visual. The strips catch light and movement in a way bare hands don't, so motions look bigger, brighter and more visible from far away - which is why pom-poms are so useful for leading a stadium crowd. Shaking them also adds colour and noise.
How Pom-Poms Are Made and Held
Modern pom-poms are made from strips of vinyl or plastic, often in metallic or team colours, bundled onto a central handle. Handles vary in style, but on many pom-poms the handle is hidden inside the strips so the athlete's fist sits in the middle of the strips. That means the motion still has to be hit with a properly closed fist - the pom-pom exaggerates the motion, but can't hide a sloppy one.
Sideline vs Competitive Cheer
- Sideline cheer - pom-poms are used heavily in chants and cheers at games to lead the crowd.
- Competitive All Star cheer - pom-poms are allowed as props but used sparingly, usually in a short section, because athletes need their hands free for stunts, tosses and tumbling.
- Pom dance - a separate style of dance team performance built entirely around pom-poms.
What the Rules Say
Under the USASF All Star Cheer Rules (2026–27), props aren't required, and the only props allowed are flags, flat banners or signs, pom-poms, megaphones and pieces of cloth. Props can't bear weight, and must be put down safely out of the way - not thrown in a way that could hurt someone. A piece of uniform used for visual effect counts as a prop too.
How Pom-Poms Developed
Early pom-poms were made of paper. The longer-lasting vinyl pom-pom is credited to Fred Gastoff in the 1960s, and it spread through cheer camps and organisations from there - see History of Pom-Poms.
Related Equipment
See Cheer Motions Explained for the arm positions pom-poms are used with, and Cheer Bows for another of cheer's most recognisable traditions.