Herkie

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title: "Herkie" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["cheerleading"] description: "Jump in cheerleading" topic_path: "general/cheerleading" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herkie" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Jump in cheerleading ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/Yokota_cheerleaders.jpg" caption="The ''Herkie'' cheerleading jump is named after Herkimer, for which he performed the same jump with a right punch motion in the air."] ::

The herkie (aka hurkie) is a cheerleading jump named after Lawrence Herkimer, the founder of the National Cheerleaders Association and former cheerleader at Southern Methodist University. It is similar to a side-hurdler and to the abstract double hook, except instead of the bent leg's knee being pointed downward, it should be flat while the other leg is straight in a straddle jump (toetouch) position.

The jump was invented accidentally, because Herkimer was not able to do an actual side-hurdler. Common misspellings include "hurky" and "herky".

Jump position

In a left herkie, the jumper has the left leg straight in a half-straddle position, and the right leg bent flat beneath them. In a right herkie, it is the opposite. When used as a "signature" at the end of an organized cheer, the jumper typically bends their weaker leg.

Arm positions

Herkie arm positions depend on how the legs are positioned. A left Herkie has the left arm in a straight up High V motion and the right arm on the right hip. If doing a right Herkie the arm positions are flipped.

References

References

1. Branch, John. (March 14, 2009). "Shaking Pompoms for the Grandfather of Modern Cheerleading". [[The New York Times]].
2. "A Full Glossary of Cheerleading Terms". Dotdash Meredith.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::