In recent months, fan behavior has become one of the more prevalent themes in the discussion of sports at the high-school, collegiate and professional levels. The leftpiece section of the March 14 NCAA News in fact was devoted to efforts that improve sportsmanship at athletics events.

As CEO of Varsity Spirit Corporation, the leader in cheerleading education, camps and competitions, I can say that we share the NCAA's concern with matters concerning fan behavior, poor sportsmanship and fair play.

As a result, the NCAA and Varsity Spirit Corporation have entered into an agreement in which Varsity, through its leading educational brands -- the Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) and the Universal Dance Association (UDA) -- will leverage its relationship with collegiate spirit leaders to promote positive fan behavior, fair play and sportsmanship. The five-year agreement features a plan to target the nation's cheerleaders through a variety of activities and campaigns focused on advocating sportsmanship, including integrating information into Varsity's camp curriculum.

We along with the NCAA believe that strong measures must be taken to shape positive behavior among fans and players. Varsity is in a unique position to effect change in this situation, since we train thousands of collegiate and high-school spirit leaders each summer. Varsity and the NCAA believe that cheerleaders play an important role in influencing the behavior of fans at sporting events.

Cheerleaders are, essentially, leaders. They lead the crowd in cheers supporting the team and players, and they lead by the example they set as fans themselves. They create a positive atmosphere for the crowd and the game in general and act as an intermediary between the players and spectators. In many ways, cheerleaders are the first level of sportsmanship on the sidelines of an athletics event, and what they do radiates throughout the crowd.

Our objective is to train cheerleaders as representatives of their respective colleges and universities to be a positive influence on the team and crowd, and effectively promote sportsmanship. We teach cheerleaders to be attentive to what is going on in the game and to be prepared to react positively even to calls not in their team's favor. At our training camps we strongly emphasize that cheerleaders react appropriately and honorably while displaying strong school spirit and showing support for their team.

The agreement between the NCAA and Varsity recognizes that cheerleaders and spirit leaders play an important role in influencing fan behavior and seeks to integrate the NCAA's principals on sportsmanship and fair play into Varsity's ongoing training. The five-year plan will include programs targeting the nation's cheerleaders with a range of activities and campaigns aimed at advocating sportsmanship.

The UCA and UDA college spirit program currently focuses on school spirit leadership, as well as the development of athletic skills used in cheerleading and dance. These concepts are emphasized in our summer training camps and competitions, which are broadcast on ESPN. The UCA and UDA will continue to provide leadership in education, skills training and safety for cheerleaders and dance teams and will now also aggressively promote the NCAA's message of positive fan behavior, sportsmanship and fair play to the more than 10,000 college spirit leaders the organization trains each year.

Learning to keep one step ahead of the crowd and anticipating their reactions, or over-reactions, is a key learning concept for cheerleaders. Varsity will focus on teaching collegiate cheerleaders the "why" of the aspects of cheerleading, as well as how to condition the crowd to respond in a positive manner, no matter what is taking place on the field or court. les and universities to be a positive influence on the team and crowd, and effectively promote sportsmanship. We teach cheerleaders to be attentive to what is going on in the game and to be prepared to react positively even to calls not in their team's favor. At our training camps we strongly emphasize that cheerleaders react appropriately and honorably while displaying strong school spirit and showing support for their team.

The agreement between the NCAA and Varsity recognizes that cheerleaders and spirit leaders play an important role in influencing fan behavior and seeks to integrate the NCAA's principals on sportsmanship and fair play into Varsity's ongoing training. The five-year plan will include programs targeting the nation's cheerleaders with a range of activities and campaigns aimed at advocating sportsmanship.

The UCA and UDA college spirit program currently focuses on school spirit leadership, as well as the development of athletic skills used in cheerleading and dance. These concepts are emphasized in our summer training camps and competitions, which are broadcast on ESPN. The UCA and UDA will continue to provide leadership in education, skills training and safety for cheerleaders and dance teams and will now also aggressively promote the NCAA's message of positive fan behavior, sportsmanship and fair play to the more than 10,000 college spirit leaders the organization trains each year.

Learning to keep one step ahead of the crowd and anticipating their reactions, or over-reactions, is a key learning concept for cheerleaders. Varsity will focus on teaching collegiate cheerleaders the "why" of the aspects of cheerleading, as well as how to condition the crowd to respond in a positive manner, no matter what is taking place on the field or court. Integrated into the curriculum is the theory of game planning, teaching the spirit leaders to get the crowd behind them through the highs and lows of the entire game.

With this training under their belts, cheerleaders can be an invaluable asset to their university athletics programs. But while we can present the proper concepts to cheerleaders nationwide, ultimately the colleges themselves need to set clearly defined roles and expectations for their spirit programs. Universities should demand of their cheerleading program an emphasis on sportsmanship, positive fan behavior, and creating an atmosphere that properly reflects the attributes of genuine school spirit.

To carry out our mission, we hope to raise awareness among athletics directors and college administrators of how their cheerleaders can effect positive changes at athletics events. Without the help of these administrators, our potential to succeed is limited.

Beyond the training of collegiate spirit leaders, the Varsity/NCAA program also seeks to establish a legacy of positive fan behavior by teaching concepts related to crowd control before the collegiate level. Varsity trains 260,000 high-school cheerleaders each year, and they will be exposed to a number of the same concepts as the collegiate cheerleaders.

We see our high-school program as building for the future. Whether the high-school cheerleaders continue to cheer in college, they will be equipped with the skills and knowledge of the appropriate fan behavior while they observe the game from the stands.

In addition to these programs, we plan to expand our coaches' program to include seminars and training in sportsmanship and how their squads can help promote positive fan behavior in their schools. As individual members of cheerleading squads move on, coaches trained in game planning can continue the training to the next generation of spirit leaders.

At the core of the partnership between the NCAA and Varsity is the desire to train cheerleaders in the leadership skills that will help them to influence the overall atmosphere of collegiate sporting events. We don't want to decrease the fervor of sports fans; we only want to channel it more productively. While having effective cheerleaders is certainly not the entire solution to this issue, we believe they can certainly have a positive and beneficial impact.

We look forward to working with the NCAA and its member institutions on this endeavor.

Jeff Webb is the chief executive officer of the Varsity Spirit Corporation.