It used to be the case that cheerleading shoes were not purposefully built for the particular demands of cheerleading; and, indeed, cheerleading was not particularly demanding. As long as the girls had shoes that were comfortable and enabled them to jump around in a pretty fashion, that was adequate for most cheer purposes. But with the introduction of All Star cheer divisions at the beginning of the millennium, all that changed. Teams started executing moves and routines that the world had associated more with circus performances than with cheer. This included stunting and tumbling movements, pyramid builds and incredible dance choreography, all conducted at lightning speed. Competition is fierce and the routines ever more ambitious. The importance of cheerleaders wearing the appropriate cheer shoes extends to safety as well. With the high-impact nature of cheerleading, the feet, ankles, legs and joints of cheerleaders are subjected to great pressure repeatedly in the space of a few minutes. Any fall or misstep can result in gross muscle, bone, joints or tendon injury. This is something that no cheer team can afford; hence the development of specialized cheerleading shoes to counter these threats to safety. At the same time the design and construction of specialist cheer shoes enhance the performance of the teams and this is great for the more competitively inclined cheerleaders who want to put their best foot forward when competing against the best teams in the United States. The innovations to meet the demands of cheerleading shoes have been manifold. Some of the most notable developments have been the use of lightweight materials for the building of these shoes as no cheerleader wants to be saddled with ungainly shoes; durable and easy-to-clean uppers so that teams always look their best on the competition mat: multi-cushioned insoles, some of them removable, for shock absorption and comfort; a low profile for greater mobility; and special stunt and tumble features like tumble toes and rear finger notches and arches that are skived for greater control and balance in stunts. Good cheer shoes include meshed tongues for ventilation and team colors. Some have slip lasting for strength and linings designed to combat bacteria and prevent odor.