Although cheerleading only occupied a short four years of my athletic career, I will forever be a cheerleader in my mind. Through the ups and downs, the blood, sweat and tears (literally), and the beautiful sisterhood, cheerleading helped make me who I am today.
1. How one group of girls can go from complete strangers, to being your family.
High school cheer tryouts occur at the end of eighth grade. When you walk in the gym, it’s a mixture of girls from different schools who you don’t know. Through tryouts you meet girls and then when the teams are made you hope they are on your team. I was fortunate enough to start my cheerleading career with a wonderful group of girls and continue to be on the same team as them for all four years and graduate together. We have an unbreakable bond because of our journey and I would do anything for them.
2. How to work and be compatible with anyone and everyone.
Fights happen. You will argue with your teammates and sometimes even your coach. You can’t decide who tries out or who makes the team. It could be your worst enemy or your best friend, you’re going to have to work with them every day.
3. Sportsmanship.
Competitions are not always going to go the way you would like them. Judges are people too and they have their own opinions. It can be upsetting when you work so hard and don’t come out on top, but it’s important that you congratulate everyone and have a good attitude. Remember, what goes around comes around.
4. How to face any kind of challenge.
Every year you face adversity. Sometimes more than others but it’s never easy. Girls are graduating, some are quitting, and you can’t forget the dreadful injuries. Back spots becoming bases, bases becoming flyers, bringing up girls from the JV team. You learn to make sacrifices even if it's something you don’t agree with because it’s what’s best for the team and you would do anything for your team.
5. No matter how low you get, there can always be a comeback.
My junior year we thought we had it. We won every competition we attended, but when it came time for regionals that was one thing we didn’t succeed at. We had so many people on our side but we fell short. The feeling we all had that day was complete disappointment and the lowest of the lows. The next year we came back harder than ever, and became the very first cheer team from our school to qualify for state finals.
6. Not everyone is going to like you.
Being a high school cheerleader means there is an automatic rivalry between every school, and sometimes with non-cheerleaders. People are going to tell you that you’re annoying or they'll mix you up with the dance team. You can’t forget the endless amount of times you hear "cheerleading isn't even a sport." At that point you just shake it off, or tell them how it is as you are conditioning next to the football team and the players thank their coach for not working them that hard.
7. The 6 a.m. practices before school are torture, but necessary.
When you set a goal, you would do anything to achieve it right? Even if it means waking up extra early, practicing and conditioning before you attend school? We said yes and wouldn’t take back that decision even now. Sometimes when you want something so bad you will do whatever you can to get there. For us that was state finals, and guess what? We made it.
8. Confident but never cocky, (OK maybe a little cocky).
When you walk into that school, locker room, or warm up gym, you walk in with your head held high, shoulders back and with the look on your face that this is your day and everyone else is just there to watch. You don’t work three hours a day, five--sometimes six--days a week to go in and let someone else beat you. Be confident in the hard work you have put in and show the judges how remarkable you are. Don’t forget to be cocky and represent the name on the front of that uniform.
9. Priorities.
Cheerleading is a huge commitment and it tends to take over everything. Without having your priorities in order your team is going to struggle. Maybe right now that party on Friday night before the competition seems to be the “popular” thing to do but when you look back at your high school accomplishments, are you going to be proud of that championship you won or how many parties you attended? With that being said, you are going to miss out on some hangouts and you have to be OK with that.
10. How to have such a big love/hate relationship.
Cheerleading takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions. One day you are going to be on top of the world because you just won a title for the first time, or you just hit the stunt you’ve been working on for days. Other days, you’re going to be upset because you just got taken out of your favorite round. There are definitely going to be times when you question why you keep putting yourself through this but when it’s your last practice ever and you’re surrounded by what has been your family for the past four years, you remember why you stayed.
Trying out for high school cheerleading was one of the best decisions I have made and when I started I had no idea where it would take me.
