As much as we hate to admit it, life is different after you graduate and leave your high school squad. Here's 10 truths that all of us former high school cheerleaders know to be true about our high school experience.
- Spankies. No matter what, they're called spankies or spanx, not spandex. And they are an essential part to your daily wardrobe. Wearing a dress? Wear your spankies underneath. Wearing shorts? Wear your spankies underneath. And of course we all know that we wore our spankies underneath our prom dresses.
- Hot hands. If you cheered during football season, these things were your saviors. They were little bags of heaven that kept your hands from going numb when the weather got cold. I honestly think I might have lost a finger from frostbite without them.
- Defense cheers. I swear these things were cursed. It doesn't matter how carefully you paid attention to how the game was going, it would never fail that your team would switch to offense while you're mid-cheer and then you were forced to awkwardly fade out of your cheer.
- Being alert during basketball season. If you weren't alert and paying attention in basketball season you probably should have just signed your own death warrant. I think we've all cringed away from a ball or a sweaty boy hurling our way at least twenty times.
- Opposing Teams. It doesn't matter your history with the opposing team, on game day they are the enemy. And there is nothing better than beating them.
- Hairspray. If your lungs weren't filled with the plethora of chemicals from hairspray cans before a game or a competition, were you even a real cheerleader? That stuff practically ran through the ventilation system in competition arenas.
- Bobby pins, so many bobby pins. We all know that we went through our fair share of these things in making sure that our hair looked great for a game or keeping your hair tight during a competition. But I can't be the only one who wonders where these things disappear to anyways? I could probably spend my entire college tuition on bobby pins and still never be able to find one when I need to pin down a flyaway for a game.
- Cute traditions with your teammates. If you were on a team like mine, these were the absolute best! My team had a tradition where we would all fall to the ground whenever the opposing team sounded a cannon in celebration of their first touchdown.We all had our own traditions. And they could be fun things like holding the banners at the beginning of the football games and running like crazy to get out of the players' ways or even making each other cute gift bags and notes before competitions. Every team is unique and it's cute traditions like these that you'll remember forever.
- The stereotypes about cheerleaders. No matter where you're from these would make you furious. We all knew for a fact that they were inaccurate and the best way to make steam come out of our ears would be to bring one of those up.
- Your team was the best part about being a cheerleader. Sure the stunts were fun, the games were great, and being in front of the community was an amazing atmosphere, but the best part of it all? It was the great teammates that you surrounded yourself with. Through daily practices, late night bus rides, and laughs during team dinners, this group of people became as close as siblings. When I look back at my high school cheerleading career, I don't remember the wins or the losses or even the basket tosses, all I can remember is the one moment where I finished my senior year cheerleading routine, and found out that my team all came together for that one moment. It wasn't about the individual, it was about the good of the team, and that meant more to me than I could ever describe. My team had my back, and there was nothing more heartbreaking than hearing the buzzer sound on your final game together.
Looking back now, as a former high school cheerleader, I can remember all the great memories I've had. It was a wonderful time with wonderful teammates and more bobby pins than I can count, and I am more than thankful that I had the chance to cheer in high school.
