To my cheerleader friends,

I am so proud of who you are and what you do! During camp, before school starts in the fall, you run for miles when it’s hot out. You spend hours learning the new cheers, the words, and the moves that go with them.

You stand outside in all weather -- hot sun, bitter cold, wind, rain, snow -- to cheer for our football players who almost never win; and you still look as gorgeous as ever! At the football games, you can’t even see the field, just a view of the backsides of the football players who stand on the sidelines.

You know how football and basketball work, which is more than I can say. You know the refs and what their hand signals mean. You know each player by name and by number because you write them good luck cards with candy before each game. You stand completely still, watching and waiting for the perfect time to cheer those boys on.

You take time out of your busy weeks to meet as a team and practice. You make sure your cheers and stunts are spot-on. You learned a full dance in a few practices and then performed it perfectly at halftime! You wear those beautifully crafted bows without shame!

I’m extremely proud of you, and you don’t know how much I enjoy coming to all the games so that you have someone to cheer you on!