To my Cheerleading Team:

I just want to begin by saying there is no other place that I would have spent my high school years than on the mat with all of you. There is a bond like no other athletes that cheerleaders have for each other, and it is so special I will never forget it.

Reflecting on all the games, the competitions, the long choreography sessions, early morning practices, and most of all, traveling with each other, the good memories come flooding in. There were the perfect routines at compeititons, the excitement of cheering for a winning football team, and a senior leader to look up to as someone to aspire to be like. There were so many good things about our team, and of course they will remain in my memory.

However, what really made our bond the strongest were the bad times. The times that we would fall all over the place at practice, or worse, during competitions. The time that we would have to sit through a rainy football game. And the times that our coach would have to yell and scream for us to put out the talent that she knew we had inside of us all.

Thank you, all of you, for adding an individual and unique component to the team. Whether it is 12, 16, 20, or more people, every team is comprised of many personalities that have to coagalate into one body. If this doesn't happen, success is much harder to reach, if not impossible. So thank you all for letting each other have their moments; thank you for being easy on one team member when her boyfriend breaks up with her and she doesn't want to talk to anyone at practice that day, or understanding when a team member is hurt and needs to be replaced for the better of the team. The true feelings of compassion between a group of people that I witnessed during high school cheerleading is absolutely unreal and not one that can be found anywhere else.

Cheerleading is so special in this way and many other ways because it actually require everyone to work together. Our coach always said that "we are only as strong as our weakest link". There are no stars on the cheerleading team, that's why you usually cannot get a full ride for cheerleading like you can for soccer or football. Everyone works together and no one person can carry the team. Every member has to be physically and mentally in sync for sideline cheers and routines to go well, and I just want to thank all of you for living up to that standard.

On a more narrow scope, I wanted to thank my stunt group. Thank you for listening to me complain about boys, responding to texts about what outfit I should wear, and participating in other things outside of cheerleading that you were in no way obligated to do so. You were my life and soul on the mat and I can not imagine being chest-to-chest, holding another person over our heads and send her flying into the air with anyone else. You held me together in those rough moments, especially right before performances, and I will always remember the worlds of encouragement you gave me and I will carry them through life.

An, most importantly, thank you to my coachs. Yes, you are absolutely part of the team. You were the backbone and support of all of us, which is not an easy task, especially with all the personalities, emotions, injuries, and illnesses going on. On behalf of all of us, thank you for being understanding, and for pulling out the best qualities in us no matter how difficult it was. And from me personally, thank you for also being a friend when only being a coach was not enough.

I could go on for days about how cheerleading affected my life so postiviely, but no amount of words can live up to the true exerience. So, once again, thank you to my entire team for being the best group of people I have ever known, and thank you for making being on the team an unforgettable experience.