If you haven't attended a cheerleading competition, you may think all we do in practice is talk about the football team and yell. But we're actually practicing to do dope stuff like this:

Every week, we have a tumbling practice where we are told to flip our bodies in random twists and turns. We are told to try new skills for the first time. We wipe out, face plant, body slam into the mat, and then we try again. Once you learn your new skill, great! Let's make you do it after you have been throwing a girl in the air for two minutes.

How, you may ask, is this possible? We practice insane amounts of cardio to make sure we are able to keep going through all of our rounds. Handspring sprints, tumbling circuits, running, and the worst of all (for me at least) jump drills.

Lastly, we have the extra task of throwing girls in the air. Stunting was always my favorite part of cheerleading. This is probably the most dangerous, but the most fun segment of the sport.

You get to twist, flip, and throw your flyer in all directions. Not only is this dangerous, but it also takes a lot of technique and strength. You have to make sure you are perfect when performing, because God forbid a stunt falls during round three.

When you're in the middle of the round and a stunt goes wrong, you might as well suck it up, because you're finishing the damn round. Don't believe me? I got a bloody nose in the first few seconds of round three and continued to smile as if I just love bleeding from the face.

Cheerleading is a sport. And not only that, it's a badass one. After getting punched in the face by my flyer, you're still going to see me having the time of my life on the mat. Why? Because we work just as hard as you, but we get to look happy doing it. There's no taking a knee when you get the wind knocked out of you, just a screaming audience making sure that smile isn't wiped from your face.