Cheerleading has been one of the best things to happen to me. Even though you may sometimes hear me say I'm quitting, it has made me the person I am today. I even ended up transferring schools during my freshman year of college just to be able to cheer again. Here are seven reasons why I could never give it up, even when I thought I was done.
1. Cheerleading is a stress-reliever and helps me forget my problems.
When I am cheerleading, all my thoughts about class, work, and the drama in my life would go away. During high school, I would get on the bus to an away game on a Friday night, put on my headphones, and then cheer for the rest of the night. In college, my stress reliever is cheering my heart out at a basketball game and practicing our competition routine over and over again. In that moment, the only thing I am worried about is cheerleading and it is quite calming.
2. Cheerleading is the reason behind most of my greatest experiences and favorite memories.
My favorite times in life were cheering at the pep rallies, cheering on Friday nights under the lights, competing on Saturday mornings, cheer camp, and the bond I had with my team. Without falling in love with cheerleading, I never would have gotten to experience these moments. I also owe a lot of my accomplishments to the sport as well. My first trophy was from cheerleading, and I can say that it has definitely boosted my self-confidence.
3. Cheer keeps me fit, and has made me so strong physically and mentally.
Waking up at 6 a.m. to lift was and still is dreadful, but I can never complain about what it does for my body. I’ll forever love my leg muscles and the fact that I can lift not only weights, but people too. I also appreciate all of my bumps and bruises from cheerleading. Looking at the bruises on my knees or the bumps on my head reminds me that I am working hard for something that I love and that it’s worth it.
4. Those two minutes and thirty seconds on the mat are the best.
Doing mental routines with my teammates while hearing we’re up next and trying to ignore the knots in my stomach as well as the urge to throw up are surprisingly my favorite moments. I love the speech from the coach that reassures us. We encourage each other and tell ourselves that everything we've been working on is all for this moment. We have to give it our all and hope it’s enough. These times are what make the bond of a team so strong.
5. Cheer camp.
I owe so much to cheer camp, mainly Pine Forest and their chocolate milk. I learn all week to work with others and I make a ton of friends. I learn new skills and cheers, and better myself as a cheerleader. Staying in a cabin with my teammates for three nights straight has given me the best memories, and I would do anything to be able to go back.
6. Cheerleading is unique.
People always ask me why I chose to cheer. No, it wasn't because of the uniforms and the bows. I find it exhilarating! Having two minutes and thirty seconds to throw girls in the air to counts accompanied by music and a specific formation involves different skills than any other sport. It has changed my life in ways nothing else has, and that is why I chose to stick with it.
7. Cheerleading taught me how to trust.
Trusting people is not easy for me at all, but not when it comes to cheerleading. It is important to understand how much trust plays a part in cheerleading. It takes a whole stunt group to make a stunt hit, not just one person. We all have to trust that our teammates will do their best and try their hardest for the sake of the team. I take pride in the fact that my flyers can trust me to catch them at any given moment, no matter how scary the situation may be. I have learned some of the biggest lessons from cheerleading.
