Cheer Was More Than A Sport, It Taught Me Who I Am
Sports are always said to have an impact on how a child develops, and this is how the competitive cheer world did that.
What made you the person you are today? A question you probably don't get asked much, but when you do, what do you answer? I love to answer with cheer.
I do get looks, like the look, " Cheer made you the hard worker you are" look. Trust me, that look is real. When I started in the world of competitive cheerleading, it didn't have its reputation. It wasn't as known. We, athletes, (yes, I said ATHLETES), worked just as hard as the football player, soccer player, etc. I spent hours in the cheer gym. I had practice three times a week, plus a tumbling class, the occasional open gym, and competitions on the weekend. So if we add up just the practices, that's 10-plus hours a week, and then if it were a competition week, it would be more like 26 hours, two eight-plus hour days at the competition, and that's just for the athletes, not the coaches. The world of competitive cheerleading has such a reputation that people don't think twice to wrestle at the thought of being a cheerleader. They now understand what it takes to be a competitive cheerleader and how hard it is. And for that, I am thankful. To know that all of our hard work now doesn't go unnoticed is a massive win for the cheer world. These are just some things I have learned from being a cheerleader.