Cheerleading to the outside world is seen as full of glitter, big hair, loads of makeup and overly peppy girls. However, once you pass through the thick cloud of hairspray, it’s easy to see that it is actually entirely different from the typical stereotypes. For me, cheerleading was my lifeline. It was the one constant thing in my life that I could always fall back on, no matter what was happening. Cheerleading was so much more than a sport to me (or “hobby,” as the vast majority of commoners like to taunt) and I am who I am today because of it.
Cheerleading taught me patience. There comes times within every season where the going gets tough. People get heated and everything seems to be going wrong. You want to yell at your stunt group, rip your hair out or throw your phone across them gym (and shatter it…). Sometimes, this is exactly what happens. And although you may feel better in the moment, it doesn’t ever fix the problem. When you learn to take a step back and figure out what the problem is, it is much easier to fix things and move on. Now, my short fuse is definitely not cured, but cheerleading has given me true tests that have led to a better appreciation for taking a breath, trusting the process and enjoying the grind.
Cheerleading brought some of the most amazing people into my life. It is hard not to form special bonds with the people who you spend five days a week with, share a full-out deathbed with and cry your eyes out at the every awards ceremony, good or bad. You learn every single detail, whether you wanted to or not, about every person on your team and consider them your second family, even though sometimes you see them more than your first. You realize that these are the people who are going to be there for you when you need them now or in 30 years. You see the alumni come back and still mess around like you and your teammates do now and know that these bonds are some of the strongest you will make in your life. You find yourself through these people and owe it to them for helping you sanely get through most of your life.
Cheerleading has taught me how to put myself together again. The stress of being on a competitive cheer team is enough to overwhelm a person. Throw in a big name gym and a big name team and the levels go off the charts. You walk on the floor every competition with preset expectations set upon your shoulders and pray to the cheer gods that you can get through just 2:30 without messing something up. Then something goes wrong. You lose the biggest competition of the season and feel like the world has fallen apart. You were supposed to be great and follow the footsteps of the athletes before you. You were supposed to lead the team. You were supposed to succeed but you let it slip through your fingers. You truly do not know how to move on. But you do. You learn how to get up and go, not forgetting, but letting it drive you to do better.
The one thing that has stuck with me the most is the amount of impact I got to make on other’s lives. From little girls coming up and asking to get a picture, to meeting my team’s biggest supporter and becoming extremely close with her, these special moments will forever be the most precious times I have experienced through cheer. I look at these opportunities as a way to connect with more of the cheer world personally. The thought that some people go around with the title of “cheerlebrity” and are looked up to by hundreds of athletes, yet won’t even stop to say hello completely baffles me! My point is this. At one point, we were all that little girl/boy in the stands dying to be on the upper level teams. When you get that chance, at least take a second to stop and say hello or take a picture, because you never know who may be following in your footsteps.
