Throughout high school I was a cheerleader and I absolutely loved it. Theres seriously nothing more exciting than cheering for your friends and school with everyone watching. There's really so much effort and planning that goes into it all, more than people think. If I could relive any part of high school it would be every cheer moment.
There's so much more to cheer than looking pretty on the sidelines. My high school was fortunate to be able to compete and travel. All season our coach pushed us to do our best and be the best. We would try any and every stunt we could think of. The confidence that came from hitting a complicated stunt or performing the dance perfectly is something I would do anything for.
Cheer also taught me so much and really made me a better person. No matter what happens, you have to keep going. I learned that through competitions. Even if a stunt doesn't go perfectly, just move on quickly to the next thing. Another thing I learned was you always have to stay positive and keep a smile on your face. The judges on the floor are going to know that something is wrong if your face is showing it. In practice, you can't immediately get frustrated and give up if a stunt doesn't work right away. You learn to stay positive about it and keep trying, and eventually you'll get it. It's the same in life. If something isn't going the way you want it to, you don't just get mad and give up. You have to stay positive and keep trying.
If I could go back to my days of competition cheer I would in a heartbeat. I believe that everyone can benefit from cheer and the lessons that it teaches.
