Last week, I returned home after a long week of cheer camp. To the public, cheer camp is essentially a bunch of girls and guys screaming to invisible crowds. They’re partially correct. However, cheer camp is also learning how to represent your school while creating countless memories. Camp is when you finally learn everyone’s name and you learn which people you’ve been missing your whole life. At camp, there are highs and lows. There are times where we all want to kill each other, followed by the times where we want to play sand volleyball for hours. Despite the long days, hot weather and sleep deprivation, camp was a blast because I spent it with amazing people. I want to thank you all for a wonderful week and wonderful memories.

To the first years.

Welcome to the program! Thank you for bringing new faces, skills and personalities to our squad. You came into the program wide-eyed and ready to learn. Look at you know, more collegiate than ever. I’m proud of what you’ve done so far and I can’t wait to see how you improve this year.

To the fellow second years.

We made it through our first year! It’s our second year together and we’ve come back stronger than ever. We’ve come so far but, we have much more to learn. Thanks for the support you all have given me throughout the year. Without the encouraging words, and sometimes loving threats, I wouldn’t have grown to become the athlete I am today. I can’t wait to conquer year two with you wonderful people.

To the third and fourth years.

Thank you for taking me under your wing and showing me the ropes of collegiate cheerleading. The past year, I’ve had the privilege of watching you in action; hopefully, your talent has rubbed off on me. Fourth years, I know you will do great things after you graduate this years. Third years, I know that you’ll be fabulous captains next year and I can’t wait to see you in charge.

To my coaches.

I hate conditioning. With a burning passion. Thank you for encouraging and forcing me to finish every run or exercise strong. Thank you for the countless spots on tumbling passes that I probably didn’t need spots on. Thank you for challenging me- we all know I need it. Most importantly, thank you for believing in me as much as, if not more than, I believed in myself.

To you all.

Thank you for being a wonderful family. Thank you for hilarious bus ride conversations, long nights of no sleep, and the hectic car rides to basketball games. Thank you for random meals in the dining hall and spur of the moment conversations in the campus center. The support system I have gained through this cheer program is overwhelming. I can never truly express how grateful I am to be a part of something so wonderful.

Let's go, Jags!