To my old cheerleading coach,

I am so happy that I was able to call you my cheerleading coach for my last two years of high school. I was afraid to try out for the team freshman and sophomore year, but I finally built up the courage to try out at the end of my sophomore year. I am glad I made that decision. I cheered almost my entire life and longed to do it again. Thanks to you, I was given that opportunity.

When I first met you, I thought you were the most intimidating woman in the world. You told it how it was but I am thankful you were that way. The summer camps we attended before the school year made me realize how amazing you were, and how hard you worked for the team. You sacrificed your personal time to spend most of it with us, which is why we soon became family. It was so hard my junior year of high school to tell the seniors goodbye because we spent so much time together it felt strange without them.

Then my senior year came. You carefully selected four captains, including me, to help lead the team. It was not always easy. As captains, we learned how to step up and take charge of situations. We always looked to you for advice, because you were wiser and not afraid to make people mad at you. I am thankful for the opportunity you gave me to step further out of my comfort zone and become the leader I am today.

While going through the many games of my senior year, I sometimes took a step back to take in the whole scene. It was all coming to an end soon and I wanted to make sure I would remember everything. From the Friday night lights to the long hours of practice and volunteering, I wanted to remember it all.

Now as I ending my freshman year in college, I wanted to thank you for everything you taught me. If it wasn't for you, I would still be that shy little girl who was afraid to do anything. Thank you for being one of the best coaches ever and for truly teaching us new lessons everyday. I will forever remember and smile at our "come to Jesus" meetings because there were girls who were just being really sassy that day. Thank you for putting us so high up on your priority list and keeping us in check.

I will always miss and cherish those days of practice and those Friday night football games. Whether we were winning or losing, we always found a way to try and keep our spirits up and continuing cheering on our boys. I miss you so much and I hope the girls on the team now realize how wonderful you are!

Sincerely,

Your cheerleader