From Pop Warner to middle school, competition to high school, JV to Varsity and everything else in between – we are members of a community for life. However, cheerleading teams are so much more than “sororities with sparkly uniforms.”

Dear high school cheer team,

Thanks for being a support system unlike any other.

All of high school is filled with “first times,” milestones and ultimately finding a place where you belong.

The majority of girls are not lucky enough to have an entire squad believing in them always. But as cheerleaders, it’s our second nature to cheer our teammates on – no matter what.

From practice on the day that you get your braces off to practice on the day that you pass your driver’s test, the girls on our team are guaranteed to be your biggest fans. They’re always there to like your pictures, do your makeup and remind you not to sweat the small stuff.

Thanks for the traditions.

Our love/hate relationship with cheer camp;

Decorating the boys’ locker room on Thursdays;

Homemade pasta dinners with the football team;

Performing a solid halftime at the pep rally;

Friday nights under the lights;

Painting October pink for breast cancer awareness;

Senior Day bagel breakfasts and speeches; and

Looking up at everyone you love in the crowd on Thanksgiving.

These are the some of the things in life that will never get old when you’re a cheerleader.

Thanks for being my happy place.

Starting with tryouts every summer to the very end of football season, we can be found working out in the gym, practicing on the track or performing on our favorite place – the field.

The early morning practices build our character. We complain together, we sweat together. At some point, hitting routines over and over again becomes therapeutic. And the combination of the dance remix stuck in your head along with sports bra/Nike Pro tan lines becomes a goal.

Then, when it’s over for the day, we usually reward ourselves with pork roll and eggs. (Team-bonding, of course.)

Thanks for the sisterhood.

There is no doubt that the best part of cheerleading is the sisters that you gain in the process. You start off with older sisters in the form of coaches and upperclassmen. Then, one day, you become the one with younger sisters to guide.

Eventually, you automatically know the differences between a practice and game day bow. It becomes natural for you to request “a glitter highlight” on your cheeks and “a half-up-half-down-French-braid” in your hair.

I couldn’t have asked for better girls to share these four years with. As cheerleaders, we are never shy about protecting our teammates because we stand together, and our bond doesn't end once we walk off the field.

Cheers to the rest of our lives.