Dear Cheerleading,
It is my junior year in college, and I seem to continually go back and think about cheerleading quite often. Although it has been four years since I have been on the mat, I have kept every single lesson and memory I have learned with me.
First of all, thank you for teaching me how to push myself past my limits. From full-out routines back-to-back at practice to learning new skills, I learned to never give up. For the times I got elbowed or kicked in the face or the times when I could not land my tumbling pass after trying countless times, I just learned not to give up, because if I did give up, I would be letting myself down as well as my team. You taught me the value of working with a team and motivating others.
Thank you for giving me a second family to go to in my high school years. I always looked forward to going to practice and seeing all of the amazing people that I do not get to see during the school day. My teammates and coaches were the most supportive group of people in my life.
Thank you for teaching me the value of dedication and determination. I learned in cheerleading that you can not win unless you are 100% dedicated and determined–you can not go in and only give 50%, it does not work that way. I missed out on a lot of social events in high school, but do I regret it? Not at all! Of course, at the time it seemed liked I was missing everything when my friends would tell me how much fun that party was or how much fun their date was.
Cheerleading has taught me that you have to make sacrifices in order to be successful. I remember in high school, I almost quit cheerleading because I thought I was missing out on my social life. I made the best decision by deciding to stick with cheerleading. If I would have quit cheerleading at that time, I would not have had the opportunity to compete at World, which has always been my dream since I was little. I learned that you have to sacrifice your time and social life, but your hard work in practice will pay off.
Nothing is more rewarding than winning a competition, or even just hitting a routine that you practiced countless times at practice. The feeling of looking at your coaches in the front of the stage with the biggest smiles on their faces is probably one of the most rewarding things.
Most of all, thank you cheerleading for giving me something that I love and something that makes me happy. Thank you for giving me incredible life-long friends from around the world that share the same passion and love as me. Thank you for making me the person I am today. Because of cheerleading, I continue to be dedicated and determined with everything I do. I take all of the life lessons that my coaches have taught me throughout the years and still apply them today. I understand the reward you get for hard work and to never, ever give up!
If I could give any advice to myself ten years ago when I started cheerleading, I would say to cherish every single moment you have during practice and at competitions. I know you think it's hard now, but trust me, it will be worth it. I know you feel like you are missing out on a lot, but you are not. In college you will have time to make plenty of friends and have somewhat of a social life, but now is your time. When I look back to my life in high school, cheerleading is the only thing I can think about. It was a part of me and will always be a part of me. Make the best of it and never give up, because when it is over, you will miss it more than anything in the world.
But when it is over–don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.
