We catch our flyers and catch a breath, each of us dripping in sweat.

"Do it again girls, and this time smile!"

My coaches voice echoes in my brain: Smile, Abby. You've got this. We set our stunt, all ready to go. We each zero in on our counts, blocking out all the outside noise.

"Five, six, seven, eight..." Our coach counts us off. As soon as we hit one, our muscles tense and we put all of our strength into throwing our flyers up into the air. The 30 second stunt feels like five minutes, but we push through. We land our last stunt, knowing we nailed it, and in that moment, all the pain we just went through pays off.

This is what is feels like to be a cheerleader. Contrary to popular belief, cheering is hard. Each of the girls on the team puts 110% into every stunt, toss, jump, and dance. We run, train, and work hard every day to perfect our routines and sideline stunts so every game goes smoothly. My bases, who are the core of our stunt group, get bruised, slapped, and kicked at every practice, but they don't let it get them down. My fellow back-spots -- the ones who keep the flyer from falling -- get bodied every time a dismount goes wrong, but that doesn't keep them from powering through the routine. Each flyer has to squeeze their muscles and hold their own weight in the air, which results in aches and pains, yet they manage to smile and hold their own each game.

Being a cheerleader, I quickly learned, is frowned upon in our society. Hollywood has framed them as the "mean girls," or the girls who sleep around. Apparently, my teammates and I aren't considered athletes because cheerleaders "don't do anything." Well, I am here to put that misconception to rest. The girls on my team run miles upon miles every day, and they each have the strength to hold a teammate in the air for minutes on end. They stay up through all hours of the night to get their work done during the school year, and never let their grades fall. They dedicate hours to practicing cheers and stunts every day. They go home with popped blood vessels and bruises and scratches all along their arms from throwing and catching flyers countless times. Yet every game, they still manage to make each of their stunts look effortless and easy.

Our smiles and stunts don't come easy -- they come from sweat and dedication each and every day. They're built off of trust and hard work. Sick days and mental health days aren't an option: Every girl needs to be present at every practice in order to stunt or cheer. Being a cheerleader requires so much hard work, yet it always pays off in the end.

I am proud to be a cheerleader. I am proud to have strong teammates and an empowering coach. I am proud of the hours spent at the gym, running our routines countless times over. Every scratch and bruise on my body is a reminder of the hard work I put into my sport every day, and motivates me to cheer harder.

I am a proud athlete, and I am very proud to be a cheerleader.