As I sit here trying to put my thoughts into words, I cannot think of exactly what I want to say about cheerleading. It's terrible and amazing and tough and rewarding all in one. I always wonder how I could hate and love something so much at the same time. As I'm having flashbacks of getting kicked in the face by my flyers, I think: what do I have cheerleading to thank for anyway? Thanks for all the tears, the bruises, or the body parts that still hurt? No, thank you for making me the person I am today.

Thank you for teaching me that there is a time to stand up for what you believe in, but also a time to sit back and let people believe what they want. Out of any sport, cheerleaders definitely get the most hate. The stereotypes about us are unbelievable and they couldn't be far from true. Most of the people I cheered with pulled straight A's and were on the honor roll at their school, and all of us are far from dumb, something people have always seemed to think. The worst four words you can ever say to a cheerleader: cheerleading isn't a sport. I have heard this so many times in my life, and every time I do, my blood boils. I used to always fight back and attempt to prove people wrong, but after a while I realized it wasn't worth it. Arguing with some stupid guy on Twitter is never the right way to go about proving your point. He is never going to change his mind and you are just wasting your time. Plus, we all know he probably can't even do a cartwheel, so his opinion is irrelevant.

Thank you for showing me how to work hard and how it can pay off. Through cheerleading, I learned that working hard and not reaping the benefits as soon as you would like is troubling. Then slowly you start to notice results and it feels like you are on top of the world. Learning that hard work pays off is something that helped me through high school and now especially in college. Also, I have to thank cheerleading for teaching me how to manage my time. I would not be surviving college without that lesson. So, I mean, I guess I'm kinda sorta maybe not really glad that I was always at the gym and had minimal time for my homework.

The toughest lesson I learned through cheerleading is that sometimes, no matter how hard you work, it doesn't pay off. It sucks when you work so hard for something you never achieved. The disappointment you feel is so deeply rooted because you put your whole heart and soul into what you were doing. Although this happened to me more than I care to tell, but it helped me realize that the people I met and the experiences I gained were much more important than the trophy I so longed for.

Lastly, thank you for helping me learn that family is not always by blood. The girls and guy that I spent countless hours with will always be my family no matter where we all go in life. After everything we went through together, I can't imagine thinking of them in any other way. Families see you at your worst and your best and still love you anyway.

I have no idea who I would be if I had never been a part of the all-star world. It was one of the greatest times of my life and I will not soon forget it. So cheerleading, thank you for the tears, bruises, and body parts that still hurt. I wouldn't have had it any other way.