I may not wear the bow anymore, but I will always have a piece of Cheerleader with me.
I retired my uniform, put my shoes in the back of my closet and hung up my bows as decoration. I had been a cheerleader for seven years and now I wasn't one. When people asked me about hobbies I have or what I do in my free time it revolved around cheering and tumbling and practices. I never needed a hobby to take up my time because the sport kept me busy enough. It also taught me more than I ever expected to learn.
Cheering taught me that you have to work for your goals. Sometimes things may be handed to you, but when they are not, you can't give up. You have to push harder than you thought possible. Nailing a new stunt sequence or finally getting that tumbling pass you have been working on for years, actually years, are feelings like no other.
Cheering taught me to have confidence. Confidence to go in front of the school and do what I love. Confidence to stand in front of cheering fans on a Friday night and challenge them to yell louder. Confidence to stand out as an individual and to grow into the person I want to be.
Not only did cheerleading teach me about myself, it also brought me my best friends. Girls that will be my bridesmaids and who know every thought I am having before I have to say it. Girls who literally have me back in whatever I set my mind to. Girls who push me to be the best version of myself. And for that, I will always be grateful to cheerleading for giving me those forever friends.
Cheerleading also taught me to smile. To smile when you are happy, excited, pissed off, or about to cry. No matter your feelings at that moment, you have to smile. This is a hate love thing about cheerleading. When all you want to do is cry or quit, but you have to stand tall and cheer on your peers as if nothing is wrong. This is probably one of the most important life lessons I learned. Sometimes, you can't show your emotions. Sometimes, you have to put others first and focus on what is right in front of you. Sometimes, by the time the game is over, your fake smile might even turn into a real one.
I learned the importance of actually cheering for someone. Whether it be in a sporting event, congratulating a friend for doing well on an exam, or even small daily things that let that person know you care and will always be on their team.
To the cheerleader in me...
Never stop cheering.
