Although some people do not consider cheerleading a sport, my sisters would argue otherwise. Growing up, I watched them work so hard at cheerleading, hoping to someday be as good, if not better, than them. I supported them as they progressed through various teams and competitions, including when my oldest sister, Jessica, become a state champion in Massachusetts. My middle sister, Jenna, placed 8th at Nationals and won a New England title.
When it became my turn to begin cheerleading, my sister Jenna was still in high school, and cheerleading on a successful nationally ranked team. My oldest sister, Jessica, become my own personal cheerleading coach. Although I was in the fourth grade, my sister Jessica was very hard on me. Contrary to popular belief, the only special treatment that I received was the amount of "corrective criticism" in and out of practice.
In middle school, I was not the best cheerleader, but my sister never gave up on me. She always told me to work hard towards my goals. When I was frustrated, she would push me harder and harder until I wanted to quit (and we both knew that was not an option for me). Jess was my coach through the eighth grade and led my cheerleading team to a league championship title, something we still talk about to this day. I believe that watching her as a child helped me to become the cheerleader I was in middle school and drove me to be the best I could be, especially as I walked into my first high school cheerleading tryout.
When high school came along things were a little different. My sister Jenna showed up to my high school's cheerleading tryout as an assistant coach. And on top of the stress of being surrounded by girls who were amazing, I also had my nationally ranked sister in front of the mat to impress as well.
As the years went on, Jenna never showed favoritism towards me, or so I like to think. I worked just as hard as my fellow teammates, if not harder. Through high school, my sister said things to me like "I see the fire in you that girls had on my team in high school." Something about this statement stuck with me.
Having a sister to look up to as a coach had an impact on me from the start. Any athlete will tell you that it is in their best interest to make their coaches proud, no matter what. When it is a family member, your drive to make your coach proud increases. Although I was lucky enough to not hear comments or get reactions from my teammates about receiving any "special treatment" from my sisters, some who are in the same position as myself may not relate.
Your relationship with your coaches is special. Having someone so close to you who is able to share in something that you both love is a great feeling. Even when it comes to failure, because we all know no one is perfect, you share in the deficits of the team and in the growth beyond the failures.
From my experiences with my sisters as coaches over the years, I have learned that you can never try hard enough to please someone. Although failure is bound to happen, the feeling of letting a loved one down on top of your coach, in general, is a terrible feeling. Success, on the other hand, feels like winning a million dollars when you see the look on your sister's, or whoever it may be, face.
The bond between my sisters and I has only grown through cheerleading, and to this day I strive to be just like them. They taught me that the success of the team doesn't matter because your coach (especially mine) will be proud of how much you learn and grow and become as a member of their team and an individual athlete.
