Cheerleading Persuasive Speech

Cheerleading isn’t a sport. Loads of cheerleaders have faced this controversial statement. An image of peppy girls, twirling in short skirts for the football team fills most people’s minds when considering the topic of cheerleading. The truth is, we are a strong team that works together to lift each other up, literally. Although we work day in and day out to perfect our stunts, tumbling, and routines, our talent still goes unnoticed by our peers. Negative stereotypes often surround cheerleaders. In my high school, we constantly battle to gain the respect of our classmates not just as athletes, but even simply as people. Some of the most involved and highest ranked students in our school make up our cheerleading squad, but those traits are forgotten

because of the uniform we wear. Finding the courage to stand in front of a crowd that sees you as no more than just your pom poms shouldn’t be something high school girls have to worry about.
Most of my knowledge about life and closest friends have come from my 12 years of cheerleading. Basically growing up in the gym, my coaches have become second parents. Lifting a girl in the air and how to properly flip are among what my coaches have taught me, but they have also helped my teammates and I learn to trust each other and cooperate to achieve our goal. An array of teammates has come and gone over the years, but all of them educated me on being a good friend and performing tasks with someone I’m not the most compatible with. Having spent so much time practicing closely with different personalities while growing up, I have become the tolerant and easy-going person I am today. Strong personalities challenge me to come out of my shell and open up to others, and softer teammates have shown me how to meet someone new and help them feel comfortable. Meshing varying personalities into one well-oiled machine is a talent in itself, one that I wouldn’t have without cheerleading.
Although a frilly activity is how cheerleading is portrayed, it is a monumental part of my life. My personality would be altered and faces I don’t know today would surround me if I took another path. Cheerleading directed me on how to learn, be a leader, work with others, and a gamut of lessons along the way. So, maybe cheerleading isn’t a sport. Even if it isn’t, it is a team. It is a family. It is what has made me who I am today.