It was Summer of 2012, and beginning of Chaparral’s cheer camp at the Arizona Grand hotel. All the girls were excited to show off our routine and compete against other schools in Arizona. This year, I was assigned captain for my grade. I was extremely excited to start my school year as captain. It was time for Chaparral cheer to perform our solid routine and win another trophy at camp. Just before we lined up, the director of the camp had some news to share with everyone. The director explained that there's a new addition to camp this year. All captains were eligible to audition for All American Cheerleader. My coach persuaded me to try out, but I was overwhelmed to learn a new piece in such a minimum amount of time. Chaparral finished the …show more content…
routine and now it was time for me to get ready for the audition of All American. I had less than one hour to learn a new cheer and dance to perform in front of the judges and the whole camp. My heart was racing so fast. I was so nervous to learn every single step and try not to forget when I get to the stage. I have never had to learn a dance and cheer this fast. One by one girls group numbers were being called up to the audition. Suddenly, I hear group 3 which involved me and two other girls. I felt so much anxiety run through my body, my mind was racing of fears. I tried to reassure myself, “you’ll be great, just remember to smile and be loud.” I started the cheer and I overpowered the other girls with my voice. My moves were sharp and I remembered every step. Part one was over, now it was time for the dance. This was the part of the audition I was completely frightened of. I stood in front of the judges thinking,” what if I completely mess up the choreography?” Quickly the music started, and every doubt about myself completely left. I performed the dance perfectly and smiled so hard my face began to become sore. Now it was time to wait and see if I was announced All American. Only a handful of girls are chosen from each state and I prayed I was one. Then I hear, “Michela Shannon” I raced up the stage with so much excitement to receive my award. I open my envelope they judges handed to me. My award for winning was that I will be traveling to London, England to perform in the New Year's Day parade! As time went on I began to get ready to leave the country and head to London, England. Both my parents were very proud of my achievement. But they were very concerned on how I would be traveling to a new country by myself. Especially since I was only fifteen years old and never traveled without them. My mom soon felt at ease with idea of me traveling on my own. She thought it would be a great experience for me to travel. She explained it would give me a different perspective about life, culture, and myself. The trip was getting closer, and I was really nervous to go off on my own. However I knew it was time to set forth on a new journey in my life. The traveling process to another country was absolutely exhausting.
First, I had to take a flight from Phoenix to Los Angeles. Then when we arrived in Los Angeles we had to go through the security process to another country. I waited to a line that lasted for almost an hour, they checked my bags, asked for my passport, and patted me down. Soon I boarded my flight to London, England. As I walked onto the plane I realized this was the biggest planes I have ever seen. The plane was two stories and had multiple sections. I saw first class and wished I could have the luxury of sitting up in those giant spacious chairs. Sat down in my coach seat and dreaded this twelve hour flight of no leg room. I looked around to see all other girls from the west coast that also won All American. Once again anxiety flooded my body, I knew absolutely no one …show more content…
here. I woke up to the sunlight hitting my face from the small airplane window and the soft voice of the flight attendant. I have finally arrived in London, I have never felt more excited in my life. Every feeling of anxiety, doubt, or fears left my body. I was ready to have the time of my life and explore a new country. A bus picked all the girls up and headed to our hotel. I arrived at my hotel and was eager to meet my roommate for the next week. I got to my room to see that she was getting settled in. Her name was Molly, and she was so funny and happy to start exploring with me. The girls were all called down for an orientation to explain the plans for this week. Safety was the organization's number concerned so we all had to listen very carefully. Then we met our group leaders who will be with us through the whole journey. I was so anxious to start seeing London, and first thing in the morning that's what I was going to do. It was morning of our first day exploring london, we had long list of activities and sites we were going to see in just one day.
Everyone was split up in their groups to make it easier on our leaders. Our first stop was seeing Big Ben, which was fairly close to our hotel. We walked across a bridge to get to Big Ben and there it was one of the most iconic buildings in England. I remember just staring up at the building, I was so memorized by the detail in the clock. The building was so rustic and such a huge apart to London's culture. Soon we had to move onto the next attraction. Our bus came to a stop and of course we had to see Buckingham Palace. Everything you can imagine about the palace was true. It was so elegant and beautiful, and there stood the guards who can't make one move. Everyone was trying to make the guards laugh or do something for them to move. But nothing, no movement from the guards they looked like they were frozen to the ground. I wondered were we were going next, and in the corner of my eye I saw a huge ferris wheel. It wasn't like the ferris wheels you see at the carnivals. This ferris wheel was called London’s eye and looked like something from the future. The ferris wheel was silver and tall you were able to see all of London. Right next to London's eye was an ice skating rink, even though that's something we have back at the states we all thought it would be fun. The day was coming to an end and are first day in London was over. But tomorrow is day
two with a whole new intinerie. Now it was day two, we all got a message to wear sneakers because of how much walking we will be doing. Our first stop for day two was the St. Paul’s Cathedral. I thought Buckingham Palace was gorgeous; but this church was absolutely stunning. The windows were stained glass, the ceilings and walls were hand painted. I have never seen so much beauty in one place. While taking our tour of the church our leaders told us, “at this time you are able to climb the domes of the church to get to the top.” At first we didn't understand what that meant but continued to climb to see what's at the top. The church had about 1,100 steps before getting to the top, I knew this would be a little difficult. As you move your way up there are signs warning everyone about closterfobia and how they should not go further. I was excited to keep going until each step further the walls got smaller and smaller. The walls got so small I felt like I was crawling into a hole made for a cat. Finally we got to the top, it was a roof access that allowed you to see everything in London. London was was ginormous and beautiful city. I look at the wall behind me to see thousands of names written on the church. At first I knew I should write on a church, but did it anyways. I wrote my first and last name on the wall, now I can say my name's on the St. Paul’s Cathedral. (need conclusion) Over the next few days we saw so many buildings and iconic pieces that you could never see unless you were in London. We spent a day at the Tower of London, which was the medieval castle housing the crown jewels. Had a party on a boat to see the London Bridge all lit up and glistening at night. I wanted to keep seeing more of London but the trip was coming to an end and only had one more thing to do. We were a day away from New Year’s Day and I was extremely nervous to perform in front of that many people. On New Year's Eve all the girls were called down into the conference room of the hotel to get one last practice in before the big day. Now it was time to celebrate the new year. It was January 1st 2013, which meant it was time to perform in the New Year’s Day parade. We were put into our uniforms that consists of skirt and sweatshirt top. It was freezing cold outside and the uniforms didn't help one bit. My excitement helped with the cold, it made me forget about cold I was. The parade was one of the most amazing experience I’ve ever had! I loved walking all over london and having all eyes on you. But of course all great things must come to end at some point. The parade ended and now it was time to head back to the hotel to pack up our belongings. I never wanted to leave and most of all didn't want to go through the painful processes of getting back to the United States. The trip to London was one of the most amazing times in my life. I never thought at such a young age I would be able to travel across the country by myself. I was able to put myself out there and try something new that would change my life forever. I didn't know one person heading to London, but leaving I left with a bundle of new friends. This trip allowed me to get out my comfort zone and meet new people. Every experience in London made me become more of an independent individual. I was only fifteen years old at the time and felt I was already becoming an adult. By being on my own it gave me the ability to mature and be independent a lot faster. London showed me a different culture and a new understanding about the world. How there’s so much out there that I have never discovered before. Even on the plane ride home I started making plans after college to travel the world. I would of never had the courage or confidence to even think about trying to travel the whole world. Everything about my trip to London was a new learning experience about myself.
I help out my family and community in several ways. I have volunteered to help coach cheerleading at Jefferson Elementary School everyday after school. I work at Mattoon Academy of Gymnastics and coach several classes and their gymnastics team. I also work in my church's nursery on Sundays. Being a role model for all of the kids I coach and take care of means a lot to me because they look up to me and want to follow in my footsteps. Despite my busy schedule, I try to help out in the community and with my family as much as
“They’re snobs.” “They’re ditzy.” “They are just brats.” Cheerleaders. There are many problems with stereotyping, and cheerleaders are no strangers to it. Every cheerleader could probably tell you a time when someone stereotyped them, whether that be them as a person or an athlete. While on some occasions cheerleaders really do fit the stereotypical vision of a cheerleader off of a movie, most are not your typical “cheerleader”; intelligent, polite, and athletic are all characteristics of these individuals. Making judgements about a person based on what sport they played is not deserved. Most people in high school would say they knew, or thought they knew how cheerleaders were, but if taking the time to get to know the kind of people they are, then people’s opinion would change.
Next year, as I embark my first year at university, I hope to fully integrate myself into the community by getting involved in the Students' Union, joining the cheer team, volunteering where I can and making many new friends along the way. At university, I hope to maintain a high grade point average, granted that my education is extremely important to me and that I am extremely ambitious about achieving my goals.Therefore, I will commit lots of my time to my studies in hopes of being a successful student. Nevertheless, I am still looking forward to being a part of the community by devoting my extra time to helping those around me. In classes, I intend on being an active learner, a respectful student, and a helpful classmate; someone who is always willing to lend a hand to others. Through engaging in my community, I hope to bring joy to others around me by spending my time supporting local events, volunteering for fundraisers, and helping plan and organize campus activities.
I should be a member of the STEM Ravens cheer team. I would be a good edition to the team because I love my school, I exercise the LYP traits, and I have previous cheer experience. If I get on the team, I will show school spirit at games. Even if we don't have a game, school spirit is what keeps everyone going throughout the week. Without cheerleaders to boost spirit, the sports teams would not be doing as good as they are.
When the day came to leave I was woken at the crack of dawn. I was keen to get to Blackpool as swiftly as possible, not only for the football that was ahead of us but also for the famous Pleasure Beach. The coach picked us up at around 8 am and in we crammed into an already full coach. The journey down was full of laughter and friendly joking from the parents. That day, it was particularly hot and inside the coach a number of people were becoming uncomfortable. I was unaffected by the warmth inside the coach, with my earphones in I relaxed and paid more attention to the vast countryside we were passing through. The vivid scenery blew me away, with colossal hills to calm rivers that we met on the journey.
From an outsiders perspective one may see brainless and beautiful robots, which scream and perform neat tricks. This is not the case from the inside; cheerleading is so much more than that. Many people are under the impression that cheerleading is not a sport. I am the voice of reasoning that will let you in, and I will show you that cheerleading, in fact, is a sport. Cheerleading requires much physical demand from the body just as any other sport would. Cheerleading, in general, is a team effort. There are many sides to cheerleading, which make it a versatile sport. When it comes to cheerleading there’s more to it than what meets the eye.
Movies portray cheerleaders as the popular girls that everyone likes and aspires to be. But when reality hits at Salem High School, it’s a completely different story. Cheerleading was taken as a joke by the other athletes and even students. It was considered a hobby, but to me it was a passion and something I worked hard to be. Being on the cheer squad in high school was difficult to deal with in school because we were constantly being snubbed by the other athletes and students in our school ever since we were kids in junior high which should not happen because everyone has the right to do what they love and they should not be judged for it being different than everyone else. It was always us versus them up until my junior year of high school when we finally earned the respect of our peers.
I’ve been doing competitive cheerleading since the third grade. Competitive cheerleading being the third most dangerous sport in the world, I was going to get injured at one point or another; it just depends on when and how bad the injury is. Most cheerleaders hide injuries from coaches and other athletes to continue with the season, like if the athlete has a broken rib, jammed finger, sprained ankle, or wrist. Some injuries just cannot be ignored, like a torn ACL, achilles, obvious broken bones, concussions, or a jammed back. No athlete wants to be injured, but sometimes that’s the best thing that can happen to them.
Cheerleading has not always been a feminine sport. In the 1880’s, Princeton University created an all-male pep club to the football game against the University of Minnesota. Since then cheerleading has evolved profoundly. In the late 80’s Cheerleading competitions began with the help of the Universal Cheer Association. Cheerleading Competitions require a vast majority of time dedicated to practices and teammates. The process of creating a routine no longer than two-minutes and thirty-seconds, with at least one cheer, and a segment of music is very time consuming and stressful on the squad. With the help of choreographers and leaders the squad is able to produce a routine that represents their school and exhibits all their hard work in a matter
Cheerleading has the tenth highest concussion rate out of the twenty most common sports. The issue with classifying cheerleading a sport is that not everyone believes it is; Most people believe that all cheerleaders do is cheer on the football team, dance around with pom-poms and get everyone hyped up at sports games, but it's not. Cheerleading goes way beyond what others outside of the activity believe it to be. Cheerleaders not only practice and work as hard as any other sport such as football, but they also have the same injury rate as football. If cheerleading was to be classified as a sport in schools and colleges then that would mean they would have a designated place to practice instead of
When I first started cheering, I decided to participate because of two reasons: my mom forced me and my older sister, who I modeled after, cheered. As I got older and began to think for myself, I had engaged in cheer for so long that it became a habit. If my mom did not demand that I partake in cheer, I would not have been able to go through situations that sparked personal growth and knowledge. Cheerleading has given me opportunities to guide and interact with younger kids, which has influenced my decision to become a pediatrician.
Cheerleading was one of my favorite activities to do. I have been a cheerleader since Kindergarden. I use to push myself again and again to make sure all of my routines and chants looked as good as they could look. Since I was younger I have always been hard on myself and failing/not making the team wasn't an option. From the minute I got home I practiced until my arms hurt from tightening them to get a perfect motion.
According to Martha Graham, “Dance is the hidden language of the soul.” To me, dancing is more than just a hobby, it is my life. My dance team is also more than just a team, it is my second family. Each girl on my team has her own unique personality, but somehow, we all get along well. We are all such good friends and have had to make it through many difficult situations already, but all it has done was bring us closer together. The girls on my team are all caring, talented, and funny.
Two years ago when I first started competitive cheerleading, I was very nervous and shy. It was my first year cheering, and I knew no one on my team and had no clue how to do any of the skills we were being asked to do. It was tryouts and most of the kids in the gym had cheered before and knew what they were supposed to do. Meanwhile, I on the other hand, felt very lost and confused. The coach asked us to do a stunt and put me as backspot. There were lots of very experienced kids watching and I felt intimidated by them. I knew the general idea of what to do, but nothing beyond that. I was too afraid and shy to ask how to do the stunt, which was not a smart decision. Because I was too afraid to ask, I messed up the whole stunt, causing me to
A jolt of energy rushed through my body and hit my heart when they call me up to get the team trophy. Not fourth, third, or second, but first place for the third year in a row. Being a captain of a team is an amazing experience. You get to see your team physically, mentally, and emotionally prepare for competition. It's a lot of hard work, but if you try your hardest, make all the practices and have a passion for cheerleading its worth it. Every year we take a few weeks to build a competition routine, the out come is incredible, but the celebration is the best part.