As the doors swung open to the NRG building and the cool air rushed to my face I knew today was going to be a good day. At the age of eleven I was introduced to one of the best things that has ever happened to me, Allstar cheerleading. Walking into the cheer competitions and having the smell of old sweat and dirty socks fill your nostrils isn’t what someone would necessarily describe as a good smell. We walk through the arena the burnt hair mixed with every cheerleaders favorite type of hairspray hitting you in the face, but smiling at everyone you see because you know that they are feeling the same nervous butterflies as you. There was always something about the smell of burnt nachos and over priced smoothies that brought me back to competition
“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.
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.
It was my final moments as a Chelsea High School cheerleader. My final banquet had quickly approached. It was then that I realized I was not ready for the season to be over. I stood in front of my friends, fellow cheerleaders, and their families as they watched and waited for me to recite my last words as the season came to an end. It took hours for me to write about what my teammates and my coaches meant to me. I did not want to sound too nostalgic since I’m not the emotional type, but I also did not want to come across as indifferent. It was a difficult task but I knew I could accomplish it.
In the United States, there are roughly one million all-star1 cheerleading teams. All-star cheerleading is a combination of dance and gymnastics, two very difficult sports. Because of this, cheerleading is a very demanding sport. The sport of all-star cheerleading requires commitment and flexibility to succeed.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
The team was ready, we had been working extremely hard for the past seven months for this. We were all in great shape and very rested. A few of the returning players were meeting me at my house to carpool to the final game of the state championship tournament. Everyone knew that the hard work had paid off when we won the semi-final game the preceding day.
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.