Reflection Paper On Cheerleading

Teamwork is a group of people working together for the same goal, the same passion, and the same desire. Through competitive cheerleading, I learned how to contribute and be a part of teamwork. Competitive cheerleading was an experience that has the most effect on who I am today. The three most common things our cheer coaches said to us on a Wednesday night: "Point your toes", "Cleaner", and "Run through the routine one more time." We, the Senior Bombshells, practiced one last time before our lives changed forever. My mother picked me up from the cheer gym that night and we talked about how practice went on the way home. I was exhausted therefore, when I got home I went straight to bed. The next two days were like any other normal day, but

Osborn III convention center in Jacksonville, Florida. The drive felt as if it took days to get there, but in reality, only took two hours. I continued to squirm in my seat as I watched the cars we drove by. Once we arrived my mother paid her spectator fee and I went straight to the bathroom to finish getting ready. The room was full of different aromas: hairspray, perfume, and makeup. I finally get my turn at the mirror and I apply all the makeup I would never wear on a regular day, but on days like this it gave me confidence. After applying my makeup, I start doing my hair. I start by braiding a thin French braid from where I part my hair to the other side of the head, then I pull my long thick hair into a high ponytail and tied my sparkly purple cheer bow into my hair. After an hour I am finally ready to walk into the ginormous conference room. As I walk in I see vendors along the wall, chairs facing the stage, and the stage where our mats we competed on were. I listen to all the chatter of other teams talking about their journey and I watched my team talk each other down from anxiety. I felt like the I was standing still in time and watching everything go on around me, but that only lasted a few seconds. Senior Bombshells began to warm up and in the blink of an eye we are waiting to go on stage. We stand listening to the crowd roar at the last performance, but then we hear our friend and family chant N-F-E, which stood for North Florida Elite the name of the cheer gym. We hug each other and repeatedly say "we got this." I walk over to my best friend hug her and hold her hand. Bombshells take the stage and in 2 minutes 30 seconds we deliver a perfect routine. Four hours later we find ourselves on the stage waiting for the results. We listen as the announcer, in an enthusiastic voice, call out 5th place, 4th place, 3rd place, and 2nd place. Our team was never announced so after all the buildup of excitement we