Author’s Note: I’ve been a part of the cheer team here at school since 5th grade. It’s changed me in ways that are hard to describe. My team is my family, I take cheer very seriously and here’s why.
Nerves. I had never felt nerves like this before. As the loud speakers crackle and our school is called, I turn to my best friend. “Ready?” she says. “Ready.” I say trying to convince myself more than her. Putting on my biggest smile I run onto the mat screaming as loud as I can. The lights are blinding and I try to focus on something. Anything. Getting into position I look around. Looking at my team I see my nerves reflected in their eyes. We wanted this. I could tell we all wanted this. Hours and hours of practice were about to show in the next two and a half minutes. The sound of the loud speaker brings me back to the present. “Ladies, your music is on.”
Cheer isn’t just a sport. It’s a way of life. For me, I started in 5th grade. Way back then, I never knew how much cheer would become a part of my life. From day one, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. But that doesn’t even begin to describe it. It takes hours to just master one skill. The basics are easy, how to be stiff, how to project your voice, the list goes on. But as you get older and more advanced, the skills become more complex. For example, more complicated stunts, better jumps, that list goes on too. Skills aside, cheer is something I can’t imagine my life without. Your team is your family. You’re with them constantly, and you have to trust them. Without that trust, your team won’t work. That trust is valuable, it’s needed in stunts, cheers, everything. You have to be there for each other. I can gladly say that my team is my family. Without them, I wouldn’t of been able to make it through these last few years.
When people say cheer isn’t a sport, I take it personally. I’d like to see them do what we do. Condition, jump, stunt. None of which is easy. Cheer needs to be taken seriously, it’s not just girls jumping around in short skirts. There’s more injuries in cheer than in any other sport. I’ve gotten hurt more this cheer season than I have in my entire life. It takes strength and dedication to do what we do. It’s not exactly easy to lift people in the air and keep them there. So don’t go talking bad about cheer when you have no idea what it’s like.
Without cheer, I would be nothing. Ever since that day way back in 5th grade, I’ve been a part of something amazing. Our team has a bond that nothing can break. We’re all there for each other and as we get older, we will get closer and closer. Because of this amazing bond, we’re able to do what we do and be proud of it. Maybe people are right, cheer isn’t a sport. It’s more than that, it’s a way of life.
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