As a former cheerleader, I tend to find myself reminiscing quite often about being back on the field every Friday night of the season during my four years of high school (and the six years before that). I still go back to my hometown every now and then to catch up with old friends and coaches to remind them how much I miss them. I'll never forget, two years after I graduated, I went back to watch one of my brother's football games and I said to my coach "I can't believe how much I miss this," and she said "Still?" Well... yes still, but I miss it for a number of reasons, I told her. Here's 10 things every cheerleader will miss after they graduate high school.
1. Practice
We always complained about long practices and double sessions. Yes, that's right, we had double sessions. We worked our asses off day and night to nail our routine, stunts, tumbling sequences and so much more! We hated hearing that cheerleading is "not a sport," because believe me, it so is. We spent hours dancing and stunting in order to create a flawless performance - which wasn't all that easy, but it was something we absolutely loved to do. And despite the blood, sweat and tears (literally), it was a chance for us to bond. Which brings me to my next point.
2. The family aspect
As a bunch of girls, of course we fought about everything. I can't even count the amount of times that drama was brought into our squad one way or another in which we all became involved. At the end of the day though, we really did become a family. It was a little bit like a sorority. The girls on my team became my sisters. We laughed, we cried, we fought - and that's what sisters do. Being the only girl of three kids in my house, this was a much needed group of girls that I was blessed to call family.
3. Your coach
Okay, so I don't know about you, but I will forever miss my cheerleading coach. Not only was she a strong leader and mentor, but she had the honor (or not) of playing the role of our second mom. She spent her free time with us while we practiced and complained and cried when things went wrong. She supported us, loved us and cared about us as I believe any coach should. She made the entire experience riveting and totally worth it. She never gave up on us and continued to bring her strength and dedication to our squad every day. There aren't many days that go by that I'm not wishing I could vent to her just one more time.
4. Pep-rallies
The first pep rally was the first time we really got to strut our stuff and show everyone how hard we worked all summer on putting together an incredible routine. We set up the mats in our school gym and awaited anxiously for our music to start for the very first time in front of a crowd. We put our heart and our soul into every single count and gave it our all. The energy was so amazing and the rush of adrenaline is unforgettable.
5. Wearing your uniform to school
This is another thing we always managed to find a reason to complain about. We all had our cheering t-shirts with our names scripted onto the back that we wore every Thursday. And on Fridays, we wore our uniforms - despite the long sleeve bodysuit in the heat or the skirts in the cold. We barely paid attention in class and took tons of pictures all day long, anticipating the game later that night. I would to just about anything to be back in that uniform one more time.
6. Friday night lights
Every Friday was the same thing over and over again. We spent the long hours of the day (or week) awaiting this night. We arrived at the field early to do our hair and makeup while we watched the boys practice. We went over the routine time and time again until the sun went down and the stadium lights turned on. We held a banner on the field at the goal post at the beginning of every game that our boys ran through. The feeling of pumping up the players and the crowd was overwhelming. And although we weren't physically playing the game, we sure had raging anxiety being up close and personal for every play. We ran up and down the sidelines every time we got a touchdown and cheered the players on to victory which was so rewarding.
7. Bus rides
As many of us preferred playing on our home turf, away games were pretty fun too. Except this time, we had to take a bus to the field we were playing at. Each bus ride seemed long and exhausting because we just wanted to be there already .But we knew how to make the best of it - blasting music and singing "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston at the top of our lungs, playing games, taking pictures, making jokes, etc. And once we finally got to the field we cheered our way off the bus and onto the sideline for another Friday night under the lights.
8. The feeling after nailing a routine
Come half time, it was our turn to shine. We stood in formation for what felt like forever while we waited for the announcer to play our soundtrack. And before we knew it, it was done. We finished the routine - out of breath and sweating nonetheless - and hugged each other every single time. We felt accomplished, I guess...like we truly succeeded. I mean, the feeling is truly indescribable. To walk off the field with smiles from ear to ear, listening to the crowd applaud out hard work was really a feeling like no other.
9. Throwing people in the air
We've all heard this phrase that cheerleaders use, "you life weights, we lift people" which is the truth. Everybody tends to have a blurred view of the strength of a cheerleader. People think we're weak, girly girls. Okay, yes we love makeup and glitter, but that doesn't define us. The best part about cheerleading was stunting. We looked forward to it each season. It is hands down, one of the most impressing things we do. We take girls and throw them into the air while they do some crazy flips and twists right before they come back down and we have to catch them. Whether you were a base of a flyer, you know the adrenaline rush of stunting.
10. Being flexible
Last but most definitely not least, we all miss how flexible we were. From putting our feet to our heads and falling so easily into a split. We'd do anything to get that back. Nothing will compare to the hour-long stretching practices we would have that made our toe-touch that much higher and let us pull our heel-stretch that much closer to our face. And you know you showed off your flexibility everywhere you went.
