After a few years of no longer being part of your team and looking back on all of the experiences that I had, I realize that I took you for granted at times. You put forth so much dedication and hard work into making our team a success, so here are a just a few thank yous. Sorry it took so long.

1. Thank you for trusting me to be on your team.

I can still remember seeing my tryout number on that white sheet of paper that was taped to the wall. I'm pretty sure I peed my pants at the sight of it.

2. Thank you for teaching me the skills.

Sure, being a cheerleader requires a hint of natural-born talent, but without you, I never would have learned that I actually have to pull my legs to my chest in my tuck (another thanks for saving me from a broken neck).

3. Thank you for making me fall in love with the sport.

I had cheered for years before I came to your team, but with every practice I fell more and more in love. With the stunting, the tumbling, the football games, but most importantly, the people I did these things with. (Notice how I didn't mention jumping).

4. Thank you for pushing me to be my best.

You would choreograph tumbling passes in the routine for me before I even had the skill. You knew what I was capable of before I did.

5. Thank you for being a role model.

I'd never had a role model before (besides you, mom!!!!). I honestly aspire to have as much passion, (cheesy) humor, and love as you do one day.

6. Thank you for giving me 24 lifelong friends.

Through the trials and triumphs, we had no choice but to love each other through it all. Girls who were once strangers turned into friends and friends turned into sisters. I would still do anything for those girls to this day.

7. Thank you for making us go full out "one more time."

Those routines where we were tired, covered in sweat, and thought we would crumble into pieces if we had to do one more running tumbling pass, were the routines that changed us from good to great.

8. Thank you for never giving up on us.

We know we were talkative and obnoxious and drove you crazy most days (we totally deserved those wall-sits and sprints). But that’s what you get for putting 25 girls together in one room for five days a week! We became family.

9. Thank you for believing in us.

After a bad performance, you never yelled, screamed, or made us run. You never cared about the placement, you just cared that we put on our best performance. Yelling “make ‘em proud” right before the music started was proof of that.

10. Thanks for being hard on us.

On the days where stunts didn’t hit, tumbling just didn’t happen, and bad attitudes ran rapid, you didn’t put up with any of it. You gave us the option of getting our crap together or running for two hours (sometimes we didn’t learn that lesson fast enough).

11. … and for being easy on us when we needed it.

Some days we just needed a break and those Saturday morning practices that turned into therapy sessions. Those will be memories that I cherish forever.

12. Thank you for the experience.

I actually miss saying, "Sorry, I can't. I have cheer". I wouldn't trade Friday nights under the lights, early morning practices, team bonding events, or competing on the big blue mat for anything else.

13. Thank you for putting your heart into everything you do.

We wouldn’t have been able to take the mat without your support. Your unconditional love showed through every day at practice and especially those moments before we took the mat. I still replay your pep talks in my head when I need a little confidence or motivation.

14. ... and thank you for teaching me how to do so.

Because of you, I won’t settle for anything that doesn’t have my full heart in it.

15. Thank you for teaching me life lessons.

Cheerleading is a prime example of how hard work and dedication really pay off in the end.

16. Thank you for shaping who I am today.

You taught me to overcome my fears, work my butt off, and put 110 percent into everything I do or don’t do it at all. But most importantly, you taught me that love conquers all.

Long Live.