When people hear you say, "I was a cheerleader in high school," you wonder if they think of the stereotypes. They most likely think that you spent every Friday night with pompoms going "rah, rah" for the cute boys in tight football pants and, even though that may be true, cheerleading consists of much more than that. Cheerleading teaches you how to be part of a team, on top of being disciplined and hardworking. It teaches you to have pride in something and to be positive, even when things get you down. On top of all of that, it teaches you to be strong not only physically, but emotionally and mentally. Cheerleaders overcome many obstacles, whether it's the stereotypes or lack of support from peers, but they never seem to lose hope in those who they call their teammates. Cheerleading is one of the few sports that allows athletes to completely rely on each other for the team's success while creating life-long bonds that seem to never disappear.
As a former cheerleader, I can say that there are many things that I will never forget, including the lessons that I learned, the friends that I made, and the experiences that have shaped me into who I am today. If you are a current cheerleader or are just remembering how great it was to be one, like me, here are a few things that every cheerleader can understand.
1. You stunt anywhere and everywhere.
2. You can never have enough bows.
3. Or Nike Pros.
4. You own a million different pairs of Nfinity cheer shoes.
5. You've watched the "Bring It On" movie series, whether you're proud of it or not.
6. You stay in on the days when a cheer competition is played on ESPN because it rarely ever happens. You may even consider it a holiday.
7. Hearing "this is the last full-out" from your coach doesn't even phase you because you know to expect two or three more anyway.
8. You realize how much work it takes to get a tumbling skill and perfect it. (Which is something that a non-cheerleader or gymnast would never understand.)
9. You hate bad motions and unpointed toes.
10. Themed cheer practices help to get you through the week.
11. Hopefully, you've mastered the skill of poofing your hair and getting ready for a competition in 0.2 seconds.
12. You're an expert with athletic tape.
13. You know and love the feeling right before competing, but if someone asked you to explain it, you would have no words to do so.
14. You have a pre-competition warmup routine with your team, whether its a chant or a dance that absolutely no one else would understand.
15. When your squad hits the elite stunt sequence perfectly, you pray that someone videotaped it for proof.
16. The bond that you have with your fellow base, flyer, and back spot is a bond that you cannot describe.
17. You end up reciting cheers in your sleep or in class.
18. You laugh at every cheer fail vine or video, even though you know that those happen to you quite often.
19. The feeling after finishing your routine at a competition and hugging your teammates is the best feeling in the world.
20. You get the urge to tumble at the most random of times.
21. It really does take a crazy amount of trust between flyers, bases, and back spots every time when a stunt goes in the air.
22. Your team is your family.
When you spend every day practicing with this group of people, you form a bond that is unbreakable. You spend your time together in hotels at competitions, eating on the road, doing homework in the lobby of the gym, doing each other's hair and makeup, and winning and losing together. You love them through it all and you'll never forget any of them.
