Since I decided to become a cheerleader for FSU, it has been a little difficult. Although I have loads of experience looking at cheerleaders, I have no experience cheering whatsoever. Being a co-ed cheerleader means I get to stunt, in other words, throwing girls up in the air and catching them with both hands or sometimes just one. The stunts can be very intense and require focus, strength, and technique. Luckily I possess the first two and the team is helping me work on my technique. Despite a grueling first week dubbed 'work week', the people and the passion are what keep me coming back for more.
1. Attitude will make or break you.
Joining a college level athletic team is not easy, especially at a school as great as FSU. There are hundreds of people that dream of cheering on the Noles in Doak and even less that are able to try out for the squad. To be chosen to represent my school in the cheer uniform is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I admit my first couple of days were full of doubt. Thoughts ran through my head like "why am I here?" "just quit, this isn't for you" and "do I have to do this?" Towards the end of the week, the negativity was replaced with a new mentality. One more grateful and passionate about my time with the team. The thoughts now sounded like "wow I can't wait to be doing this on the field" "this is so exciting!" and "I am amazed that I get the chance to do this!" The difference in attitude is key to having a good time. Attitude can stop us from doing something we love because it's hard at first, but most things worth doing are difficult.
2. Discipline hurts, but regret lasts a lifetime.
Throughout my life, I've had it pretty easy. I worked a couple jobs in the summers to have spending money but I never needed that money. My parents were happy to provide me with food and pay for my car, gas, and insurance. On top of that, college was paid for through my dad's savvy savings so I don't have to take out any loans. School always came easy for me and I never truly felt what it was like to push myself. As a result, I became accustomed to comfort. When things become difficult I would give up on them and try something new. I can't tell you how many things I quit because they were too tough - baseball, martial arts, and even switching majors. However, over time I've come to realize how my life could have been different had I stuck it out. My high school's baseball team made it to states and martial arts is just badass. When it came to cheerleading during my senior year of college, I thought to myself, "Why not just push through the pain? This could be really fun but it won't be easy. What if easy things aren't what's best in life?" It sounds trivial when writing it now, that what is easy to get isn't easy to want, but my subconscious was used to skating through life relying on talents rather than hard-work. Imagining what hard work can do with talent inspires me to strive for greatness.
3. Everyone makes mistakes. Stop holding yourself to an unreasonable standard.
Perhaps the most intimate lesson I've learned in the past couple weeks came to me from a friend. He's the guy I call when s*** hits the fan. What gets me every time is that no matter what kind of crazy mistake I made, he always tops me with one better. This time around I told him what I had done and he said "You gotta stop putting so much pressure on yourself. You try so hard be at this unreasonably high level but you just have to take it easy on yourself when you don't get there. We all screw up man. We're just people." Those words hit me like a ton of bricks. Suddenly I realized that I'm not perfect nor can I be. During cheer practice, I would try new stunts and mess up or even mess up the basics and start to get frustrated. When I get mad I just stare off into the distance and zone everything out, only focusing on my mistakes. My teammates brought me back to reality and said "It's ok man. You'll get it. We're trying to help you now so you get it later. These things take time. Once you do it right you'll get it down like that." and my personal favorite, "Don't beat yourself up." I guess screwing up around a bunch of happy, beautiful, and enthusiastic cheerleaders isn't the worst place to make a mistake.
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