Dear seniors,

Enjoy it while you can. I know that cheer is vigorous. It is a mentally and physically tough sport. I know those six-hour-long practices make you feel like you're actually going to die. I know you want to cry when your coach yells at you or when you have a bad tumbling day. I know it sucks when you're almost done with the routine, but a stunt falls, so your coach starts the music over and tells you to set the routine from the very beginning.

I know the blood, the sweat, and the tears all too well myself, but I can promise you one thing for sure: You will miss all of these things, and you will miss them badly. You will wish you could go back and do those suicides and bear crawls. You will wish that you could set that routine one more time. You will wish that you could go to a competition and smell nothing but hairspray and spray tans. You'll miss putting pounds of makeup on your face and pulling your hair up so tight that it gives you a headache. You'll miss that little circle you make backstage to have a team talk before you rock your routine.

You'll miss hugging your best friend right before you set the routine at a competition. You'll miss that feeling right before the music starts onstage and you feel like your stomach has dropped into your butt. Most of all, you'll miss the feeling of hitting a perfect routine at a competition and crying while you hug your teammates as you come off of the stage. That's one of the best feelings in the entire world, and nobody can give that back to you once it's all over with. It's your senior year and you're in your last season.

Make the best of it and don't take anything for granted. You're probably one of the oldest team members, so be a leader. Cheer for your teammates during practice and be positive. Encourage them to be the best they can possibly be and be there for them on their rough days. Every team needs multiple leaders, and as a senior, you should be one. Take in every last moment of it because it's almost over. The second you come off of that stage for the last time, you'll be sad. Some of you will have the opportunity to continue your passion in college, but some of you won't.

If you aren't one of those people, this letter is for you. It's to tell you to soak in every last second of practice: Your coaches yelling at you, doing suicides at practice, warming up at a competition, circling up, and competing for that very last time. It's bittersweet. You're graduating this year and moving on to bigger and better things, but cheer will always stick with you in one way or another. It taught me to be a leader, to be confident in myself, to work hard for what I want, to be a team player, and so many other important life lessons.

Thank your coaches for all that they've done for you over the years because they deserve it. Hug your teammates. Cherish every moment, because once you walk off that mat for the last time, you'll never do any of these things again. I miss cheering All-Stars every single day, but I am so glad that I didn't take my last season for granted.

Sincerely,

An Alumnus of Famous Superstars in Charleston, WV