For the past seventeen years, I have been a competitive cheerleader. Throughout my many years in this sport, I have been involved in my high school cheerleading program as well as my private all-star cheerleading organization. I have traveled around the country and participated in some of the most prestigious competitions that there are in the cheerleading industry. It has become a huge part of my life, however, it has caused me to miss quite a few other opportunities that I wanted to participate in.

Let me just give you a quick rundown on competitive cheerleading. All-star cheerleading is broken into levels 1-6. Level 1 being very basic and each level thereafter getting harder and more complex. Each year you compete at a multitude of competitions. Once you have made it to a level 5 or level 6 team, you are given the opportunity to compete at the World Championships. The World Championships is the farthest you can go in cheerleading; it is basically our version of the Olympics. You have to earn a bid to compete at this event and it is very hard to get one. I have been on a level five team since I was a sophomore in high school and have been to Worlds twice.

Competitive cheerleading takes a lot of commitment. There are multiple practices each week, competitions every weekend during the season, constant traveling and events that you have to partake in. During my high school career, I had to skip dances, school events/games, and so many parties in order to do cheerleading. Especially during my senior year, I remember missing many events that I really wish I was able to go to. I thought that since I had missed so much throughout my life because of cheering that in college I would finally stop.

When the opportunity finally came at the end of last season for me to quit, I could not do it… I didn’t want to do it. I thought about all my years in cheerleading and how much fun it truly was. You form so many relationships with so many people and I didn’t think I was ready to give that up. I wasn’t ready to give up the traveling, the competing, the feeling of being a family. That’s what a sport is all about, not the winning or losing, but the things you learn and the people you do it with. I remember what it felt like many years ago when I was the youngest on the team and not being able to look up to the older cheerleaders. I remember not having a relationship with any of them because they were cliquey and only kept to themselves. I remember that feeling, but I also remember how it is now. I have a close relationship with every girl on my team and I can’t just walk away from that. I want to be there the first time my teammates walk onto the World Championship stage. I want to be there the first time they perform on a level five team, and most of all I want to be there as a role model like no one was there for me. I grew up with all of these girls and I cannot walk away from them now.

So, why did I decide to continue cheerleading even though I am now in college?

The benefits of participating in this sport have truly outweighed any negatives. I have gotten to compete and travel to places that some people could only dream of going to. I have formed bonds with so many girls that I hope to stay in contact with for years to come. I am a cheerleader. I have always been a cheerleader. I will always be a cheerleader. You cannot give up something that has been a part of you for as long as you can remember. I may have to drive an hour to and from each practice. I may have to skip a few parties or miss a few games, but I would be missing out on so much more if I chose not to do cheerleading.