“A person trained or gifted in
exercises or contests involving physical agility, stamina, or strength; a
participant in a sport, exercise, or game requiring physical skill,” I read out
loud to myself, remembering how earlier today, Eric, one of our football
players, had done everything he could think of to try and prove to me
cheerleading was not a sport. If a cheerleader isn’t an athlete I don’t know
who is.
Basketball
First
basketball game of the year, and we’re off to a great start. When the boys play
as well as they did tonight, it’s not hard to keep up the positive attitude,
and keep the smiles coming. By the time it was halftime, the whole court was so
loud, and encouraging, and we were all so full of positive energy that our
performance was probably the best we’ve ever done. The feeling of performing
for an excited crowd is indescribable. This season is going to be a good one, I
can already tell.
Body
I walk up
the stairs, and on my way to the locker room, I see a freshman boy who just
made the team, and he is carrying his basketball. Holding it as if someone
wanted to steal it right from his hands. A basketball player’s prized
possession is his basketball. A football player’s prized possession is his
football. Without the ball, there is no sport. I walk past the mirror in the
locker room, and look. I see a tired, hot red face, exhausted from hours of
hard work and running routines. Messy hair, workout clothes, cheer shoes, and
empty hands. My body is my prized possession. My body is my everything.
Boyfriend
I walk out
of practice, and run to meet my boyfriend who is waiting at my locker. I give
him a huge hug, and he tells me we need to talk. Uh oh.. I bite my lip and
prepare myself for what’s coming next. “You have no time for me. I like you a
lot but I want to be able to spend time with you and get to know you better. I
can’t do that when you’re always busy. I’m sorry but it’s better if we’re just
friends,” I knew it. This isn’t the first time that’s happened. I’m too busy to
even have time for myself, how am I supposed to have time to spend with anyone
else? I guess he’s right. It’s better this way.
Boys
A lot of
people look down on guy cheerleaders, but I think they are the best. The cheer
boys are my brothers. And my best friends. They always have my back and I am so
happy to have them. Any guy who makes fun of guy cheerleaders just isn’t man
enough to be one.
Camp
Cheer camp.
I wake up to the same song that has played every morning this whole week at
5:00 to wake us. I brush my teeth, grab my bag, and head out the door, already
wearing my cheer clothes, which I slept in so I could save time and sleep for a
little bit longer in the morning. The three other girls I shared my room with get
ready too, and we are out the door to meet the others for breakfast in less
than 10 minutes. By 6:00 the entire conference room (which has been cleared of
tables and replaced with blue mats for us) is filled with cheerleaders from all
over the entire state, and we are stretching and warming up. We review the 4
dances, and 10 cheers that we had to memorize in about 5 hours the first day.
We go over them again and again and again until lunchtime, which is only about
a half hour break. After lunch we go back and stunt and tumble until dinner
which is at about 7 every night. Between every pass, I glance at the clock and
pray that it’s almost time to be done. Then I wipe my sweat, and go for another
pass. By the end of the day I am so exhausted I can hardly stand. I go up to my
room and by the time we all get to sleep it is about midnight. And we start all
over again. Camp is hard. But it is also what brings a squad together. After
camp, we are no longer a squad, but we are sisters. We are a family.
Catch
In any
other sport, if you miss the catch, all you miss is the ball.
Chance
We only get one chance. After weeks
of running and perfecting a routine, we stand with our fists at our sides, and
heads down. My heart is pounding as the music begins and we all come to life.
Front and center, it is important that I don’t mess up once. I only get one
chance to show everyone what I can do.
Chiropractor
He sure has
his work cut out for him. I lay on the table and listen to the list of problems
to my mom “..crooked because she walks the way she had to when she was a
gymnast, this leg is longer than the other and you can see if you stand here,
her neck is out of alignment,..” I sigh and prepare myself for the many
appointments I will have to fit into my busy schedule.
Closet
Blue. My
school colors are all I see when I open my closet, or look in any drawer. Cheer
shorts. Spankies. Sports bras. Tank tops. Cheer. Cheer. Cheer. Cheer. Blue.
Coach
I might as
well call her mom.
Competition
A side of
my squad that no one has ever seen. You’re used to seeing the bows, the
uniforms, the smiling and waving, and the piece of cake routines we perform at
halftime. I just wish you could see the sweat, the pain, the tumbling, the
stunting, the never stopping, the intense, extremely competitive side.
Conditioning
Yes, we
condition just like any other sport. Only instead of lifting weights, we lift
people. Instead of jumping jacks, we do jumps and kicks until our legs are so
weak we want to cry. I am just as strong as any other athlete.
Counting
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 1, 2, ………I swear I can count to
ten! 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 1, ….ahhhhhhh! Let me try again..
Dance
“Hit one!”
our coach yells, and we all immediately, like soldiers, jump and land with our
feet just farther than the width of our hips, and every set of arms makes a V.
Every muscle in every body is clenched tight. We hold this motion until
everyone gets it right and usually it takes about five minutes. Finally we can
move on to two. We hold every last motion until our technique is perfect, and
then start over and do it again. Maybe by tomorrow we will be able to add the
music.
Danger
Cheerleading
is considered the most dangerous sport. More injuries occur per year in cheer
than in any other sport, including gymnastics which is a close second.
Example
There is
always a little girl in every crowd who wants to be just like you. Don’t
disappoint her. I read it over and over again every morning before I leave. My
favorite quote, written on my mirror in pink marker, it reminds me that I am
constantly setting an example for someone, somewhere. That little girl is
watching me. Always looking up to me, and she will copy every little thing I
do. I want to be that girl that people are glad their daughters look up to.
Experience
If you
don’t know what you’re doing, someone else will get hurt.
Facials
If you feel
like a complete idiot, you’re doing it right.
Family
We win
together, we lose together, we practice together, we perform together, we hurt
together, we always pick each other up, and we never let each other fall. A
squad is a family.
Free time
..What free
time?
Fun
The day
before nationals, and we all have the same thing on our minds. We go to the
beach and spend the whole day in the water, and on the sand, and we are all so
full of energy and anxious for tomorrow that nothing could bring us down.
Girls
Chisters. That’s
what we call eachother. We are cheer sisters, and we are always there for
eachother.
Injuries
The
doctor’s office has become a familiar place. I sit in the waiting room again,
but in my opinion it is pointless because no matter what they say I’m not going
to take a break. I can’t afford to stop practicing right before competition
season, and there is no way anyone can make me.
Leader
To be a
cheerleader, not only do I have to be a leader of cheers, but also in life.
Being a cheerleader on and off the mat means being the best you can be, and
being an example for others, in your actions, and in your words.
Lunch
I wonder what it is today.. I hope
it’s something at least semi-edible because I am starving. A lot of people
think I’m anorexic just because I cheer, and I’m skinny, but in all honesty I
eat more than a pregnant cow..
Motions
After the
bell rings for lunch there is always a different song that plays while I walk
to class. Today, it’s Clumsy by Fergie. By the time the chorus comes, I’m
already walking with my hands in a clean. 1, arms hit just outside my
shoulders, marking a High-V. 2, hold. 3, arms swing down and barely cross in
front of my body. By 4, my arms are back to where they were on one but my
wrists are turned down to mark my T. Clean 4 counts. 1, horizontal right punch
2.. I keep going, and walking down the halls I probably look like an idiot to
all those around me, but my random arm swings make perfect sense in my head. This
is my song and my routine has been nailed into my head so many times I can’t
help it.
Music
Weird. I
never noticed how slow this song was. I guess after listening to the cheer
remix version for so long I had forgotten what the real song sounded like.
Funny how that happens.
Nails
I get to
class and pull out a notebook. I look around for Max, a guy on the squad and
pretty much the only person I ever talk to in this class. I see him by the door
standing behind two girls I can’t help but notice are staring at me. One girl turns
to the other and says in a mocking tone, “I can’t write today, I broke a nail
in cheer!” the other pretends to cry, and I just look away. Ha break a nail. We’re
not even allowed to have nails.
Nationals
Five words.
Adrenaline, stress, exhausting, pain, LOVE.
One more time
In other
words.. We’re gonna keep doing this until you get it right and I don’t care how long it takes.
Pop
The sound that comes from every single one of our ankles, knees,
wrists, and backs whenever we tumble, stunt, run.. Even walk for that matter.
Smile
Running. To get to my next position so that as soon as I get
there I can tumble. Roundoff back handspring back handspring back layout
stepout.. As soon as I land I run again to my stunt group, and with our tired
arms and legs we throw a cheerleader into the air. At this point, though it
doesn’t seem like much, smiling is the hardest thing to do.
Tryouts
The most stressful, emotional time of the whole year.
Unitiy
Something no squad is even a squad without.
