Cheerleading Career Essay

I am a firm believer that strong leaders can either make or break an athlete’s career. Talented mentors have the rare ability to transform a stubborn and/or tired mind to one reborn with the strength and motivation to continue. It is an amazing feat if deeply thought about; how could one person make such a mammoth impact that he/she can completely change the way someone thinks?

When I became a leader whose sole responsibility-at least in my mind- was to aid in the growth of twenty 7 to 10-year-old cheerleaders I discovered the answer to that question immediately.

Coaching cheerleading was one of the most difficult positions I have voluntarily placed myself into. This was not because I believed I lacked the expertise in the sport to train effectively, but because I placed an immense amount of pressure on myself to teach as much as I possibly could and be certain these impressionable young athletes would retain the excitement to continue augmenting their skill sets and grow as confident leaders themselves.

and I wanted to instill such a passion inside of these girls that they would set these goals for themselves as early on as first or second grade. I ultimately became captain of my high school’s varsity cheerleading team as a junior; this was a dream I had instilled in myself as a freshman. I was placed into that position along with two co-captains-both of them seniors- and consistently improving my leadership skills was a role I proudly took on as I aided prospects during tryouts, taught new skills, and kept the team from becoming pessimistic when our head coach resigned. This was a role I took on quite seriously, but I did not realize the magnitude of my impact as a leader until I began coaching younger