Since I was a young child, I dreamed of becoming a high school cheerleader. I would eat, sleep, and breathe cheer. I was five when I informed my mother that "I wanted to be like the big girls that give out ribbons every Friday morning." This was the point that my mom enrolled me in gymnastics and signed me up for cheerleading: I loved it instantly. My sixth-grade year, I knew tryouts were coming up and I was a basket case, but I made it. By my eighth-grade year I was taking private lessons at gymnastics to prepare for high school tryouts because, you were required to do a backhandspring. I finally got my standing backhandspring after numerous private lessons at $45 apiece. Then, around February of my eighth-grade year, cheer season was over, and Sydney Selman told me about auxiliary, and being part of the Montevallo …show more content…
She said she was going on a band trip, and told me how much fun it was going to be: I was intrigued. I had seen auxiliary members before, in their sparkly uniforms, but never thought about them much. Suddenly, I found myself growing more captivated by the thought of being on auxiliary. The only problem was that I had no clue what I would be on auxiliary; I could not be a majorette, I had no experience with the baton, I was too scared to do color guard because, I thought I would hit myself with a flag. Finally, after many days of thinking, I came to the conclusion that I had been learning choreography for years in cheer, danceline could not be that different. I brought the idea up to my mom and she was surprised, but she fully supported me. I got the tryout packet and was eager to participate. When tryout week came it hit me; I have no actual dance experience. I had no idea what a Grand Jete was, or a Hitch Kick, and I definitely did not know how to
While cheerleading and gymnastics have similar moves and tumbling passes, the differences in the sports can vary. Varying from if they are a team or not, cheerleading and gymnastics are two totally different sports but also similar in ways. Even though gymnastics and cheerleading include tumbling and the difference in the level of difficulty in the tumbling passes. Cheerleading lifts people while gymnastics is all about how graceful you can be. A big bow, a part of a cheerleader’s uniform, makes the appearance of a cheerleader more interesting. Lastly, cheerleading is some team sport and gymnastics is mainly an individual sport.
When I arrived at my new and enormous high school, I got lost. It was June, and since classes had just ended for the day, large crowds of kids filled up the hallways, and I got bumped around like I did not exist. Thankfully, a cheerleader saw me and figured that I had come there for tryouts since I wore shorts, cheer shoes and a big bow in my hair. She took me to the gym where at least sixty girls had shown up for the competition. The first things I saw were cheerleaders doing high level tumbling on the gym floor with no fear. The upperclassmen led us in warm-ups, and they seemed nice. A lot of the girls I met had been cheering since they were five and six years old. I saw a lot of talent in the room, so I knew it would not be easy to
Ever experienced cheer camp a famous college? Surround by its famous color orange and blue? Well, I did! A tremendous amount of people have their different ideas an exciting experience in their life. Although out of all of the exciting experiences I’ve ever experienced , I would have to say my favorite is when I visited The University of Florida for cheer camp my sophomore year. I was overly excited about spending four days at The University of Florida; I stayed up all night the night before packing and getting ready to finally stay at a college for four days with my fellow cheer sisters. From that experience I learned a lot about sticking together as a team, and friendship! But, most importantly, I learned that bonding together as a team is what got us to finish strong at the end. Those four days really opened my eyes to a lot of different things and I’m glad I can say that I really enjoyed myself.
“They’re snobs.” “They’re ditzy.” “They are just brats.” Cheerleaders. There are many problems with stereotyping, and cheerleaders are no strangers to it. Every cheerleader could probably tell you a time when someone stereotyped them, whether that be them as a person or an athlete. While on some occasions cheerleaders really do fit the stereotypical vision of a cheerleader off of a movie, most are not your typical “cheerleader”; intelligent, polite, and athletic are all characteristics of these individuals. Making judgements about a person based on what sport they played is not deserved. Most people in high school would say they knew, or thought they knew how cheerleaders were, but if taking the time to get to know the kind of people they are, then people’s opinion would change.
When I was about six or seven years old, I started cheerleading because my older sister, Tiffany, was a cheerleader (and what little girl doesn’t want to be just like their older sister?). Thanks to Tiffany, and, of course, my mom for signing me up and getting me where I need to be, I found a love and passion for something I would cherish for the rest of my life.
Have you ever just thought and engaged on curiosity on how it feels like to stand and balance on hands of people? Being thrown high in the air with just trusting three people to catch you? Lifting people together while exhibiting strength and trusting that the stunt won’t completely fall? Lastly, having the guts to cheer, shout and to put on that cheerful smile despite all the pain and sacrifices you made just to complete the routine? These people are extraordinary athletes. These athletes just don’t perform difficult stunts but they also uniquely combine the factor of performing and getting the crowd’s attention through their routine. They are called Cheerleaders. Most of the people who aren’t familiar of the content of the sport would think that Cheerleading is just for the purpose of performing and cheering for their own team or school, but to Cheerleaders, it’s more than just those conditions. It’s just something more special than that. It’s a vision and of course, pure passion.
Movies portray cheerleaders as the popular girls that everyone likes and aspires to be. But when reality hits at Salem High School, it’s a completely different story. Cheerleading was taken as a joke by the other athletes and even students. It was considered a hobby, but to me it was a passion and something I worked hard to be. Being on the cheer squad in high school was difficult to deal with in school because we were constantly being snubbed by the other athletes and students in our school ever since we were kids in junior high which should not happen because everyone has the right to do what they love and they should not be judged for it being different than everyone else. It was always us versus them up until my junior year of high school when we finally earned the respect of our peers.
RAH! RAH! GO TEAM! This is what most people think of when they hear the word cheerleading. Movies usually give people the impression that cheerleaders are just stuck up blondes that rule the school and cheer at football and basketball games. Although there are still stereotypical cheerleaders just like the ones in movies, cheerleaders are not just on the sidelines anymore. There are now competitive teams who only compete and do not cheer for anything. This is called competitive cheerleading. This type of cheerleading is very different from the cheerleading on the sidelines and is much more athletic. Competitive cheerleading is often underrated because cheerleaders make it look easier than it is. Society should consider competitive cheerleading a sport because it fits the definition, requires incredible strength and endurance, and considering it a sport would help prevent injuries.
Before I started cheering, both of my parents never knew how much goes into being a cheerleader. Though soccer was the sport I grew up playing, I ended up quitting to try out for cheerleading in seventh grade. I made the squad that year and I immediately became attached to cheerleading, though my parents did not know how to react exactly. Of course they were happy for me since it was something that I wanted to do, but it was not soccer. My dad did not consider cheerleading to be a sport in the beginning, claiming that “there is no team quality to cheering.” It was safe to say that he did not necessarily like that I quit soccer to take up cheering since he did not consider cheerleading to be a real sport. I have learned that going against tradition and conformity is difficult, but is worth it in the end.
Cheerleading is a controversial topic when it comes to being classified as a sport. Cheerleading has been around one hundred plus years. Cheerleading was not always as developed as it is today— just like many other sports into today’s culture. Some of today 's celebrities, such as George Bush, started their glory days being a cheerleader. The definition of cheerleading is in the name itself-- to lead cheers. There are different types of cheerleading such as spirit basketball, spirit football, high school competition, and competitive club cheerleading. All of which have different skill levels and qualifications. Most high schools offer many different types of cheerleading and not all classify as a sport in some people 's eyes. Spirit cheerleading
Some states have accepted competitive cheerleading as a varsity sport, but cheerleaders still have to fight for recognition as an athlete because of stereotypical views. Fellow athletes do not see why it should be considered a sport because “it is not as demanding as other sports” ("Competitive Cheerleading Fights"). The definition of an athlete is “a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina” ("Omni Cheer Blog"). As an athlete students must demonstrate their skills in front of a crowd. As a matter of fact competitive cheerleaders meet all the requirements to be considered athletes, so why do they have to continue fighting for recognition as athletes?
The start of seventh grade, I was far from the image of the typical cheerleader. I was clumsy, would spill anything and often tripped over my own feet. I also had a speech impediment, so people could not usually understand me. The thought of me being a cheerleader was laughable. However, my best friend convinced me to just try it, and
The birth of cheerleading was commenced with an all boys “pep club” that led cheers at a Princeton University football game in the 1880s. One specific student, Thomas Peebles, passed on the idea of a pep club to the University of Minnesota where he had transferred. The idea surprisingly spread like wildfire and everyone was on board with a pep club at their university to help encourage their athletes to victory (“History”). As cheerleading has become more popular and as more females have gotten involved, in the 21st century, majority of cheer squads require a tryout process were you can show off your talent and skills to be chosen. Before, cheerleaders were selected by their level of popularity but today they are required to have complex skills, the muscle of a linebacker, the grace and flexibility of a ballerina, and the balance of a gymnast (AACCA).
“It’s the oldest story in the world. One day you’re 17 and planning for someday. And then quietly and without you ever really noticing, someday is today. And then someday is yesterday. And this is your life.” - One Tree Hill
I’ve been doing competitive cheerleading since the third grade. Competitive cheerleading being the third most dangerous sport in the world, I was going to get injured at one point or another; it just depends on when and how bad the injury is. Most cheerleaders hide injuries from coaches and other athletes to continue with the season, like if the athlete has a broken rib, jammed finger, sprained ankle, or wrist. Some injuries just cannot be ignored, like a torn ACL, achilles, obvious broken bones, concussions, or a jammed back. No athlete wants to be injured, but sometimes that’s the best thing that can happen to them.