Personal Narrative: The Sport Of Cheerleading

When I was 9 years old, I started this thing called competitive or all-star cheerleading. My goal at the time was to make it on a level 5 team and compete at the World Championship. Within my first 5 seasons I had a lot of trouble with my tumbling, which prevented me from moving past level 4. Before my sixth season I switched cheer gyms. My parents believed in my goals so much that they drove me an hour and half to and from practice two to three times a week. Within my first year at Tribe which was my new gym, my tumbling issues never got resolved. That left me on a level 3 team where I never believed I was good enough. The next year I was again put on a level 3 team. Now in my eighth season I was put on a level 3 team yet again. I wanted to quit, but my coach showed me that tumbling did not define me and allowed me to fall in love with the sport all over again.

Hi, I am Arabella, a junior in high school and a varsity cheerleader at Siesta Key High School. I am four feet and eight inches tall and a flyer on the cheer team. I often dress like a nerd, and do not care what other people think. I am dating the star football player at SKHS his name is Tom. Tom was not only a star football player, but he is also very good at soccer, basketball, baseball and volleyball. He is a liar and a cheater too. Anyways, people just call me Bella. I love sports and love spending my days off at the beach. I especially love Major League Baseball; Tampa Bay Devil Rays is my favorite team. I am a happy person most of the time. Who’s dedicated to my cheerleading career; and I want to get a scholarship for Northwestern

If everything was easy, then everyone could it and it wouldn’t be an accomplishment. Last year I joined an all-star cheerleading team, and that’s when I found out that this wasn’t going to easy that I have put myself out of my comfort zone. I was 17 years old and I was very shy, but I knew that you couldn’t do anything if you’re shy. Cheer was the best choice I had ever done by the second week of practice I was talking to everyone on the team they became my second family my coaches became so important to me they believed in every single one of us they pushed us to do our best and to never give up.

I waited weary in anticipation of what name would break out of the happy-go-lucky collegiate cheerleader’s boisterous mouth as he was announcing the two lucky 2017 National Cheerleading Association All Americans out of all 4 Belton cheer squads. I replay this moment in my most vivid dreams, feeling the excitement of the halcyon moment grow greater and greater as the nerves and emotions grew stronger and stronger. A moment as imperative as this showed me in the most transparent way that hard, continuous work and growth pays off in many more ways than one.

The whole month my parents had been bugging me of something that I was so unsure about. They were trying to encourage me to try something new, something I had never done before. I was so scared and nervous… I didn’t want to feel intimidated, but that’s exactly how I felt. I kept refusing my parent's request to “get involved” as they would say. I had only a pittance of knowledge about high school cheer. When I attended cheer tryouts the first week of June, I was extremely nervous and bubbling with trepidation, as well as fear. I would've never even known that this sport would have such an extraordinary impact on my life. Throughout my entire high school cheer experience, there has only been one person who has been there with me through it all. This particular person, also know as Coach Ruby, has given me moral support in everything I have achieved. Through all of the blood, sweat and tears, she has been there, regardless. It is known that every coach dreams to see their athletes succeed and reach his or her highest potential. My coach has provided me with the ultimate necessities to have the most remarkable cheer experience possible. She consistently keeps a close surveillance on each and every cheerleader to provide individuals with the most accurate feedback possible. As she encourages everyone to do their best, she also reminds us to look past our perturbation. She’s taught me that dreams don’t work, unless you work for them. Overall, my coach, Ruby, acts like a second mom and I can only hope that she subsists in my life even after high school cheer is over for

Cheer Athletics in Plano is one of the most prestigious competition gyms in the country. There are other Cheer Athletics’ branches in other places like Frisco and Austin, but not one is as successful as Plano. It is the absolute best place to go for a serious cheerleader. The best and most experienced coaches work there and they are hungry to win. They expect every ounce of energy and athleticism to be left on the floor when we are finished performing. I have never had any problems with an authority figure until I started at Cheer Athletics.

When I was in 3rd grade I begged my mom to sign me up for cheerleading. I had always pictured myself on the sideline of a football game. Except, that wasn't exactly what I signed up for. Actually, it wasn't even close My mom signed me up for a team named Rocket Cheer. A team that did not cheer on the sidelines at football games but instead competed in competitions nationwide throughout the whole year.This has been more than just a sport to me. Rocket Cheer has taught me commitment as well as time management, the true meaning of family, how to not give up on any goal, and taught me to be me.

With a score of 44 to 37, the Varsity Football Team won against the Midway Panthers last Friday night at Waco.

Cheerleading is a sport Cheerleading started in in the 1800’s at the University of Minnesota. At first it was an all guys sport, but in the early 1900s women entered the field. There was a lot of yelling and crowd response at first but once they picked up the girls it entered a new playing field. As the years went on cheerleading became a girls sport and men were seen as “gay” if they participated.

What makes something a sport? What characteristics define a sport? Why do we feel that some sports are not considered sports when we have never played them? When you google the definition of a sport this is what you will find “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.” So as long as there is physical activity and competing then whatever you are playing is considered a sport.

Ten years ago, if someone had told me that I would be a cheerleader at the collegiate level, I would most likely have laughed in their face. Now as I sit here getting ready for practice, I laugh thinking of how I entered the world of cheerleading. Going into my freshman year of high school, my mother told me I had to try out for cheerleading. So, naturally, I cried. There was no way I would be a cheerleader. But as they say, mothers know best. Growing up, I participated in every sport imaginable; gymnastics, basketball, track, lacrosse, and even golf. Changing activities often became familiar for me, as I would get bored quite easily. After I had made the decision to take up cheerleading full time, I felt like I was downgrading. I felt

I have told a few little white lies through my lifetime. One that I can remember happened back in elementary school. I started doing competitive cheerleading back when I was about 6 years old and continued to do it until I graduated from high school. When I was in 4th or 5th grade I remember telling my friends I knew how to do a back flip. Everybody believed me and wanted to see me do one during recess and I was scared because I just started to learn how to do one so I did not have it perfected yet. When they asked me to do one I always came up with an excuse. One day I decided I was not going to come up with excuses anymore and just do it. During recess I remember everybody coming over to me and asking me when I was going to do it so I decided

1-2-3 up I was in the doing great and not moving around. It was the beginning of the 6th grade cheer season grade cheer season. I was trying out to be a flyer for the stunt.

"Are you ready for this weekend?" Said my mom. It was a Friday and we were on our way to Pasco, Washington. I was thinking about how this weekend would go, setting my goals high and focusing on positive thoughts. My best friend Haleigh and I rode together, we had a fun time until we got there and that was when it all went downhill.

Standing like soldiers around the dark blue mat with our slick black and white uniforms and our hair tied back into high, tight pony tails, we prepare to compete. We all looked in unison from the bright and vibrant red lipstick on our lips, to our crisp white tennis shoes on our feet, we were ready to compete. By far this was the biggest competition was had been in, we could feel the presence of the hundreds of people in the stands and the cold, heartless eyes of the judges peering at us when we were about to take the mat. There are two parts to cheerleading, the physical part and the emotional part both very challenging.