Personal Statement: Varsity Cheerleading

“Cheerleading is my favorite high school memory”, said senior Molly Dudas. Many of the cheerleaders would agree, it is a privilege and an honor to be a part of the tradition and school spirit that makes STA. The cheerleaders revelle their favorite parts of the long season “This is my second year cheering for the sta basketball team and every season is always a blast! There’s never a dull moment cheering for the best team around with your friends. Can’t wait to try out again for the squad!”,said sophomore Carli Brent. The girls are always encouraging each other to keep cheering even in the worst of loses on and off the court. “Cheering at STA is like having a second family”, said senior Emily Huard. “Being apart of something so uplifting

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.

The sport of cheerleading has been around for a long time; since 1884 in fact! In the beginning, cheer was a sport dominated by college men. Since, women have taken over, and in 1967 the first ranked college cheer competition was held. Both school and competitive cheerleading offer many rewarding opportunities. Though they are a part of the same sport, the two types of squads are actually quite diverse. School cheer is undeniably a worthwhile and respectable sport, but competitive teams often provide a more challenging approach, and are more suited to experienced cheerleaders.

For the year of 2016 I was our chapter’s reporter, I am Currently the 2020 class President, and for the year 2015-16 I was president of the Tri-L 4-H club.

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.

In that absolutely endearing, prideful moment, I took a chance to look back on my past years, devoted to such a tireless sport. I began the wide sport of cheerleading when I was a mere

My dedication, commitment, and enthusiasm for cheerleading set me apart from the other applicants, along with my diversity with different types of cheerleading. I have 15 years of cheer experience at the all-star, junior high, high school, and at the collegiate level. I feel like this makes me a very well rounded leader because I have cheered with many different personalities and worked with coaches at each of these levels. As an all-star cheerleader, my coach selected me to perform an individual routine, I was a captain of my junior high cheer team, and was able to work closely with my high school cheer coach to help run practice after an jury my junior year. I hope that if I were to be selected to represent Hendrix College Cheerleading’s

Over the past two years (2014-2016) I have participated in the National Junior Honors Society. As a member, I commit to completing community service and to learning among my peers in order to develop into a superior leader. I have taken part in activities such as fundraisers, team building activities, and several forms of community services such as working in a soup kitchen, daycares and organizing social events. Recently, I volunteered for a week as a vendor at a temple in Tacoma, raising money for the establishment during the Cambodian New Year festival.

From an outsiders perspective one may see brainless and beautiful robots, which scream and perform neat tricks. This is not the case from the inside; cheerleading is so much more than that. Many people are under the impression that cheerleading is not a sport. I am the voice of reasoning that will let you in, and I will show you that cheerleading, in fact, is a sport. Cheerleading requires much physical demand from the body just as any other sport would. Cheerleading, in general, is a team effort. There are many sides to cheerleading, which make it a versatile sport. When it comes to cheerleading there’s more to it than what meets the eye.

Cheerleading began for me at the age of twelve. In the past I had played soccer, basketball, softball, did ballet. Basically every activity my mom could possibly put me in. All of those activities were okay, but cheerleading became something that was special to me. I first began cheering in middle school for the Hazelwood West Junior Wildcats. I cheered on the team throughout middle school literally dedicating all of my free time to cheerleading. I lived, ate, and dreamed cheer. I went on to continue cheering throughout my high school career, cheering for all Hazelwood West athletics, including: soccer, football, basketball, and wrestling. I was a hardcore dedicated athlete, and I had spirit like no other. From

When I was a child, I believed that my most important goal for my young life was to one day become a varsity cheerleader for my local high school. Nine years later, the day I became a varsity cheerleader, I made a promise to myself that I would never do anything to jeopardize my personal image or the image of my team because I knew that young cheerleaders were always looking to be just like the varsity cheerleaders, and also like myself. This aspiration of mine encouraged my volunteer involvement with the the local recreation department in my county that coordinates youth cheerleaders during each fall football season.

Over the course of high school, I have engaged in my community in various ways. For one, I have donated my time volunteering for health-related organizations that promote good causes, such as the “Heart Walk” for the American Heart Association and the Alzheimer's Walk. Over the summer of 2017, I assisted nurses in maternal fetal medicine with clerical work through the VolunTeen program

From my freshman year of high school to my senior year at school I have been involved in cheerleading, track and field, the Leo Club, Ebony Society, Trio program, the Ascend Network, Emerald Legacy Step, Flagler Youth Leadership Program, and the Hosa Program. Outside of school, I volunteered to be the junior coach of Flagler Titans Varsity Cheer team, as well as concession stands for softball games and culinary events, and now volunteering at the hospital as part of the teen auxiliary

Yearbook has become a huge chunk of my time every single day at school. I attend yearbook meetings and camps, create all types of lists and spreadsheets, organize and assign everything to staff members, but every single task is worth it. Thanks to all of my hard work and dedication, I climbed my way up from staffer to the most successful job of chief editor. I was able to gain outstanding people and communication skills along with writing skills. I have watched myself grow from a ball of anxiety and nerves to a confident and determined chief editor. Unlike everyday classes, yearbook has helped me to successfully learn about different people and life skills that I will be able to utilize in anything I am a part of whether it's college, a career, or even daily conversations. Anytime I am able to complete a task by a deadline or talk to a complete stranger, my heart will be content knowing that I am able to have success in so many different ways thanks to my unforgettable yearbook

Words can't even describe the adventure this schools varsity cheerleading program brings you through. There are easy and hard practices. There are obstacles to overcome. There are hardships and happiness. There are victories and loses. All of these aspects bring you through an experience that isn't quite like any other. One adventure.