Cheerleading - Hell Yes, it is a Sport and a Positive Experience for Many

This post is inspired by watching Cheer, as it brought me back to my own experience of being a Cheerleader and what that meant for me then and now. Cheerleading has evolved tremendously and no longer looks like it did back in the ’80s, when I donned my blue & white saddle shoes, huge pom pom’s and long Farah Fawcet-ish hair (hello aqua net).  

I take offense when I hear people say that Cheering is not a thing, or whatever pre-conceived notions they have (or perhaps a bad experience with a bitchy cheerleader) because for the most part, it is an excellent program and community for a young woman (or man) to become a part of.

I grew up in a small working-class town, where Cheerleading was revered, I was a pee wee football cheerleader (following in my older sisters footsteps), and watching the Varsity cheerleaders was so inspiring, they were soooo good, and I wanted to be them someday.  

Athletics were (and still are) big in my small town, Cheerleading was always big too, and the team and squad were always one of the best in the area, if not the state (30 years later, they are crushing it at these major competitions).   When I was a cheerleader, we practiced more than any other sport in the high school, and it was really hard to make the team (which I did not make Varsity until my Junior year)—our style was militant, and the sharp moves and precision needed to be perfect (back then we did not do the tumbles and jumps, today’s cheerleader requires far greater skills).  I can still remember early morning practices all summer long, I think we met up at the H.S. at 7 am (maybe earlier), practiced two hours and two weeks before camp (competition) we had double sessions.   We went to camp (which was our competition) and the goal each year was to SWEEP.  We always left as grand champs, first place and went in with that expectation—likewise most spirited squad and for me, being selected most spirited girl out of hundreds at camp was truly a moment, when you put yourself out there, and are awarded for playing full out with a positive spirit.   Glory Days!

Being a cheerleader taught me so much, it was such a positive outlet for me in high school and I love my squad and the people in it.  Hard work was most definitely the biggest lesson (which served me for years beyond those 2 years of Varsity cheerleading).    I can still hear Karen my captain junior year, “Pammy Mellor get those jumps up”.  The fact was, I was not as skilled as some of the others on the team, and where I lacked I had to work harder, and also make up for it where my strengths lied and that was in my personality and stage performance.  Teamwork was the other big lesson, we had to work together, we had to make it about the team and not ourselves, and back then our pyramids were risky (compared to what others were doing at the time), and it took full participation, playing full out and trusting each other and supporting each other in our roles.  Lastly, it was a positive place for me, my friends were on my team, we had so many laughs (work hard/play hard) and also perhaps a foreshadow of where I would be and who I would be (perhaps it was Cheerleading that influenced much of this): 

1. Speaker:  on stage speaking and inspiring others in business and life

2. Coach:   I would coach hundreds of women in business and life

3. Leader:  I would use teamwork and leadership to grow large organizations 

4. Trainer:  I would teach and facilitate Team Development workshops in Corporate

Beyond the roles, it was the lessons that are most important.  I grew my confidence by being on this team and also working towards a goal.  I knew what it was like to win (I knew you had to fall down a lot, and practice even more), I knew what it was like to set goals, have a vision and work so damn hard until you met it.  I also learned to not be afraid to stand out, which is a really hard thing for many, that fine act of being a team player, yet shining your light and feeling free to be who you are (this was such a great platform for that).

As an adult and a Mom, I will never forget years ago a Mom friend of mine saying “I will never let my girls be cheerleaders, I don’t want them on the sideline cheering for someone else”.  I remember cringing at that harsh comment, because strong girls are not just on the field or court, in my humble opinion, strong girls stand in their own strength and play the game that is true to them.  The bottom line is this…..  can’t we just cheer everyone on!  XO