Competitive Cheerleading

By: Macie Watson

Cheerleading is when athletes perform jumps, tumbling, stunts and a dance. This all comes together into a routine. These athletes compete against other cheerleaders with this routine. You must be physically fit to perform the skills that are required in the routines.  Cheerleaders must train and learn everything they need to know for the many competitions that they attend. Competitive cheerleaders travel all over the world to compete. There is also a specific competition that is called worlds. The Cheerleading Worlds is a competition within the entire world. The best of the best compete at this competition to clam the world title. For this competition, you must receive an invitation.  

Now that you know a little bit about cheerleading…

Now I would like to tell my story. 

I started competitive cheerleading when I was five years old. I started cheerleading because my sister was a cheerleader. I went to her practices and watched. I waited till they made a younger team for me and they finally did.

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My sister and I cheered for a gym called Storm Allstars.

I was apart of the first team in the company to win a National Championship. My team made history. We set an example and helped our gym grow over the years.

Out of the people in this picture, My best friend (logan) and I are the only ones still cheering today. However, our coach at the time had to leave us and another company took over our gym. This was the best thing for us because we almost had to close the doors. 

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The company that took over our gym, is called Cheer Extreme Allstars. This was a whole new beginning for our gym. We got new uniforms and new coaches. We still had the same friends and the same people to share the love of cheerleading with. This was our growing stages.

The Cheerleading Worlds 

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This past April, my team earned the opportunity to finally compete at The Cheerleading Worlds. The feeling of being invited to go was the best feeling ever. We had to qualify and we were given a formal invitation for us to go. It ended up being the greatest experience I have ever had in my fourteen years of cheerleading. It made every practice, every skill and extra tumbling class worth it. My team grew and created a tight bond. We all grew up together and cheered in the same gym through the years. We learned to pick each other up when we fall and to share the love of cheerleading through each other. This experience wouldn’t have been the same if I didn’t have them on the floor with me. We accomplished that goal together and that meant everything. Having the great opportunity doesn’t make my cheerleading years complete. It’s all about the things that I learned along the way. 

Cheerleading teaches so many things, even life skills. I learned that you must be determined and motivated to get to where you want to go. I am determined through being a reliable person and teammate. If there is a skill that is needed in our routine, I always step up and try the skill, even it means I fall. I had to learn to be a leader and to motivate others to do their best. If there’s ever a problem, I can help my teammates when they need it. Also, being a good role model for the younger ones in our gym by showing them that you have to work hard for what you want. I Also helped them and pushed them to get better and better every time. They look up to us older ones and I hope that I have taught them many things along the way. 

My accomplishments taught me a lot of things. Mostly that if I want something..I have to go get it. I most importantly learned the values of what it means to be a hard worker. I would recommend cheerleading to any child, to be a part of such a great industry. Cheerleading has made me into the person I am today.