Nine years ago, when I decided to choose cheerleading over basketball, I would have never expected how drastically cheer would change my life. The life lessons learned are uncountable but the season that rocked my world was my final one. My senior year we had to physical and mental ability to win a state cheerleading championship. It was always a dream that I never thought was possible but this season was the year to do it. This season presented experiences that will impact me for the rest of my life. .
My team was made up of eighteen athletically talented girls. Seven of the eighteen girls were my best friends that I got to spend six out of the seven days of the week with. This made practices, competitions, and football games even more special. I got to do the things that I loved with the people I so dearly cared about. I spent more time with my team than I did with my actual family. From April to November, my family was my team. They were my only focus and I would have done anything for them. But spending on average four hours a day with eighteen teenage girls definitely had it's ups and downs but this was what made us stronger as team. Our coach would sit us down and say, "This is your year. You guys can win state but it seems like you do not want to. As your coaches we cannot want it for you. There are nine seniors here so there is no reason why no one has stepped up and been a leader." This started a fire inside me and fueled my passion for cheerleading even more. Competitions started and we were busy practicing, trying to make everything perfect. Competitions were every Saturday and stressful all together. Our first competition came and went. Then in a blink of an eye we were well into my final season. .
It was a chilly fall morning when I woke up in my comfy hotel bed. It took me a second to realize today is the day. The day I have been waiting the last four years for. I went through my superstitious routine, wearing the same socks, underwear, sports bra, and spandex.