Long rant about cheerleading.
This essay-ish thing that I just wrote is for everybody out there. For the cheerleaders, the cheer-haters, the bashers, those totally indifferent to cheerleaders, those who think that what I dedicate so much of my life to is a total waste of time and that all cheerleaders are total ditzes and bitches and stupid and they hate them. Read it. Learn something. Learn that cheerleaders aren't stupid - if I was stupid then I wouldn't have scored above 99% of eleventh graders in the verbal section of the ASVABS. I wouldn't be taking honors classes. I wouldn't be in the top 18% of my class. (83 out of 464, which isn't that good at all, I could do better if I would stop procrastinating, but it's still above the top 20%.) Cheerleading, I think, is one of the reasons that I've worked so hard to succeed. It's my reason to get through the school day. This has been in my head for a while now, but when I was looking over at Gurl.com's cheerleading boards, I nearly lost it. The people who typ liek dis r hte 1s who r mkig FuN of chrladrs${! Tey r the 1s who cll cherldig DuMb? is not a sprt, nt liyk volybll r nethyng~ cHerladrs r stpd hoes who dnc arnd lyik slts jUst 2 gt a bf n tey r SoOo fu##### ugly i jst wanna kik threre preppy ases
They're the ones who can't even use proper english.
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Cheerleading, is, in a essence, my life. My reason for existing. I've been doing it for so long that I can't remember why I chose it in the first place, but it's always been a part of me. I've tried other sports, like basketball and softball, soccer, swimming, gymnastics, and even dancing. None of the other sports that I've participated in have taken nearly every waking moment of my day, have tried me so hard physically, or mentally, for that matter. Cheerleading IS a sport. It's my sport. It's me.
I hate it when people try and diss cheerleading, when they make fun of us, when all they see is the stereotype. Even my friends. Especially my friends. I'm not going into names or pointing fingers, because you all have done it at one time or another. Excpet for maybe one or two, but that's besides the point. Sure, the girls can be bitchy. I'm not denying that. They all know how I feel about some of the girls on my squad on certain days, and how I'm certain that they must think of me sometimes. For the most part, though, I have a lot of fun with them. Not that I spend a lot of time with any of them outside of cheerleading. I don't. I really don't want to. You spend so many hours a week with someone and there really isn't a reason to hang out with them after school or pracitce. I love every single one of them. We're like a big family, but I have other friends, too, and after a particularily stressful week at practices, my other friends are the ones that I'd rather be with.
In no other sport that I've participated in has teamwork been so important. Take basketball, or even soccer. There's always a star of the show, running the whole thing. Well, you can't cheer by yourself. You need the other people on your squad. You can't throw a double or an X-out toss without a stunt group. You can't do an entire routine with two, or even three people. You need to work together with the other cheerleaders on your team. You need to trust them and respect them. You can't bring a fight or hatred into that practice room. It's left at the door.
A few weeks ago, I was sitting at my old lunch table, when one of my good friends, Andy, expressed suprise at hearing that I had practice that afternoon. He told me that he didn't know that cheerleaders pracitced, that we just went to games to cheer the teams on and that was it. I laughed. " Maybe that was how it was seventy years ago, before Lawrence Herkimer founded the NCA," I explained, "But we practice all the time." I then reminded him of how we compete. Of how we're going to the Orange Bowl. "We just don't cheer at your games, Andy. To tell you the truth, those are just like pracitces for us. The big things, the things that matter, are the compeitiions." He stammered a reply, and apologized. Now he's cheerleading for the powderpuff game, and he says that its the hardest thing he's ever done in his life.
Misconceptions about cheerleaders are everywhere. From the movies to tv to books and magazines to school halls. The media portrays us as shallow, dumb blondes who only care about being popular, or as snobby, stuck up debutantes who date the star quaterback, get elected prom queen, and are among the most hated and envied girls in school.
Wake up, people. It isn't like that. I'm living proof. And don't give me the, "But you're not like the others, Jen! You're different! You're the exception to the rule!" I've been getting that nearly my entire life, and I'm sick of it. Sure, some of us date football players. I even had a crush on the quaterback, but he didn't know that I existed. I take honors classes. I've only ever failed one class in my entire life, and that was writing in the sixth grade with Sister Thomas Aquinas, and that was not my fault at all. Besides that, the lowest grade I've ever gotten in high school is an 87. I've been on honor roll every quarter. I'm not blonde, or even that pretty. I'm too short, forever bouncing between as size four and a size 7, and I'd rather curl up with a book then go to a wild party. I'm one of the social outcasts, not the elite.
In my school, people hate cheerleaders. They hate us and it isn't fair. I've had people that I don't even know, I've never even seen before, walk up to me when I'm in uniform and say nasty things to me. Why? Because they don't like one girl on the squad, so they think that evey single one of us is like her. They appaluad when we do something cool at a pep rally, like ground ups or doubles or X-outs, but stand up and cheer if a stunt falls. They watch us, just waiting for us to screw up. Field hockey players threaten us on a regular basis. So do the girls on the basketball team. Their coach is the worst of all, always making snide comments.
We cheerleaders are the elite. We are better than everyone else. Why? Because, for the most part, we don't steroetype, for the simple reason that we know what it's like to be stereotyped.
We cheerleaders are athletes. We participate in one of the most challenging and most competitive sports in the world, and we do it with a smile on our faces and pride in our voices. Every Friday night there are little girls who sit up in the stands and watch us, wanting to be just like us. They know all the chants, cheers, sets, everything. Huge scholarships for college are given to cheerleaders who are good enough to continue to cheer.
Cheerleading isn't about cheering on the other sports. It's about competitions and rivalries. It's about leaving whatever's upsetting you behind and walking out onto the floor with a smile on your face. It's about dedication and hard work. It's about trust and respect. It's about discipline and commitment. It's totally worth the black eyes and broken bones, the bruises and pulled muscles, the tears and the heartache, when you go out there on that mat and give it your all.
We cheerleaders, we special, chosen few, work just as hard, maybe even harder, than any of you other athletes out there, and its about time that we were recognized for it. So the next time someone mutters something about a cheerleader, hold your head high and stand a little prouder. Yes, you are a cheerleader, but you're more than that. Make a liar out of them, prove to them and the world that real cheerleaders aren't the cheerleaders in the movies or on TV.
Only we can change that stereotype.
And it's about time we tried.
::::
Comments would be much appreciated. Even if you hate it and disagree with everything that I just said, I want to hear from you.
Thanks guys :)
-Jenny
They're the ones who can't even use proper english.
::::
Cheerleading, is, in a essence, my life. My reason for existing. I've been doing it for so long that I can't remember why I chose it in the first place, but it's always been a part of me. I've tried other sports, like basketball and softball, soccer, swimming, gymnastics, and even dancing. None of the other sports that I've participated in have taken nearly every waking moment of my day, have tried me so hard physically, or mentally, for that matter. Cheerleading IS a sport. It's my sport. It's me.
I hate it when people try and diss cheerleading, when they make fun of us, when all they see is the stereotype. Even my friends. Especially my friends. I'm not going into names or pointing fingers, because you all have done it at one time or another. Excpet for maybe one or two, but that's besides the point. Sure, the girls can be bitchy. I'm not denying that. They all know how I feel about some of the girls on my squad on certain days, and how I'm certain that they must think of me sometimes. For the most part, though, I have a lot of fun with them. Not that I spend a lot of time with any of them outside of cheerleading. I don't. I really don't want to. You spend so many hours a week with someone and there really isn't a reason to hang out with them after school or pracitce. I love every single one of them. We're like a big family, but I have other friends, too, and after a particularily stressful week at practices, my other friends are the ones that I'd rather be with.
In no other sport that I've participated in has teamwork been so important. Take basketball, or even soccer. There's always a star of the show, running the whole thing. Well, you can't cheer by yourself. You need the other people on your squad. You can't throw a double or an X-out toss without a stunt group. You can't do an entire routine with two, or even three people. You need to work together with the other cheerleaders on your team. You need to trust them and respect them. You can't bring a fight or hatred into that practice room. It's left at the door.
A few weeks ago, I was sitting at my old lunch table, when one of my good friends, Andy, expressed suprise at hearing that I had practice that afternoon. He told me that he didn't know that cheerleaders pracitced, that we just went to games to cheer the teams on and that was it. I laughed. " Maybe that was how it was seventy years ago, before Lawrence Herkimer founded the NCA," I explained, "But we practice all the time." I then reminded him of how we compete. Of how we're going to the Orange Bowl. "We just don't cheer at your games, Andy. To tell you the truth, those are just like pracitces for us. The big things, the things that matter, are the compeitiions." He stammered a reply, and apologized. Now he's cheerleading for the powderpuff game, and he says that its the hardest thing he's ever done in his life.
Misconceptions about cheerleaders are everywhere. From the movies to tv to books and magazines to school halls. The media portrays us as shallow, dumb blondes who only care about being popular, or as snobby, stuck up debutantes who date the star quaterback, get elected prom queen, and are among the most hated and envied girls in school.
Wake up, people. It isn't like that. I'm living proof. And don't give me the, "But you're not like the others, Jen! You're different! You're the exception to the rule!" I've been getting that nearly my entire life, and I'm sick of it. Sure, some of us date football players. I even had a crush on the quaterback, but he didn't know that I existed. I take honors classes. I've only ever failed one class in my entire life, and that was writing in the sixth grade with Sister Thomas Aquinas, and that was not my fault at all. Besides that, the lowest grade I've ever gotten in high school is an 87. I've been on honor roll every quarter. I'm not blonde, or even that pretty. I'm too short, forever bouncing between as size four and a size 7, and I'd rather curl up with a book then go to a wild party. I'm one of the social outcasts, not the elite.
In my school, people hate cheerleaders. They hate us and it isn't fair. I've had people that I don't even know, I've never even seen before, walk up to me when I'm in uniform and say nasty things to me. Why? Because they don't like one girl on the squad, so they think that evey single one of us is like her. They appaluad when we do something cool at a pep rally, like ground ups or doubles or X-outs, but stand up and cheer if a stunt falls. They watch us, just waiting for us to screw up. Field hockey players threaten us on a regular basis. So do the girls on the basketball team. Their coach is the worst of all, always making snide comments.
We cheerleaders are the elite. We are better than everyone else. Why? Because, for the most part, we don't steroetype, for the simple reason that we know what it's like to be stereotyped.
We cheerleaders are athletes. We participate in one of the most challenging and most competitive sports in the world, and we do it with a smile on our faces and pride in our voices. Every Friday night there are little girls who sit up in the stands and watch us, wanting to be just like us. They know all the chants, cheers, sets, everything. Huge scholarships for college are given to cheerleaders who are good enough to continue to cheer.
Cheerleading isn't about cheering on the other sports. It's about competitions and rivalries. It's about leaving whatever's upsetting you behind and walking out onto the floor with a smile on your face. It's about dedication and hard work. It's about trust and respect. It's about discipline and commitment. It's totally worth the black eyes and broken bones, the bruises and pulled muscles, the tears and the heartache, when you go out there on that mat and give it your all.
We cheerleaders, we special, chosen few, work just as hard, maybe even harder, than any of you other athletes out there, and its about time that we were recognized for it. So the next time someone mutters something about a cheerleader, hold your head high and stand a little prouder. Yes, you are a cheerleader, but you're more than that. Make a liar out of them, prove to them and the world that real cheerleaders aren't the cheerleaders in the movies or on TV.
Only we can change that stereotype.
And it's about time we tried.
::::
Comments would be much appreciated. Even if you hate it and disagree with everything that I just said, I want to hear from you.
Thanks guys :)
-Jenny