A Cheerleader's Perspective

Three years ago I wouldn’t have believed you if you had told me I was going to be a cheerleader. I was a hard-core softball player; and had played for eight years. On my last year on the team I was even awarded MVP.

I thought that all cheerleaders were snobs; I thought that cheerleading was easy, but after joining the squad I learned among other things not to stereotype and cheerleading was not as easy as I thought.

I started competition cheerleading two years ago. I breezed though tryouts getting by with my superior tumbling.

The first practice went great. I learned everyone’s names and the terminology of stunts, jumps, and motions. The coaches were great, and they helped me out a lot with my questions and concerns. After the first few weeks though practice got tough, I came home sore. Holding your arms up in the air from doing motions will do that, so will doing toe-touches and other jumps such as hurdlers, pikes, and double toe touches. There was the conditioning too. Suicides, crunches, push ups of all kinds, and extending our splits.

With cheerleading I learned that it was not the best squad that won sometimes but the one who threw the best routine in the two minutes and thirty seconds that they had. With wins there came losses the first year. On first competition we won second. Others in the season were not as well.

We went to Jacksonville, the Atlanta Dome, Wild Adventures, Macon, and others. We ended up qualifying for Nationals, but had to cancel because of exams. The main thing that held us back was our pyramid. Our flier loved to step out of stunts and on occasion onto my face. When we stuck our pyramid we got the top places, when we didn't it was last places that we received. It was extremely difficult.

I love cheerleading so much that I ended up volunteering my spare time at the YMCA gymnastics helping coach the tumbling, cheerleading, and gymnastics classes. It is great and I get to work with kids of all ages, teaching them the things that I do best.

With practice I became a great cheerleader. I am known now as a trusty back-spot and base. My fliers don’t worry about falling with me there. Last year I took a bloody nose and black eye from a particular flier because she liked to step out of stunts, and both times I caught the girl. I have been known to be the only one that catches them and have dived out to do it.

Now, a year later, I am still doing it. Competition cheerleading definitely made a strong positive impact in my life. I'm not as shy and I've come out of my shell. I stand up for myself as well as others. Being on the quad had been the most positive experience of my life.

An interesting account but it lacks description. Try using a wider variety of words to describe everything. Tell the reader how you felt, why you joined, what it felt like to be performing in front of the judges and taking part in events. Not only will this keep them interested, but it'll improve the account as well.

Some nitpicks I picked up whilst reading through:

All the girls there were really nice.

You need to elaborate on this - try to use a word other than "nice" as well be creative with it. How where they nice? What did they do to help you settle in?

That night me and my Mom went to the gym and seen that I had made the squad.

This sentence doesn't really make sense. Either say "to see that I had made the squad" or "to see if I had made the squad".

I learned everyone’s names and had a great time learning.

Repitition of learn. Make your sentences more interesting by using different words.

With cheerleading I learned that it was not the best squad that won sometimes but the one who threw the best routine in the two minutes and thirty seconds that they had.

Isn't it the same thing? I dunno, I might be reading it wrong.

I have only raed the beigning but i think this could become one really good book and motoin picture i think that the way yuor wriyting style is it will be good

this is very matter-of-fact. try being more descriptive and focusing more on the way these events made you feel, rather than what actually happened. Instead of "I love to stunt" you could say something like "I love the feeling of soaring over everyone, flying high above the heads of my peers until i'm thrust into the air and caught at the last second... blah blah blah"

So I trued out for the cheer squad.

Don't you mean "tried?" lol

That night me and my Mom

"That night, my mom and I" sounds so much better.

and seen that I

"Seen" should be made "saw," because, as it is, you sound like a hick. (No offense!)


Overall, this caught my attention. I've never really appreciated cheerleaders before, but that's primarily because all of ours ARE snobs, airheads, or sluts. And I'm in band; at my school, band members and cheerleaders do not get along! PERIOD! lol Anyway, I'm glad you wrote this, because this opens a lot of eyes to reality.

Great job!

I'm glad that your having fun cheering.

I think you could have incorporated that stereotypes against cheerleaders are wrong a little bit more.

But good luck this year with your squad.

:]

Andrew

Thanks this is a rough draft. I am in my second year of cheerleading and definately enjoy it. I cheer for a gym instead of a school, its really great. Thanks for the feedback!

Sometimes you can be the best squad and hit it every time in practice, but get to a competition and just be horrible. You only have two minutes and one time to throw it. Or the worst team could throw it and throw a perfect out of this world routine and well you get the point.

In response to stunt, stunting is what it is called like cheering, and dancing, and jumps there really is no other name for it. Also I am not the flier, although I wish I was I am the one that holds them up in the air.

Thanks for the critique though it helps alot. Truth be told though I never thought I would get any interst from this piece. I am not a very good non-fiction writer in my opinion:)

Thanks for all the critique.