Being a cheerleader means…

By Sierra Trujillo

I’ve spent half of my life with a big sparkly bow on top of my head. Eleven out of my 22 years of life were spent yelling, dancing, and being a generally peppy person. Starting in fourth grade and continuing through college, I tossed people in the air, caught them and often times threw my body underneath them to keep them from hitting the ground. Yes, for 11 years, I was a cheerleader.
I think that cheer often times gets a bad wrap. Cheerleaders are seen as pretty faces wearing short skirts with shiny bows. They’re always peppy and happy and what could ever be hard about that?
Well, I’m here to tell you that what you see on the field or the gym floor isn’t even the half of it. There is so much time and practice and sweat and tears and, yes, even blood, dedicated to producing the perfect routine. Just like any other sport or activity you watch, you’re only seeing the end product, not the work behind that product.
In honor of this week’s special on cheerleading (and instead of ranting to you all about how you should consider it a sport and appreciate all the work that goes into cheerleading), here are a few examples of what it means to be a cheerleader, after 11 years of experience.
Being a cheerleader means…
You get hurt during stunting, but continue on with practice because you know you have to get that routine done. For me, it was a dislocated shoulder, but it popped back in so I just kept practicing. (I do not recommend this, but you know, sometimes you just have to do it.)
Being a cheerleader means…
You perform pregame at a football game and the football players do not move out of your way for the 2 minute performance. Being a cheerleader means you still nail the routine anyway.
Being a cheerleader means…
You cheer in the freezing cold of a football game with no sweats on because your coaches think “skirts are prettier than pants.” (Let me add that for me this was in California so “freezing” may be an exaggeration.)
Being a cheerleader means…
Minutes before a performance or game, you can be caught covering your bruises from practice with make-up. My best friend once had to do this on her forehead. (Sorry for the embarrassment Cori!)
Being a cheerleader means…
You perform at one football game five different times while having to cheer through the whole game as well. (Also, two of the performances are with fourth through sixth graders so that just adds another whole element of difficulty.)
Being a cheerleader means…
You wear some variation of your uniform for six days straight because that’s how many days of events on campus there are. In my case, this was some combination of two girls’ basketball games, two boys’ basketball games, a pep rally, a youth clinic and a competition. Also, this doesn’t include practice time.
Being a cheerleader means…
You feel the thrill of making up your own stunt and then actually execute it in front of the whole school. It is one of the best feelings. (Shout out to Clovis East and our “Teddy Bear” stunt that we made up, although I still don’t know why we called it that.)
Just to leave you with something to think over, cheerleaders are required to dance, cheer, stunt, tumble and lead a crowd, all while keeping smiles on their faces. Could you?