Kendra Cobb
English 101
Narrative Essay
September 12, 2016
English 101
Narrative Essay
September 12, 2016
Once a Cheerleader Always a Cheerleader
I was never popular. I would spend lunch sitting alone; my fellow classmates would say they were my friends, but they would never talk to me during school- that was how middle school for me. Then, one day I gained the courage to step up and try out for cheerleading;that's where it all started. I cheered my eighth grade year. Now I am a senior varsity cheerleader for my school. I didn't know that cheerleading would become such a big part of my life and change the way I look at others, the way I treat others, and the respect I have for them.
Middle school was probably one of the roughest parts of my life until I tried out for cheerleading my eighth grade year. I was the shy kid that was sitting alone at lunch because he/she didn't fit into any of the cliques and wasn't necessarily accepted by people. At the end of seventh grade, the school had announced that they were having tryouts for the cheerleading squad. I thought that maybe this would help me become less afraid of being in front of people. When tryouts came, I was terrified. I absolutely despised when people would fix their eyes on me from presentations to just easygoing eye contact. I tried out anyway. When the weekend was over and Monday came I nonchalantly looked at the list, promising myself not be upset if I did not make the squad. There is was, in bold print of those who made it on the squad, my name. After that summer, cheerleading practice began. The weeks went on, and I was cheering at football games and then basketball games and even wrestling meets. By this time I had been cheering for a year, and being a high school cheerleader did not seem possible.
When the middle school announced that the high school was having tryouts for freshman cheerleading, so I tried out for the squad and I made it. High school cheerleading was vastly different than middle school. The difference between middle school and high school is there are two cheerleading squads; freshman and varsity. The varsity squad was made up of sophomores, juniors, and seniors. None of the varsity were willing to help out our freshman squad. The two squads ceased to get along. The freshmen squad was not allowed to paint signs, stunt, or even help decorate for homecoming. The varsity acted like they didn’t want our freshman squad there. As a freshman I enjoyed cheerleading but they varsity girls made me feel like freshman cheerleaders weren't important. I knew that when I was on varsity I did not want to make the freshman feel the way I did.
By this time, I wasn't sure if I wanted to tryout again. I was afraid the varsity girls weren't going to be accepting of new people on the squad. I did know that I liked cheerleading; cheerleading was where I belonged. I tried out for varsity. I had made the varsity squad. When practice had started I had a suspicion that I was going to be the one flying and being thrown up in the air; since I was smaller than all the other girls. On this squad there were two main flyers, me and one of the seniors. I had a feeling that I wasn't going to get to fly because it was my first year, but I was wrong. I was involved in majority of stunts. As football season went on the other flyer was getting frustrated that I was getting to fly in more of the stunts because I was smaller therefore, making me more capable of flying than she was. By the time the district games came around I was being dropped on purpose and a handful of the senior were being detestable to me. I acted like everything was okay; that I wasn't in pain when I would hit the floor. The feelings I had in middle school about not fitting and not being accepted were back. Middle school wasn't the end.
When tryouts for junior year came I was again tempted to not tryout but all the seniors were graduating and cheerleading would be better without them. I decided to tryout, and once again, i made the squad. Junior year on varsity was incredible. I felt accepted again. I knew I was not going to treat the underclassmen the way I got treated. This was the year when the freshman and varsity squads started working together. The freshman got to stunt and help paint some of the signs. They too felt accepted. I wanted to keep this going as long as I was on varsity. I knew that when I was a senior I was going to keep the squad in mind and respect them in the decisions that were going to be made. Senior year I tried my hardest to help make the freshman squad and the new girls on varsity feel accepted and that they can trust every girl on the squad.
I know that there will never be a girl that will have to go through what I did when I was on varsity my first year. The varsity cheerleaders and the freshman cheerleader have a bond that will stay for many years. Cheerleading is a not just a sport, it’s a family and you have to respect your family members, and treat them they way you wish you were treated.
Middle school was probably one of the roughest parts of my life until I tried out for cheerleading my eighth grade year. I was the shy kid that was sitting alone at lunch because he/she didn't fit into any of the cliques and wasn't necessarily accepted by people. At the end of seventh grade, the school had announced that they were having tryouts for the cheerleading squad. I thought that maybe this would help me become less afraid of being in front of people. When tryouts came, I was terrified. I absolutely despised when people would fix their eyes on me from presentations to just easygoing eye contact. I tried out anyway. When the weekend was over and Monday came I nonchalantly looked at the list, promising myself not be upset if I did not make the squad. There is was, in bold print of those who made it on the squad, my name. After that summer, cheerleading practice began. The weeks went on, and I was cheering at football games and then basketball games and even wrestling meets. By this time I had been cheering for a year, and being a high school cheerleader did not seem possible.
When the middle school announced that the high school was having tryouts for freshman cheerleading, so I tried out for the squad and I made it. High school cheerleading was vastly different than middle school. The difference between middle school and high school is there are two cheerleading squads; freshman and varsity. The varsity squad was made up of sophomores, juniors, and seniors. None of the varsity were willing to help out our freshman squad. The two squads ceased to get along. The freshmen squad was not allowed to paint signs, stunt, or even help decorate for homecoming. The varsity acted like they didn’t want our freshman squad there. As a freshman I enjoyed cheerleading but they varsity girls made me feel like freshman cheerleaders weren't important. I knew that when I was on varsity I did not want to make the freshman feel the way I did.
By this time, I wasn't sure if I wanted to tryout again. I was afraid the varsity girls weren't going to be accepting of new people on the squad. I did know that I liked cheerleading; cheerleading was where I belonged. I tried out for varsity. I had made the varsity squad. When practice had started I had a suspicion that I was going to be the one flying and being thrown up in the air; since I was smaller than all the other girls. On this squad there were two main flyers, me and one of the seniors. I had a feeling that I wasn't going to get to fly because it was my first year, but I was wrong. I was involved in majority of stunts. As football season went on the other flyer was getting frustrated that I was getting to fly in more of the stunts because I was smaller therefore, making me more capable of flying than she was. By the time the district games came around I was being dropped on purpose and a handful of the senior were being detestable to me. I acted like everything was okay; that I wasn't in pain when I would hit the floor. The feelings I had in middle school about not fitting and not being accepted were back. Middle school wasn't the end.
When tryouts for junior year came I was again tempted to not tryout but all the seniors were graduating and cheerleading would be better without them. I decided to tryout, and once again, i made the squad. Junior year on varsity was incredible. I felt accepted again. I knew I was not going to treat the underclassmen the way I got treated. This was the year when the freshman and varsity squads started working together. The freshman got to stunt and help paint some of the signs. They too felt accepted. I wanted to keep this going as long as I was on varsity. I knew that when I was a senior I was going to keep the squad in mind and respect them in the decisions that were going to be made. Senior year I tried my hardest to help make the freshman squad and the new girls on varsity feel accepted and that they can trust every girl on the squad.
I know that there will never be a girl that will have to go through what I did when I was on varsity my first year. The varsity cheerleaders and the freshman cheerleader have a bond that will stay for many years. Cheerleading is a not just a sport, it’s a family and you have to respect your family members, and treat them they way you wish you were treated.