"Red & Black, Cards Attack!"
"First & Ten, Do it Again, Go Cardinals Go!"
"BHS is Best, Oh Yes!"
The above phrases, or chants as we called them, were from my cheerleading days. Oh, how I miss those days! In my case....you can take the girl away from cheerleading, but you can't take the cheerleader out of the girl :)
I started cheerleading clinics when I was pretty young. By the time I was about 7 or 8 years old I was in organized cheerleading groups. It was actually called "Pom-Poms" at the time. Our group was called "Pretty In Pink"....can you guess what decade this was in?! We would sit on the bleachers at the Junior Football League games and cheer along with the actual cheerleaders that were on the sidelines. My friends and I felt like we were cooler than cool!
Naturally, as soon as I was old enough I tried out to be a cheerleader for the Junior Football League. I think back then you had to perform a chant, do a cartwheel, and do the splits. There were 4 teams in the league, so that meant there were only 8 spots on each squad. I was competing with girls who had already been cheerleaders for a couple of years! It was pretty much guaranteed they would make each squad. Anyways, I made it my first time out! I was so excited!!!!! Not sure if they broke it down where you lived in the community or what, but I ended up on the Packers instead of the Cardinals (where my best friends were). While happy I made it, I was so upset that I was away from my friends. Later on I would come to love cheering for the Packers and meeting the older girls I cheered with. Most of which I went on to cheer with in high school as well!
Fast forward to the end of my 8th grade year....It was time to try out to be a cheerleader in high school. Back then (which is, but isn't THAT long ago) everyone wanted to be a cheerleader. I mean everyone! The freshman squad had only 6 openings for Football season and 8 openings for Basketball season. The highest scores made the squad...simple as that. I believe almost every girl who tried out picked to cheer for Football and Basketball seasons. I still remember feeling so nervous, but excited that day. We were put into groups of 3 girls at a time, but you were mixed in with the older girls. I swear there were 30 girls just trying out for Freshman cheerleading! It was insane! I am sure you can figure out where this is going, but just in case you can't....I made the Freshman cheerleading squad for Football & Basketball! Unfortunately, it was really hard to watch some of my friends who didn't make it. It was like their dreams/life were completely shattered that day :(
Moving on (and away from the sad turn that last paragraph took)....
I was a BHS Cheerleader for Football & Basketball all four years of high school. It was probably the thing that made high school so amazing for me. I loved cheerleading! I loved everything to do with cheerleading! We either had to wear our uniforms, or wear our warm-ups (sometimes we had to dress up) to school for every game. That meant a lot of matchy-matchy stuff = Heaven for me! And there was a confidence I gained whenever I was out there cheering in front of a crowd....something I completely lacked in the every day world of school. To this day I still go all out when I am cheering on MY team. No matter what sport I am watching or participating in, I my attire, etc. has to match the team colors in every way!
Even after I graduated I went back to good ole' BHS and coached the Junior Varsity squad. I loved being involved in cheerleading again. I have to admit it was hard to have to sit on the sidelines and not be out there cheering on the team. And somehow cheerleading had changed in those few short years. The girls were interested in it, but the passion for it was gone. So after a year, coaching and I parted ways :(
I ended up returning to coaching, but at the middle school (junior high) level a few years ago. This time I coached for the local school district where I currently live. Dealing with 16 7th & 8th grade girls was rough! So many things were different from the last time I coached....these girls were too young to drive themselves to and from practices or games, they ALL had cell phones, and the maturity level was much, much different. My biggest problem was the lack of interest in cheerleading. I mean the sport (yes, I did say sport!) was a joke at this school. ANY girl who tried out made the squad because there was so little interest! Seriously? I felt like I was in another world! So again, after a year, coaching and I parted ways :(
No matter how far I get away from cheerleading, I will somehow always find my way back. Like the title of this post states....."Once A Cheerleader, Always A Cheerleader" :)
I will always dress in the colors of the team I am cheering for, bite my nails down to nothing stressing about the game, etc....even if it isn't my actual favorite team (Superbowl, World Series, NBA Championship, March Madness).
Were you a cheerleader in school? What are your favorite sports to watch or play? Are you a die hard fan of a certain team?
Until next time....
Go Cardinals! Go Browns! Go Big Lex! Go Indians! Go CAVS! Go Blue!
XoXo ~ V
