Being a competition cheer athlete starts at night by going to sleep at a reasonable time. Making sure you get lots of rest is not only good for your sport, but for your education and yourself. After the mandatory hours of sleep and focusing on your education, it’s time to do what I really love to do, which is cheer. Being a cheerleader is not easy. It’s more than just waving pom poms on the sideline of a Friday night game. It takes dedication, strength and determination.

During the regular 8 hours of school, it’s important to have the perfect balance of academics and athletics to be able to maintain both. But when school ends, that’s when the grind begins. You have a few minutes to get yourself ready, like putting your uniform on, doing your hair and putting on shoes. Then the real practice starts. 

After football season is over, it’s competition time. Cheer practice can last up to three hours, filled with doing stunts over and over again until the whole team hits perfectly, smacking at the top, or filled with neat tumbling with straight legs as a whole. 

I would be lying if I told you every practice is “great” or that we had no mess-ups. It isn’t always easy. Some days are bad, but as a team, you have to push each other through, or even encourage one another, to let each other know we are a team. You must push through because these are the important times where growth begins. 

By the time practice is done, you’re now one day closer to competition, and everyone is worn out from the practice they’ve just had. Leaving practice, you go home, and the cycle repeats itself. You must have a schedule for times like this because if not, things can get chaotic. Despite the long days, most of us cheerleaders wouldn’t trade it for the world. The boost of energy you get the day you compete will always outweigh the bad practices, and that’s why we love it.