Athletes Rally Together for Color Wars Spirit Day

The Try Out Process

With a new year coming soon, many cheerleaders are stressing about the next step: tryouts.  Tryouts usually take place over a period of a few days.  During this time, athletes will be evaluated on numerous grounds.  Things taken into consideration will be jumps, tumbling, dancing, and stunting.  In order to prepare for this, some athletes spend hundreds of dollars.
While High School and All Star tryouts are one thing, college tryouts are totally different.  Appearance is taken into consideration.  They are looking for the entire package, from the look to the skills.  One of my friends who is trying out for her college's team next weekend has spent the last month dieting and tanning just to keep herself in good standing with the school.
Regardless of your placement on the team, the most important aspect of tryouts is to work hard and be yourself.  If you pretend to be something you are not it will shine through and will reflect you poorly on your scoresheet!

Senior Speech

Being a graduating senior, we are required to deliver a speech at the banquet, which is tonight. Below I have attached a copy of mine.

How can I speak for a minute about a program that has been my whole life for the past three years? There are no words to say that portray how thankful I am to have a home away from home. There is no combination of words I could put together that would convey how grateful I am to have made lifelong friends here.
When I joined Northern Elite, the support group I gained was almost immediate. I can honestly say that the five seniors with me tonight are my best friends. We talk every single day. Even though in the Fall we will be in six different states, I know that we will always remain close. We all ended up at Northern Elite for different reasons. I wouldn't have wanted to end up with anyone else.
More than just the other seniors have been like family to me. Mrs. Cacchione, thank you for believing in us when we starting losing faith in ourselves. Brittany, thank you for working with us throughout the season and fine tuning our routine to make us the best we could be on the mat. Michelle, thank you for making us laugh along the way and for always reminding us why we love cheerleading in the first place. And Antoine, thank you for making us into the team that we always dreamed of being.
To the girls who will be continuing on cheerleading next year, I am so proud to have been on your team. You have inspired all of us and have made my senior year unforgettable, and for that, I thank you all.
And last but not least, I'd like to thank my parents. Every step of the way, you have supported me. I'm going to miss all the trips we took and all the hours we spent talking on the long car rides. At each and every competition, I was able to look to the crowd and see one of you giving me a thumbs up before the routine started.  You always have my back in everything I do. I don't say it enough, but I am so lucky to be your kid. I love you.
There is nothing I could ever do to repay everyone for all that they have given me. Northern Elite has been more than a gym to me, and this team has been more than an after school activity.  This gym has shaped me into who I am today, someone I can be proud of, someone I hope you all are proud of as well. I thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for all you have done for me.

Graduating Seniors 2014

Nationals Showcase 2014

                On Wednesday, March 26, 2014, family and friends filed into the Northern Elite cheerleading gym.  On the floor in front were the athletes, dressed in full uniform and ready to put on a show.  It is the 2014 showcase performance.  Four teams performed in preparation for the two day national performance the coming weekend. 

                First up was the Junior 2 team: Fire.  They had been having a rough couple of weeks, with stunts looking sloppy and insecure at practice.  However, when they came onto the mat, everything seemed to come together.  Ray’s full up didn't completely hit.  Asides from that, the routine was perfect.  When it came for the second time for them to do their routine, they hit! The crowd went wild.

                Next, the Embers performed.  They are a mini team, which means that all of the girls are under the age of five.  The audience was all smiles as they did their routines.

                The youth team, Fusion, took the mat when the Embers were finished.  The flyers stole the show with their flexibility and facials in the air.  On their second performance, there were some technical errors.  However, their first performance was flawless.

                The Senior 3 team, Reaction, closed the show.  While there was one fall in the first routine, the audience was on their feet after the powerful second routine hit solid. 

                All four teams are clearly ready for competition and to do their best to get the gold at the Battle at the Capitol in Washington, DC.

Celebrating Senior year and saying goodbye

                With the year coming to a close, I am saddened to say that one of my first ‘lasts’ is coming soon.  As a senior who will not be cheering next year, it will soon be time for me to say goodbye to something that has been a huge part of my life for so long.  

                It’s bittersweet to me.  On one hand, without the long practice hours, I will finally be able to spend more time with the people I love before I leave.  On the other hand, though, so many of the people I love are at my gym.  It has almost become a part of my identity.  I am at the gym every single day except for Sundays.  I feel like without that, I will be lost.

                I know it’s time for me to move on, but a part of me does not want to let go.  I want another year, more time with the people who are a second family to me.  However, like all families, I know we will stay together no matter what.  I truly believe that I will stay connected to the other four seniors for the rest of my life.  We have so much history together.

                When looking back at my three years, I know that I have done so much to be proud of and that it is time for me to move on.  Although my time at the gym will soon be a memory, it will always be a great one.

The girls of the Senior team don pink for a Valentine's day themed practice!

The Importance of Team Spirit

                In a sport like cheerleading, people often get ‘burnt out’.  They get exhausted from the long practices, demanding physical activity, and the hours of commitment.  Because of this, it is important to keep team morale up by doing fun activities to boost spirit.

                In the past, we have had team bonding parties before a big practice or competition.  We would get pizza or salad and sit around in a circle and play games.  Not only did it ease our nerves, but it reminded us of why we do the sport.  Like any other sports, a major component is the people you surround yourself with. 

                If I didn’t have my team, I definitely would not be doing cheerleading today.  As time went on, the fourteen girls I was with became my family.  They are there to lift me up when I’m upset or take me down a few pegs when it’s necessary.  I feel an obligation to them, as a captain, to make their experience fun as well.

                One thing we have been doing this year is ‘themed practices’.  We wore all pink for Valentine’s Day, and holiday outfits near Christmas time.  With our National competition being in Washington DC, we are having an All American themed practice with red white and blue attire.

                Although it may seem like a small thing, the themed practices really boost morale and make people happier to be at practice.  We take silly pictures and laugh with each other, and most importantly, we realize what is important about cheerleading; having fun and being with each other.

Nationals

               This weekend our team will be traveling to Washington DC in order to compete at the biggest competition of the year: Nationals.  We have worked tirelessly all year for this one competition.  How we perform in DC determines the success of our season, and is something all of us have been nervously excited for since day one.

                Nationals is a two day competition.  The first day’s score is worth 20 percent of the overall score, while the second day is worth 80.  The competition is spread to two days to ensure that the winner truly deserve it.  You can’t just go out there and get lucky.  No, a team must be consistently flawless both days.  They have to hit.

                “Hitting” is a term used in cheerleading referencing the elusive ‘perfect routine’.  If one person touches down in tumbling or bobbles in a stunt, the routine no longer counts as perfect.   Some may say one mistake isn’t a big deal.  However, competition is so tight and intense that one mistake often makes all of the difference.

                When I was a sophomore, we were in the lead after day one.  At day two, we hit a perfect routine…except for one tumbling touchdown.  A tumbling touchdown is a deduction of .05.  We lost and came in second by .03.  Everything makes a difference, making this an extremely high pressure situation.

                Something to remember, however, is that this is all for fun.  While the pressure is real, Nationals is a three day period for the team to get together and enjoy each other.  For me, it will be my last time.  It is a time for team bonding, as the team sticks together for good or bad.  This mini vacation from the pressures of school and everyday life is something I look forward to fervently each year. 

What Cheerleading Has Taught Me

 I've noticed that some of my posts have shed cheerleading in a negative light.  Obviously there are some things about this sport that I don't agree with.  However, I wanted to take this time to go over all of the positive contributions cheerleading has made to my life.  I wouldn't be where I am today without this sport and the relationships I have made.  So here are three of the lessons I've learned from being a cheerleader.

1) Be confident.
Going out on stage with bright lights flashing on you in front of thousands of people is scary.  It's really scary.  I've never been a shy person, but this is daunting even to me.  However, knowing how prepared you are and how hard you've worked to get to that moment raises your confidence levels.  It's all in your mindset.  If you go out there afraid you're going to fall or forget where to go, that's what's going to happen.  However, if you walk on the stage with the expectation that you are going to succeed, you will succeed.  This is applicable in almost every life situation.  Attitude is everything.

2) Your team is behind you.
It's a great feeling to know that someone is there to catch you when you fall- literally and figuratively.  I have been part of a great team throughout my years as a cheerleader.  I can trust them all.  They've seen me frustrated and ready to quit.  I don't have to hide anything.  I am not generally a very trusting person, so to know that 15 girls have my back no matter what is something I wouldn't trade for the world.

3) Just because something scares you doesn't mean you should quit.
Tumbling is scary.  You see girls flip around in the air and you think it's cool and that it's fun.  It's terrifying.  Not being in full control of your body is definitely something that takes some getting used to.  Learning a new skill that goes against the laws of gravity is awful, to be honest. Sometimes I just want to stop.  However, the feeling that I get when I land a new skill for the first time is the most rewarding thing.  It teaches me that no matter how afraid I am I have to keep working hard because the gratification is most definitely worth it.

Home Schooling in Cheerleading

     As young children become more serious about sports more quickly the number of students that are being home-schooled in order to spend more time focused on their sport is rapidly increasing.  I don't think that home-schooling for a sport like cheerleading is something that parents should be exposing their children to.
     I understand that athletes with high levels of potential often give up school to focus on training.  However, cheerleading seems to me to be a dead end.  I hate saying it, but how far can you go? Sure, you can eventually cheer in college and maybe even get a scholarship.  Is that worth giving up crucial social interaction at a young age? And that's assuming that even happens.  More often than not, injuries occur.  In a sport that's so dangerous, one injury can change everything.  Cheerleading and tumbling is not something that is meant to be done over and over again, all day every day.  It's detrimental to your body.
     An education is something that will benefit you for the rest of your life.  Although there are many amazing lessons one can take away from cheerleading, it's simply not comparable to what you learn in school, both academically and socially.  After college, there is no such thing as professional 'cheerleading'.  Cheerleading teams such as the well known Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders are more like dance teams, so the skills aren't even applicable.
     To be blunt, I think that parents who pull their young daughters from school in order to improve their standings in the cheer world need to get their priorities straight.  Although it may be fun to see your daughter rise in the ranks in the world of cheerleading, it won't feel the same when they are in college and thrown into a world that socially, they are not ready for.

The Emphasis on Looks

     As mentioned in a previous post, cheerleading is highly focused on material looks.  To go to a competition, one is required to spend hours preparing.  To be considered to look “professional” at the major competitions, cheerleaders should be tan.  While some do choose the spray tan option, nearly everyone chooses to go tanning, sometimes more than once a day.  The uniforms of level 5 teams are half tops, meaning the stomach is exposed.  Because of this, cheerleaders are expected to have visible abs.  Without them, you are considered lazy in the judge’s eyes and unworthy of wearing a half top.  I’m not making this up. 

     Come competition day, hair and makeup takes two hours minimum.  Hair must be curled precisely so the entire team is uniform.  Bows are bobby pinned in.  Next comes the makeup.  Regardless of age, cheerleaders are required to wear makeup.  Heavy makeup. Glitter, heavy eyeliner, and bright lipstick are applied. 

     For what? You might ask.  Cheerleaders focus so much on being called a ‘real sport’.  Yet do other ‘real sports’ spend this much time on material looks?

     The answer to this is simple, they are putting on a performance.  Although many people would be justified in saying that the way cheerleaders look is over the top, it’s part of the performance.  You need to be seen from far away on stage, and nothing calls attention quite like this. To those with complaints that cheerleaders don’t look like ‘real people’, they’re not meant to look like everyday people.  Although the rules are ridiculous at times, it’s part of the sport.  It’s unfair to criticize cheerleaders for the pressure they are under to be in shape.  Wrestlers have weigh ins that are even more intense.  

Emily's Story

     17 year old senior Emily L has been cheering since she could remember.  After spending her elementary and middle school years on the town competition team, she had a tough choice to make.  She could cheer at a team that had all of her friends but didn’t have a level 5 team, the level she belonged on.   She knew that in order to give herself the best opportunities, she would have to cheer at Star Athletics, where she knew no one.

     Three years on a level 5 team did wonders for Emily.  Her confidence soared as she did, learning new skills almost every day.  She was the coach’s favorite, always the example, a role model.  However, Emily soon faced a problem that hundreds of flyers face every year: she was too old. 

     On her fourth and final year at Star, Emily’s experience drastically changed.  Because she was a senior and it was her last year, she began to be overlooked.  Instead of being placed with the experienced bases, she was flying over inexperienced girls in order to teach them.  10 year olds were replacing her in stunts simply because they had seven more years in the program.  It wasn’t about talent, it was about grooming. 

Age wasn’t the only problem.  At 5’2 and 105 pounds, Emily was “too big”.  They wanted 80 pound flyers, and Emily couldn’t make the cut. 

     After a meeting with her parents, Emily was told not to come to practice the next day.  She spent over 13 hours a week at the gym, it was her life.  Suddenly, it was all gone. 

      I think that this is simply ridiculous.  Athletes should be commended for their success.  The pressure Emily was under along with unfair circumstances cost her.  She lost the rest of her season, friends, and most importantly, confidence.  This isn’t just a problem at Star.  It’s happening all over.  The cheer world needs to open their eyes and put into place stricter age requirements to prevent things like this from happening to girls like Emily.