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.