The Cheer Team

The one incident that changed my life didn’t just occur once. It occurred more than once, actually for a whole year. This one incident affected my whole sophomore year and made the rest of high school completely different. It changed me in a good way but not by an easy quick process. It was more like learning a life lesson from a terrible mistake. This one incident was not just a mistake that I personally made, it was the worst possible decision I could have ever made. This one incident was joining the cheer team. Looking back on the day I decided to try out sophomore year again, after not making freshman year, I wish I would have stopped myself. I could have saved myself from a lot of pain, misery and regret. Joining the cheer team impacted my life greatly because of the people on the team and the way the team is run. When I tried out sophomore year I had absolutely no clue what I was getting myself into. I only knew one girl on the team. I wasn’t popular so I didn’t know any of the girls or had even heard of their rather infamous stories. I didn’t know that basically they were a bunch of fake (tans included), self absorbed, rude girls who had no respect for others or even the coaches. I didn’t know that their sole purpose was to stand in a uniform and look pretty, but I personally don’t think they even accomplished that. Being on that team for a whole year felt like running a never ending marathon, out of breath and about to pass out. From the first moment I meet the group of girls I could tell immediately that I was not accepted nor wanted on the team. This was like a slap in the face considering all the hard work I did to make that team. Time after time again I kept finding myself disappointed. I was disappointed that we as a team never tumbled anywhere, not at pep rally or games, even though you had to have tumbling to make the team. I was disappointed that we always looked awful whenever we performed. The whole school knew it and so did the whole cheer team. But the girls didn’t care and that was the sad part. Mostly I was disappointed that I wasted two years of my life either trying to make the team or being miserable on the team. It was a huge waste of time. I knew right after cheer camp which was a month or so after tryouts that I would never be trying out again. That was how bad it was. I walked away from that team learning two thing, never let people step all over you and to be a stronger person. Some girls on the team that I actually considered my friends (4 out of 15) said to me that I was an extremely strong person to put up with the rude comments, remarks and jokes the other girls would say about me. They were right I was strong. And that was the one positive thing that came out of this. I got a new perspective on life and became less shy and started to stand up for myself. By the end of the cheer season those girls knew I wasn’t bothered by their comments anymore and it was pointless to even try. I am glad that I went through so much to get to where I am today. In less than a year I will be off to college hopefully in a state far away from here and starting a bright future. I am positive that mine will be way brighter than theirs. I know that by going through tough times you can come out a stronger person.