It was loud in the gym, and I could barely hear myself think. I was shy, quiet, and uncertain of my decision to try out for Cheerleading. After deciding that I would transition from All-star Cheerleading to High School Cheerleading, I heard God’s call for me to join. At tryouts, I felt out of place. I stayed away from returning members, avoided eye contact with coaches, and felt so small in a room of over 50 girls, all of which had the same hopes as I: to make the team. After the first cut, I was surprised to have made it that far because High School Cheerleading was such a different world. I vividly remember the final day of tryouts. I tried to do my hair and makeup like the upperclassmen did but failed miserably. I then stress-cried to my mom, but she calmed me by giving me a big hug and telling me to give 150% of my effort and leave my heart on the mat. The actual tryouts went by in the blink of an eye, and before I knew it, I was being woken up the next day by my mom saying, “Good morning  Cheerleader!” I was shocked but overwhelmed with joy and relief. Little did I know that Cheerleading will truly be the best thing that has ever happened to me, all because of Nationals in 2018.

It was February 10, 2018. The Cheerleaders had hit a perfect semi-finals routine in the Medium Varsity Coed division and were moving on to the finals in first place. After finding out we were in first place, the families, coaches, and athletes were all crying tears of joy. We knew that our hard work was paying off and our dream of national champions was becoming a reality. Because every boy on the team was also on the football team, our coaches were unable to construct a routine until football season was over 2 months before nationals. We knew we were at a disadvantage, but there was nothing that could extinguish the fire in my teammates’ hearts. In warmups, we were nervous but overcome with excitement because we knew that we would hit another perfect routine. Looking back on the experience, I wish I could do it 20 more times. There is no greater feeling than hitting a perfect routine and having fun while doing it. We performed perfectly and left our hearts on the mat, but fell short of first place by less than a point. Although we came out in second place, which was the first time this happened in the history of Cheerleading, we felt defeated, because we knew we deserved first place. If anyone were to walk up to me at that moment and ask how I felt, I would have said, “The UCA is rigged, and I hate McCracken because we should have won.” However, looking back on the experience, I can proudly say that I learned to have faith in God, and trust the process. I now know that God has a plan, and I needed to have faith in Him to see the good in everything. After a week of being angry about the results, I realized that receiving second place in the country was a blessing. Not only was it a form of motivation to push harder to achieve my goal of first, but losing also taught me to have faith.

I joined Cheerleading as a shy, lonely freshman, but as my time on the team had progressed, I have grown to be outgoing. No matter how bad my day is, going to practice always puts me in a good mood. Cheerleading is my outlet, my passion, and my family. The people I can surround myself with every Monday and Thursday constantly boost me up and encourage me to have faith in myself, my abilities, my team, and God. I am extremely grateful for the ability to be part of such a life-changing program.