Dear Little Me,

The long, black track seems endless as she manages to consistently arch her body backwards in a series of back-handsprings. She’s drenched in sweat; the foul smell, along with the feeling of being constristricted in a tight, white cloth, makes her shudder in discomfort. From afar, the young, petite girl in the white, black, and red uniform seems lively; exhilarated with nothing but pure school spirit. Her pom’s glitter magnificently under the school’s enormous lights--lighting up the football field almost instantaneously in a show of bright, white color. These poms happen to hide the scratched lines on her palms, wounds from which particles of track have managed to become embedded into the skin.

The cheerleader refuses to let any signs of discomfort show. Her long, brown hair swishes behind her as she instead chooses to smile directly towards the enthusiastic crowd. Clearly, football is important to this school--over one-hundred individuals had come. The student section is quite impressive; fans, eager to cheer on their school team, dress in all white. The stands are a disarray of white: white balloons, white baby powder, and white streamers. It was as if the area was previously drowned in a sea of bleach.

The strong pigments do nothing but enhance the student's’ appearances, as the color contrasts greatly against the pitch, black void beyond the stadium. A cheerleader’s job is to support their team, and to liven up the fans. Although, she enjoys it greatly, (the ability to bring school spirit to a high school she cherishes) she cannot let her exhaustion from physical exertion show. Particular assets, such as a pair of poms, or a smile, may be able to conceal signs of discomfort from the girl, but her shoes expose her. Her shoes show what she has been through. In fact, they show it quite literally.

She has always adored gymnastics. The feeling of adrenaline pumping through her veins, as she attempts to whip her body in a multitude of rotations--despite other’s warning of caution. As a young girl, flipping was second-nature; an easy task. Perhaps this idea was associated to the fact that young children seem to have a considerably small amount of self-preservation. She remembers it vividly, she remembers the first day of cheer try-outs. The vast, open gym seemed rather intimidating to a mere girl of age twelve. Dressed appropriately in a red t-shirt and gray soffees, the look was not yet complete without a pair of white, Asic cheer shoes. Unfortunately, she was not to receive them until she had successfully made the team. The gym seemed to echo repeatedly with a string of voices,

“Five, five, six, seven, eight! One, two…”

The girl could only watch in awe, as a row of young girls arched their backs gracefully in sync with one another, defying gravity for what seemed like an eternity before using their momentum to snap back onto their feets. She is amazed by their abilities! Her desire to become a Bedford cheerleader is now stronger than ever, especially after seeing such skill! Although, her confidence is slightly deteriorated due to the previous performance, the girl bolts quickly up to the judges; she is going to make the team.

The tryout is a success; her round-off was demonstrated cleanly, and the judges were clearly pleased with her positive attitude. The girl is beyond happy with her achievements, as she cradles her newly-bought Asics cheer shoe. She observes it in awe, while simultaneously stroking the thick, leathery fabric. The pasty-white colored material is alarmingly smooth to the touch, choosing to only harden around its rough edges towards the sole. The rope-like laces continues to zigzag across the frontier of the footwear, only stopping to complete the look with a small, tidy bow. The girl slips her feet into each shoe, relishing the sensation. This, is her future.

The small figure trudges across the worn track, running desperately alongside a spare few other individuals, each striving to quickly finish their weekly dose of conditioning--nobody enjoyed the mile. It’s gymnastics day, and for some reason the coaches decide to have practice outdoors. Teammates flock together, murmuring and giggling to one another about the latest gossip in school, while others, of course, continued to about conditioning. There also appeared to be a bottle of IBUProfen being passed around--as if the pills were a prevention technique for future soreness. Each adolescent is soon categorized into one of the three existing groups: beginner, intermediate, and advanced.

Although, each child dreads gymnastics, one can tell which athletes work hard and which ones do not. The evidence itself is shown within each skill; the efficiency and nimbleness of each skill is only developed after hours of constant practice. Thus, the advanced section is most likely the group filled with the most hardworking members. This, however, can be proven false. Athletes who are relatively new to the sport may be working just as hard as the more experienced athletes--but have not yet dedicated as much time in the past to that particular sport.

To determine the effort of an athlete, one must wait until the near future, to see the progress he or she has developed over time. A young girl, age thirteen, was seen working diligently on the track, as she repeatedly threw her back-handsprings in order to improve. This was her new skill. The challenges the young girl took to achieve her new skill is shown clearly through her scuffed hands, and worn shoes. Others teammates began to join in on her determination, and decided to improve on their skills, rather than sulk about them--clearly influenced by her willpower. Simultaneously, each individual’s shoes became worn-out; the girls were finally demonstrating hard work.

It is now competitive cheer season. A fourteen-year old girl, dressed a typical school uniform is anxiously awaiting her team’s final round score. Her appearance is one nearly identical to those surrounding her, those of which are immersed within an impressive huddle upon the performance mat. Each cheerleader is equipped with the standard white, black, and red spandex uniform designed for agility. Their hairstyles were indifferential, with their hair slicked back into a tight, efficient buns. Everything about the Bedford cheer team is crisp and in order; they look like winners.

There is absolutely no way they could ever lose, the time and dedication placed in order to perfect each stunt and choreography was too great. The literal blood, sweat, and tears each individual went through that season was phenomenal. But now that the final competition is wrapping up, the moment of truth has arrived--would their hard work pay off? The spacious gym is engulfed in an immense void of silence. Any bit of noise murmured from the audience only seems to echo against the towering wooden walls.

A multitude of banners expand across the entire side of the gym, almost creating a mirage of different school colors: red, blue, gold, green, gray, etc. The various colors are represented in a variety of uniforms placed on individuals across the long, gray mats. Each team is huddled together with their own members in a comforting stance. The wait seems endless, as the occasional face peers up from above their teammates in a fret of anxiety. The announcer is now ready. The young girls from Bedford middle school are trembling in excitement; there was no way they couldn’t have won. The announcer’s booming voice startled everyone,

“The winner of division one competitive cheerleading is...Bedford Middle School!”

A young, dark-haired girl jumps in joy, as the rest of her teammates jump on one another in dance of victory. One teammate races to seize the trophy, while the parents in the crowd go absolutely wild. The hard work in the season had indeed been worth it. All the challenges and pain each girl went through, was all for this glorious moment. This is their moment of pride. Each member could proudly say they did not wish to be in anyone else’s shoes, but their own.

Cheerleading is something quite important to me. It’s a sport that requires motivation, dedication, and strength. The idea of pushing through challenges in order to someday be rewarded, is what keeps the sport exciting. Throughout all my years of cheerleading, I believe I have developed the urge to execute and maintain hard work. With this in mind, I also believe if anything were to symbolize this emotion, it would be my cheer shoes.

These shoes I wear become worn-down with every challenge I overcome--considering I conquer every challenge while walking in these shoes. The weight of my shoes reminds me to stay motivated, along with a reminder of my obligations as a teammate. Although, carrying such a desire requires a bit of patience, and of course, comes with times of frustration, it is indeed very important to me. Without this weight, I would not be the strong individual I am today. Well, little me, what do you think? Are you ready to buy your first pair of cheer shoes and begin your journey? I promise, you will be rewarded.

Love,
Your Future Self