You Can't Take the Cheerleader Out of the Girl

I was a cheerleader from ages 6 to 18, moving from Pop Warner to competition to high school. At some points I was on more than one squad and went from one practice straight to the other. I loved every minute of it- cheering on the sidelines as close as I could be to the action of football games and the intensity of being on the competition mat.  I was on National Champion squads too.  My experience as a cheerleader was fantastic, until that one time I got my 4 front teeth knocked out while stunting during a football game my senior year of high school. But that's a story for another time.  Even then I got right back out there and couldn't wait to stunt again after my injury.  Even though my mom, coaches and doctors were nervous I'd get hit again I couldn't let that be the way my career ended.  I finished the season and cried like a baby when it was over.  Cheerleading was a huge part of my life.  I was never envious or wish I was a cheerleader in college.  But that doesn't mean I didn't watch competitions on TV or the old tapes I have or find videos online.  The truth is 7 years later I still miss it and can't seem to shake those cheerleader tendencies!

A few weeks ago as I input the final score to secure a Georgia win I simply said, W-I-N the same way I would have in my days cheering on the sidelines, but in a much softer tone!  I laughed to myself and acted like that didn't just happen as I started packing up my stuff.  I should probably mention that the sport was equestrian.  I wish I could say this was the first time something like this has happened, but as I'm sure you guessed, it's not!

During football season the older man that sat next to me, who rarely follows proper press box etiquette I might add, yelled (being a relative term) for the Dawgs to be agressive.  Naturally my cheerleader instincts kicked in and I softly chanted "Be aggressive, b-e aggressive B-E A-G-G-R-E-S-S-I-V-E"!  I then laughed to myself and the kid sitting next to me chuckled and rolled his eyes jokingly.

And recently during basketball season as I cringed watching the Lady Bulldogs fall apart, I found myself cheering "rebound that basketball, rebound that ball (clap, clap)" in my head.  Those cheers, again, were to myself, but just come naturally when watching sports.  Sometimes you need to think that your enthusiasm or encouragement will help, even if there's no way they can hear you, because well, I wasn't actually cheering out loud!

Sometimes I think about coaching - maybe a middle school or high school team or even assisting with a competition squad.  As you can see, you can take the girl out of cheerleading, but you can't take the cheerleader out of the girl!  I'll continue to have that cheery and upbeat approach as my life in sports continues to evolve!