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It's 4:30 am and the alarm is blaring; the sound is like music to my ears as the first day of pre-camp is today and I am ready. It is customary for cheerleaders to return to school almost a month in advance to be able to learn, practice and perfect the routines, both old and new for the the upcoming school year. Now, there will be a few appearances before the first game, so you have to know the routines without exception. On the first day, 17 year old wet-behind-the-ear excitement turns to fear when you meet your captain for practice- who has no smiles, just a mission to whip her team into shape before the 2 a day practices are no more. You will have even more fear when you realize that there are more cheers, chants and dances now than ever in your high school history, and she is telling you that you have to test out by performing all alone with the catty eyes of teammates watching in heavy critique. Gosh, darn it!
You’ll think, “I have to know the routines.. I WILL know my stuff. I must! Two hours in the morning to work as a lifeguard, where I will practice when not on post; back to evening practice with the team for 2 more hours tonight and then to a freshman teammate’s house for a nightcap review because we have to present it in the morning…”
To the average person, it would be a wonder why we would choose to go through such pressure because: we must know the routine; any slight misstep or miscount in the cheer world could result in literal death; furthermore, an accidental fall could result in a paralyzing or heck, even getting kicked off the team.
When I left the comforts of the university where all I had to do was know the routine, it quickly became evident that the routine I had become so used to learning now meant more than just that 5 minute performance. It now became a model for how to live my life:
1. Begin with the end in mind; know what you are doing each day, each hour, and each minute and know exactly why you’re doing it.
2. Know that if you are going to really nail it, you have got to practice it, breaking down each part until the movements become inherent.
3. You probably won't have it right after the first ten times. It is always after the hundredth time doing the routine that coach says, “it just doesn't work. Let’s make a change”. But because everyone on the team knows the routine, we can adjust course and move to the point of excellence.
Now when you look at your life and that nagging goal, just realize that all you have to do is create the routine, know the routine and practice it until you nail it.
"Cheerleaders practice 200, 000 minutes for a 5 minute routine."
"Cheer yourself on and put in the work." Mika Terry
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