When the calendar turns to November and the Thanksgiving holiday is in our sights, we start to reflect on what we’re thankful for in our everyday life. We all could create long lists of people, activities, places, pets, foods(!), and so much more that causes us to be grateful. When we think about the Cheerleading activity, there are so many things we could list that we’re thankful for, so we’ve narrowed it down to our Top 5.
Team Bonding
This term can sound so cliché, but when a coach works to put a team together, the team chemistry is something strongly considered. It’s more than a group of athletes coordinated together in chants and routines. It is family. We all can remember the first cheer camp we attended and how intimidating everything seemed. We messed up (a lot), and at times felt like maybe we didn’t belong here. But after time, you realize that the team that stands all around you not only have your back, but they want you to excel and be the best that you can be. They will encourage you when you mess up, remind you what’s next when you forget, they will cheer you on when you complete a new skill, and they will always listen when you have a great idea. Because they are more than just your team, they are your family, and you cannot imagine life without them. Tell your cheer team how thankful you are for them and the difference they made in your life.
Positive Influence
There are always those little girls at football games that could care less about who scored the last touchdown or if the home team is winning. They watch the cheerleaders for the entire game. They clap along with the routines and in complete awe of each tumbling pass and stunt. As a cheerleader, you may not consider yourself a role model to others, but to the next generation of cheerleaders, you are someone they want to be when they grow up. It is a tremendous privilege to be an example to little girls and boys who are watching and looking up to you. To find a sport that you love and pour your time and attention into and then allow your passion for cheerleading to reflect on others is something that causes incredible thankfulness. So, the next time a kid asks you a silly question, be sure to take the time to answer them and let them know how excited you are to see them taking an interest in this incredible team sport!
Creating an Entertaining Atmosphere
No matter if you are taking the mat at a competition or standing along the sidelines at a football or basketball game, knowing that you are going to help bring entertainment and fun to a crowd of spectators is an incredible feeling. The adrenaline of performing in the big moments of the game or when the season is on the line are memories that last forever. Not everyone can say they lead hundreds of people in synchronized claps and cheers, but cheerleaders can! Never take those moments for granted. The next time you are nervous before a championship performance or the playoff game against your biggest rival, be sure not to allow the moment to pass without being thankful that you are a part of it and try and savor every second no matter the final outcome.
Future Opportunities
The experience of being a cheerleader can open so many future opportunities even beyond continuing your career as a cheerleader post-high school and professionally. Opportunities to teach classes, coach, choreograph routines, dance, and so much more. The skills you gain from learning to work together as a team, dedication, discipline, time management, and staying active are all habits that will help out when looking for future careers and learning opportunities. When you sign up for tryouts, no one could prepare you for how much you were about to learn, not only about cheerleading but about yourself and how to stay motivated to perform your best. When your experiences as a cheerleader are shared, your future employer, business partner, or college professor, will see that you have advantages that many others do not have. Remember on the difficult days when you might want to give up being a cheerleader, that when you preserver and stick with something that is not easy, you will one day look back and be incredibly thankful for everything you learned during those difficult moments.
Motivation to Stay Active
Last but not least, how can we not be thankful for the motivation cheerleading gives us to stay active while having fun? Running laps around the track or the gym weren’t always the highlight of our day, but the effects of staying active kept our bodies healthy and our minds clear. On our own, we probably wouldn’t have had the motivation to do the required workouts to be a member of the cheer team. Our coach always encouraged us about the importance of stretching, cardio, and toning our muscles to prevent injury during the season and to help our bodies and minds stay in shape. It helped to know that we would be running laps around the track right next to a friend on the cheer team, encouraging each other to work hard and fight for what you wanted. Be grateful for the physical activity in cheerleading that helps you understand the importance of stretching, the benefits of keeping your body healthy, and your mind strong.
We hope this list helped you reflect on your own cheerleading experience and made you appreciate all of the people and moments that you might have taken for granted. This Thanksgiving, take a few minutes to write down the things you are thankful for and then reach out to the people on your list and thank them for how they have made an impact in your life. Sharing thankfulness can take just a second, but the effect it has on your life and someone else’s can last forever.
Happy Thanksgiving, from all of us at Superior Cheer!
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