Cheerleading is a sport
Take into account the fact that most cheerleaders are average sized girls – we’re not the next heavyweight champions of the world. Lifting girls, no matter how small they may be, is extremely strenuous. No matter how short our routines may be in terms of minutes, a hell of a lot is packed into them. Next time you find yourself saying cheerleading isn’t a sport, try running around like a blue-arsed fly for two minutes, squatting, jumping, tumbling, somersaulting and on occasion casually lifting up your friend. You barely have time to breathe. It’s a pretty physical activity and I’m not talking about all the boys we lure into bed by simply saying ‘I’m a cheerleader’.
We don’t just woop and wiggle our lady bits, it’s actually extremely uncheerful a lot of the time
Being a cheerleader has many ups, but it’s fair amount of downs too. The stress of competition time, failing to get your routine on point and not having a big enough bow are just some of the ordeals us cheerleaders have to go through. And you can’t even imagine what the consequences would be if someone didn’t HIT. So although when we perform we might look like the Cheshire Cat’s kitten litter, we’re not always smiling. Quite frankly our faces would ache a ridiculous amount if we kept those slightly off putting grins on our faces for longer than necessary. Quite a lot of the time somebody’s crying because the team’s routine won’t be ready in time, someone else is crying because they just got kicked in the face and another team member is crying because their stunt has been given to someone else. You could just say we’re pretty standard girls, showing every emotion and taking everything to heart.
You don’t have to be a bitch to be a cheerleader
Although it might be necessary to turn your squad into a military corps a few days before performances, and to become the biggest bitch by blowing a whistle every time a mistake is made and getting the squad to press-up and sit-up like crazy until their abs practically burst out of their skin, cheerleading isn’t just for bitches. Yes, stereotypically we think of cheerleaders as the villains of American chick flicks, Mandy Moore in Princess Diaries, Sophia Bush in One Tree Hill, but this is a lie. A serious misconception. Cheerleading, after all, is all about being cheery. Supporting your team, supporting your teammates and making everyone smile when you miraculously jump into the splits, adding a cheeky wink to the end of it.
You don’t have to be a brainless, blonde bimbo either
Yet another stereotype. The bitches are always blondes, the blondes are always cheerleaders. But actually, brainless just doesn’t work when it comes to cheerleading, it’s a pretty technical sport. (Notice use of the word ‘sport’). Not only do you need to know your numbers so that you actually do the right move on the right beat, but it takes a lot of intelligence to put routines together, to work out the order of stunts, the formations necessary and of course to write a beautifully literary chant.
But, despite not all being blonde bimbos, it’s still a pretty sexy sport
Cheerleading is flirty, cheeky and incredibly sexy. Slut-drops, bum slaps, winks and extremely tight pieces of material aka cheer kit, are all integral parts of cheerleading. Not to mention how short our skirts are. One jump and a few lucky boys in the audience are bound to get a glimpse of knickers (just kidding, we wear shorts to keep our modesty proudly in place). Never the less, so many legs, so many girls, pretty much sums up cheerleading. A boy’s paradise.
And that’s why boys love cheerleaders. (Definite truth)
Boys love the idea of cheerleading. And telling them that you’re a cheerleader is an immediate way to get attention. It tells them you’re flexible. Do I need to say anymore?
But being a cheerleader doesn’t mean that your boyfriend has to be a rugby/football so-called ‘jock’
Classic chick flick, yet again. Blonde cheerleader is with the fittest guy in school, the football captain or some other BNOC position. Us cheerleaders have standards and the ‘jock’ type is far inferior to them.
But although cheerleading looks glamorous, it’s actually pretty unglamorous
We might look all cute and pretty in our glitzy outfits and sparkly bows but it’s not all a case of looking pretty. Lifting is death on a gymnastics mat. If you’re not being head-butted, kicked in the face, or fallen on, you’re just not doing it right. And for the flyer (the girls that are lifted), most have ended up on the floor at some point or another. And that’s not just for a casual lay down, but their team mates have failed to catch them, leading to black eyes, chronic pins and needles and more bruising than normal skin. And to let you in on a secret, sometimes lifts go wrong and bums can end up in faces. There’s little that’s glamorous about that.
Yet through all the hard times, cheerleaders embrace true team spirit
Cheerleading is all about friendship. Your cheer team are your gals, the gang, the crew, your posse, or however else you want to refer to them as. It’s all about bows before bros.
And once you’re a cheerleader, always a cheerleader.