When asked the question, “How has cheerleading been an impact on your life? ” many responses come to mind.
Being a cheerleader since age 5, the sport of cheerleading has been my primary focus and has had a major positive influence on my everyday life. During the many hours spent in the gym perfecting routines, stunts, and tumbling, I developed characteristics that are not only important in cheerleading but also in life. An important trait of any squad member is to be a person of good character.Emotions can run high whether it be preparing for a competition or cheering on your football team; a cheerleader must be energetic, optimistic, and composed. As the anticipation increases throughout the competition season, teams must continue to pull together and encourage one another in order to achieve the shared goal of a championship. Respect for other squad members allows the team to work cohesively toward a common goal.
Cheerleaders develop friendships that will often last a lifetime. The squad becomes your second family, and together, the team grows and matures, developing life skills that will benefit each cheerleader forever.The sport of cheerleading teaches hard work, perseverance, competitiveness, and teamwork. Plus, the underlying qualities of a cheerleader, friendliness, optimism, respectfulness, and accountability are all skills that will benefit me in the future. These lessons lead me to explain the reasons I deserve this scholarship.
I not only have put forth a recommendable effort in my academic career, staying on the all A Honor roll and maintaining a 4. 0 GPA all four years of high school. I have also acquired Perfect Attendance Awards for every school year I have been enrolled in.This past year, I was bestowed the honor of being named a 2010 Governors Scholar, along with being named a UCA All-American Cheerleader. Along with many other honors and awards, these are two that I am most proud of because they show that I am well-rounded and a very driven and motivated individual. These are qualities I would’ve never attained if it weren’t for the sport of cheerleading.
When I joined my first cheerleading team at the age of five, I could not have predicted the impact this choice would have on my life. I wanted to learn the cheers, wear the uniform, and cheer for my schools many sports teams.I enjoyed every single day as a member of that first squad; I couldn't wait for the next season to begin. The love I developed for sports during those first seasons led to me being a member of competition squads and later a member, and ultimately captain, of my high school cheerleading squad. The lessons learned from my coaches and fellow cheerleaders have helped me become the person I am today: confident, optimistic, hard working, and grateful. Cheerleading has been much more than a sport to me, and the lessons learned will carry me through life…with a smile on my face of course.
