Advice that All Successful Cheerleaders Ignore

As a cheerleader, you’re prone to lend an inviting ear to the opinions and suggestions of others‚ simply because you see value in the people around you! Being open to influence isn’t a bad thing, but you do have to learn how to shield yourself from stress and not end up heeding horrible advice. So, what makes advice substantial? When faced with a difficult decision or situation, people put in their two cents on the subject for several reasons: maybe they care about your wellbeing, maybe they’re an expert on the subject, or maybe they just think they are an expert from experience. Some people just like to be the ones that give advice‚ whether it’s solid or not‚ because they see themselves as a leader. Because of all these factors, it’s imperative that cheerleaders learn how to tell what is and what is not good advice to be successful. There’s no easy formula to follow in becoming a successful cheerleader, but all successful cheerleaders did happen to ignore these specific pieces of advice: 1. “Only focus on competitions. ” Although competitive cheer is a great part of the sport, there’s so much more that is involved with cheerleading! Sideline cheer is important in developing school spirit, as well as an identity with your peers. Teamwork is embedded into both sideline and competitive cheerleading, but sideline cheer is all about cheering on others, while competitions are all about going full out to one up the other teams. If there was ever a cheerleading yin and yang, it’s being both a competitive and a sideline cheerleader; by doing so, you become more well-rounded for the next level of your cheer career. 2. “You will have more of a chance of getting a college scholarship through another sport. ” That may have been true in the past, but cheerleading scholarships are popping up more and more every year. College teams in this day and age are taking cheerleading seriously, mainly with the degree of stunting and tumbling that they want for their schools. It’s all about the wow-factor, and college cheer teams are recruiting like crazy to have the best homecoming games, halftime shows, and school pride. So, if you are thinking about being a successful college cheerleader but can’t afford to pay your whole way, look into cheer scholarships available to help cut tuition costs. 3. “Don’t take what your coach said seriously. ” A friend or family member may say this is to you from time to time, especially if you got reprimanded at a cheer event or practice! Although it may make you feel better to hear, never turn the other cheek when your coach tells you to do something. Your coach really does know best, and the worst thing to do is assume that she or he is just being hard on you for no reason. Take responsibility for your actions, fix your mistake, and be successful in similar circumstances in the future. 4. “Try to be the best “. News flash‚ nobody’s perfect. No cheerleader has a perfect season, and if anything, you should embrace your imperfections as room for improvement. Even the most advanced cheerleaders still face obstacles and set goals for themselves. Before you stress out over your weaknesses, realize that if you focus on overcoming them, you will be a better cheerleader overall. It’s all about learning and growing with your sport, right? Sound familiar? What piece of advice did you deliberately ignore in your cheer career? Tell us your story in the comments!