It may sound like a silly question at first but, if you think about it, it’s an honest question deserving a thoughtful response. Just because you want to be a cheerleader doesn’t mean you can be one. Cheerleading isn’t for everyone. It’s hard work and not as glamorous as you may think. Ask yourself these questions before deciding whether or not you can make it as a cheerleader: Do you have the time? As a cheerleader, you’ll spend, on average, several hours a week for practice. Then there are sports games, fundraisers, competitions, and events that also require time from your schedule. You need to honestly assess whether or not you can set aside several hours every week (including weekends) for cheerleading and still keep up your school grades and any other responsibilities you may have already committed to (like a job or chores). Do you have the passion? Because cheerleading will consume so much of your free time, you need to really be passionate about and dedicated to cheer. If you’re not committed 100%, you’ll lose interest and start performing poorly. This will take a toll on the entire team and that isn’t fair to everyone else. Do you have the funds? Cheerleading comes with a hefty price tag. You’ll have annual or seasonal program fees and those don’t always include transportation fees. Each season or year, you’ll need to stock up on practice wear, shoes, and other cheer gear. While fundraising will reduce some of the fees, it rarely covers everything. Talk with your parents about finances and, if possible, talk to the cheer coach and ask for an estimated total for all fees. Do you have the physical and mental strength? To be a cheerleader and to survive a whole year, one needs to have both physical and mental strength. On the physical level, a cheerleader needs to be in shape, healthy, and athletic. Cheerleading requires stamina, strength, flexibility, and balance. To improve and maintain these skills, a cheerleader will constantly be training and exercising.On the mental level, a cheerleader must be able to handle constructive criticism and failure. It takes months and even years to learn certain stunts and tumbles, meaning you will make a lot of mistakes on your way to perfection. This means you need to be able to push yourself to keep going, even when you feel ready to give up. Additionally, because no one is perfect, you will receive feedback (hopefully constructive!) from your coach on what you did wrong and/or how to improve. A cheerleader needs to be able to take in this criticism and use it to get better (and not take it as a personal insult). As scary as this may sound, cheerleading is a lot of fun and nearly every cheerleader will say that the hard work, sweat, and tears are worth the excitement of cheerleading and the amazing experiences you’ll have on a team and with friends. Share your advice, cheerleaders! What are things you wish you knew before you tried out for cheer? What are other things aspiring cheerleaders should consider before trying out for the team?
Can You Make it as a Cheerleader? 4 Questions to Ask Yourself
