| Breanna's Story |
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| My High School Cheerleading Tryouts |
Hello. My name is Breanna and this is my heartbreaking story in cheering; the day I didn't make the JV Cheerleading squad.
It was a hot spring week in April, the second week to be precise, and high school Cheerleading tryouts were in full bloom. Girls from middle school and high school were eager and ready to learn the routine in which they would have to perform in front of the judges in just four days.
On Monday afternoon, just after school was let out, hopeful cheerleaders scrambled to the gym area to receive their ID number to pin to their shorts and turn in papers about themselves. I was one of them. I was so happy and so excited because I knew I was just a few days from knowing if I had or had not fulfilled my dream.
After what seemed like a decade, we were ready to get started. The seniors from this past year lead us in stretching. Of course, everyone was paying attention, because we knew that we were being watched by our Cheerleading "mommas", as they would say. Boy, were we nervous. After a thorough workout, we were separated into three groups. One group to learn a dance, another to learn a cheer, and the last one to learn chants and jumps.
I was in the dance group first, because I was a rising freshman. As soon as everyone was in that area, we got started. And let me tell you, learning half a dance in thirty minutes is not easy, especially when there are only two instructors teaching and twenty girls trying to get around them to see. After that session, it was on to the cheer. This wasn't so bad. The motions were average, not too easy and not too hard, and the words were "OK". A little confusing, but I liked it. Then our last zone, the chants. Here, we learned two easy chants and practiced the three jumps we were to demonstrate at tryouts on Thursday. They were the toe touch, side herkie, and our front hurdler. These were fun, but I got a huge bruise on the inside of both my knees from repeatedly hitting them together.
Thirty minutes later it was time for our conditioning. We had to run for two minutes around the gym. Instead of two minutes, we ran three or four. After that, we were allowed to go home and relax until the next day. The first day of tryouts were over.
The next day was the same, except we weren't quite as nervous. While we were cheering our hearts out, the coaches were walking around evaluating us on our potential, progress, and ability. This wasn't as nerve-racking as you may think, I mean I was used to it from Pop Warner and middle school. After practicing the cheer, it was time to refresh on the two chants. We worked, and worked, and worked until finally we stopped only to do our jumps. We did them and they critiqued them. My arms were so tired and my legs felt so wobbly that I didn't know how I could go on, but I knew that I had to continue so that I could show the coaches my physical stamina. Last but not least it was back to dance. Here we started at the spot we left off from yesterday and learned the last part. Then we started from the beginning and tried to remember what followed next.
Then after that grueling workout it was time for conditioning again. Here we ran for two minutes around the gym like we did yesterday. Finally, we were released to our parents. We had one more day until we knew if we made the first cut on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, it was pretty much the same procedure: stretch for ten minutes, and get ready to be evaluated. I was so nervous, more nervous than I was on Monday when we first started. I knew I had to do my very best because this was the deciding factor whether or not I would make the first cut. My group started with the chants first. Like we did in the days past, we practiced chants and jumps but not as a whole but in separate little cliques. My clique went first and performed in front of the Varsity coach. It was awesome. Following us were three more groups. Then it was time to move on. We did the exact same thing in dance. Except when one group was performing, the other girls would some how jump on in and finish the dance out for practice. After finishing the dance and then the cheer, it was time to perform as a grade (for example rising ninth graders perform as one).
We went first, and it was awesome. In the rising ninth graders, there were about twenty girls. Next, were the rising sophomores, they had about the same. One of the smaller groups were the rising juniors. They had about fifteen girls. Lastly, the rising seniors, who had about six girls. Then it was time to leave and there was no word if anyone was cut from the actual tryouts tomorrow. Then as we were coming together, the Varsity coach explains to us that everyone was to return tomorrow for the final evaluation. I was so relieved!Twenty-two more hours until judgment day.
The day had finally came. The day I have been waiting and dreading for about six or seven years of my life, the day I would find out if I made the squad. It was 3:00pm and it was almost time to find out when I was going to perform. All of the girls had accumulated into the old gym, all dressed in a white shirt, blue shorts, and a ribbon. We were told the day earlier, that when we arrived we were to sit down and stretch on our own, so I did so. About five minutes after I had arrived, the coach came in with some very important information, and our tryout numbers. She called out everyone's name so they could retrieve their number. I had five. This means I was part of the second group to perform. As they lead the first group in, we were lead out. There we waited anxiously. Boy, was I nervous. After about five minutes we were lead in and there we performed. After everyone had performed, we were told to leave the campus and not to return until 7:30 later that night.
So I did what I was told and didn't return until 8pm to find out my fate alone. When I came back I was shocked to see I had not made the team, and the fact that who had made it. In my personal opinion some of the people were not that good who made it.
I was upset for about an hour until I realized that it wasn't my fault that I didn't make the team. I know now that you can do your very best, and be the very best and still not make a team because it was someone else's opinion on your ability. And it was their loss, not mine.
So the moral is don't quit because you didn't make something, try harder, work at, and be the best you can be. That's all anyone can ask from you. So cheer hard and be proud! :o)
Special thanks to Breanna for submitting this story!
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