Cheerleader Stereotypes

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In most high school’s, cheerleaders are perceived as airheads and pretty girls in short skirts; at Eastmont, the cheerleaders are some of the strongest athletes. Cheerleading is more than waving around pompoms saying “Go team!”; it is about building strength physically and mentally. Our team is determined to end the cheerleader stereotype. A year ago, the looks we got when we set up our weight training station were those that said “Why are they here?” and “Won’t you ruin your makeup?” without having to say anything. The lifted eyebrows and soft whispers made us want to prove them wrong. Our team began to lift three times a week and we have since then, began lifting more than other athletes. Don’t let our glitter fingernails deceive you, chances …show more content…
The tryout process to be on the team changed from three to five days long. The first day, our new coach let people know cheerleading was not just about looking cute. We ran laps around the baseball field, sprinted up hills, and did planks and squats. On day two, about ten girls did not show up because it was more intense than they anticipated. The intense tryouts began when we got a new head coach who was an athlete her whole life. She did not know the proper cheer terminology and did not understand why we even wore bows. She was the first to tell us we were athletes, just like every other sport in the school. This was when our team decided we wanted to be more than the athletes supporters; we wanted to become real …show more content…
Cheerleaders have to dance, jump, and lift people in the air while everyone watches their every move. The fear of being judged or talked about for making a mistake haunted me during my first year of cheering. I have since learned to not worry about what other people have to say and just have fun. Part of becoming stronger mentally included not caring and being able to joke about the things people said. For a pep assembly, we dressed up in old cheer uniforms and danced to a song about being petty and thinking we were the best in front of the whole student body. The dance was silly and slightly embarrassing, but our team had a fun time choreographing it and laughing at ourselves. I no longer fear what people have to say about me while I am performing because whether or not it was the best performance, some people will always have something negative to say.
Cheerleading requires a strong mind to stay dedicated during hard practices and to stay positive when people make comments based on your title. Physically, cheerleading is also very demanding because you have to lift and throw people in the air and catch them before they come crashing down. Most people do not think of cheerleaders as real athletes. They think of them as pretty girls who yell when the team makes a touchdown. Eastmont cheer is more than what we are labled as; we are strong athletes