So I gotta be honest. I've never really understood cheerleading. I just don't really get it. You get all cute, wear a little skirt, jump and holler? Maybe the unawakened womanist in me was the source. Maybe the fact that my family couldn't afford it. Long story short, I never really saw the point. but I did gain a new appreciation for them as our basketball team made a short-lived run for the state title my Senior year.
Over the years, it often seemed that cheerleaders were way more amped and excited to cheer at the boys' games because basically...they were. Hair done. Nails done. Everything did! But at the girls' games, the aesthetics weren't always as appealing, the cheering just wasn't quite as loud, and the enthusiasm was a bit lower. However, there were a few cheerleaders who ALWAYS stood out. They were LOUD as hell at each and every game, no matter WHO was playing. I remember there being times that it seemed we weren't going to pull it out, but somehow those voices encouraged the others on the cheer squad and they were able to help push us to a win. We would stand at the free throw line, all eyes on us, and hear, "Look who's at the free throw liiiiine, she is a friend of miiiiiinnneeee...Shanelle heeeeeeyyyyy, sink it, sink it, sink it!" Make or miss, it was encouraging to hear those voices. Even as a hush fell over the rest of the crowd, the cheerleaders were encouraging us, believing in us, rooting for us to win. Although we lost in the semi-finals, we had a good season that year, and I'd be remiss if I didn't attribute a small part of that success to our cheerleaders.
In this funny thing called life, we all need cheerleaders. Those people who put on their best selves to simply stand in our corner. They aren't competing with us, they are riding with us. They aren't secretly wishing for our demise. Instead, they want us to win, sometimes seemingly more than we do! Our life cheerleaders are our encouragers. When the chips are down, when the odds are stacked against us, when it doesn't seem that we'll pull it out, here they come, pom poms out, jumping and hollering on our behalf. Sometimes this looks like a text message that says, "You got this," Or a phone call that says, "It'll get better," or "You'll figure it out," or "What do you need me to do?"
In life, our cheerleaders are male and female, old and young, at home and abroad. They are the people who want nothing but the best for us. They are the ones who will stand in the fold with us, during the good and the bad, pushing us on to victory. And even when we lose, they don't quit. They don't regret having been there for the journey. Shoot, they often start the pre-cheering for the next game with a "You'll get'em next time," or "They won't be ready for you when you come back." God gives us cheerleaders to keep us motivated, to push us on, to keep us going. There's an old saying, "All you need is one cheerleader." It's true. As long as you have one, you will never truly be defeated. The next time you face a loss, look past the stands and toward your cheer squad. Receive their smiles, their jumps, their cheers. Be it this time or the next, with them on your side, you ALWAYS win. Be Blessed XOXO
Over the years, it often seemed that cheerleaders were way more amped and excited to cheer at the boys' games because basically...they were. Hair done. Nails done. Everything did! But at the girls' games, the aesthetics weren't always as appealing, the cheering just wasn't quite as loud, and the enthusiasm was a bit lower. However, there were a few cheerleaders who ALWAYS stood out. They were LOUD as hell at each and every game, no matter WHO was playing. I remember there being times that it seemed we weren't going to pull it out, but somehow those voices encouraged the others on the cheer squad and they were able to help push us to a win. We would stand at the free throw line, all eyes on us, and hear, "Look who's at the free throw liiiiine, she is a friend of miiiiiinnneeee...Shanelle heeeeeeyyyyy, sink it, sink it, sink it!" Make or miss, it was encouraging to hear those voices. Even as a hush fell over the rest of the crowd, the cheerleaders were encouraging us, believing in us, rooting for us to win. Although we lost in the semi-finals, we had a good season that year, and I'd be remiss if I didn't attribute a small part of that success to our cheerleaders.
In this funny thing called life, we all need cheerleaders. Those people who put on their best selves to simply stand in our corner. They aren't competing with us, they are riding with us. They aren't secretly wishing for our demise. Instead, they want us to win, sometimes seemingly more than we do! Our life cheerleaders are our encouragers. When the chips are down, when the odds are stacked against us, when it doesn't seem that we'll pull it out, here they come, pom poms out, jumping and hollering on our behalf. Sometimes this looks like a text message that says, "You got this," Or a phone call that says, "It'll get better," or "You'll figure it out," or "What do you need me to do?"
In life, our cheerleaders are male and female, old and young, at home and abroad. They are the people who want nothing but the best for us. They are the ones who will stand in the fold with us, during the good and the bad, pushing us on to victory. And even when we lose, they don't quit. They don't regret having been there for the journey. Shoot, they often start the pre-cheering for the next game with a "You'll get'em next time," or "They won't be ready for you when you come back." God gives us cheerleaders to keep us motivated, to push us on, to keep us going. There's an old saying, "All you need is one cheerleader." It's true. As long as you have one, you will never truly be defeated. The next time you face a loss, look past the stands and toward your cheer squad. Receive their smiles, their jumps, their cheers. Be it this time or the next, with them on your side, you ALWAYS win. Be Blessed XOXO
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