When you think of cheerleading you probably picture girls in short skirts with pom poms cheering at a football game. But All-Star cheerleading is a whole other world, it’s its own sport. Cheerleaders train countless hours every week to be the best they can be, they train for competitions and work hard like any other sport. As a young athlete growing up in All-Star cheer, it becomes your life, day and night you’re thinking about cheer and your teammates. It shapes your physical, mental and social well-being and development in such powerful ways. As an athlete who has spent their entire life growing up in and around cheerleading, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. So, let’s get into why it is such a beneficial sport for growing athletes.
Building strength and coordination
All-Star cheerleading is extremely physically demanding. In a full out, cheerleaders are lifting people, flipping their bodies, jumping, dancing and performing for what feels like the longest two and a half minutes of your life. Cheerleading requires strength, agility, flexibility, endurance and coordination; no matter what your job is on your team it pushes your body to new limits. As a young athlete, cheerleading helps improve their overall fitness, build muscle tone, endurance and coordination, as well as teaches athletes about the importance of taking care of your body and physical wellness. In regular training athletes are constantly developing core strength and balance in tumbling, building power, strength, communication and teamwork in stunting and increasing range of motion and flexibility during regular stretching. All in which helps them grow stronger and healthier, improving their health now and later in life.
Developing Discipline and time management
Cheerleading, like any sport, teaches its athletes discipline and time management. All-Star cheerleaders practice anywhere from 2-5 times a week, their practices lasting anywhere from 2-4 hours. This schedule teaches athletes to balance their time effectively, making time for school, other activities and a personal life without compromising their commitment to their team. Athletes are expected to show up for practice, be on time and always put in their best efforts. Coaches help train the athletes to become their best selves inside and outside of the cheer gym, they set goals for their athletes and push them to meet those goals and be their best. The culture of striving for a goal, normally first place, in cheerleading builds internal discipline teaching athletes that success comes from hard work and focus. Finally, This helps teach the athletes respect for authority, time management, and discipline in school and life; they know that these lead to success and will take that with them in the future.
Fostering teamwork and responsibility
Cheerleading is a largely team oriented and focused sport, from their first practice athletes learn how to work together toward a common goal. Growing up in this type of environment helps athletes learn how to work in a team and deal with conflicts properly. Your team is largely your support group, you go through highs of wins and lows of a rough practice together; your team is sometimes the only people that see you at your best and your worst, and they support you through all of it. The bond between teammates goes beyond practices, a friendship forged in All-Star cheerleading creates a support system beyond the mat, sometimes lasting for a lifetime. Growing up in cheerleading I almost never missed a practice, no matter what was going on in my life I knew I made a commitment to my team and that I had a duty to be there for them. It taught me how to communicate with my teammates, ask for advice and empathize with others; understanding that I’m not the only one dealing with stress or personal problems. I learned that there are no excuses for not showing up for your teammates, because everyone has made sacrifices to be there; and I will always take these lessons with me in life.
Building confidence and resilience
Growing up in All-Star cheerleading helps athletes develop confidence and resilience in many ways. Each practice pushes them to step outside their comfort zone, whether it’s learning a new skill, stunt or performing in front of an audience, they persevere through challenges. Each new challenge teaches them that failure isn’t something to fear, but rather an opportunity to learn and grow. Every time you fall or make a mistake your teammates and coaches encourage you to get back up and try again, learning that failure is a part of the process. Over time, this constant perseverance and pursuit of improvement turns into a mindset, building an athlete’s confidence in themselves and their abilities. Finally, growing up in cheerleading teaches athletes that resilience isn’t just about bouncing back after setbacks; but that it’s about persevering through difficult times, believing in themselves, and having confidence in their abilities and their teammates no matter how hard the journey may feel at the moment.
Personally, I don’t think I could ever thank my parents enough for putting me in All-Star cheerleading at a young age. I’ve learned so many important life lessons and skills that I use everyday and that I’ll continue to use for the rest of my life. Cheerleading has taught me how to manage my time, plan and work towards my goals, the importance of teamwork, and how much I’m actually capable of doing. Cheerleading builds a different type of confidence in kids, they’re not scared of making mistakes or messing up and they know they can achieve anything they put their minds to and work towards. Cheerleaders are not just the girls cheering on the sidelines for the sports teams, they’re some of the most amazing, confident and strong athletes there are. If I were to recommend any sport to try or to put your kids in, my first choice will always be All-Star cheerleading.
