What can a 7th grader learn from cheerleading?

When my daughter decided she wanted to try out for her school cheerleading squad, I was…ummm…ambiguous, concerned, worried, reserved.  I guess my long days of seeing young teen girls with low self-esteem and body image distortion were clouding my vision–or were they?  Maybe I was just a worried mother who was afraid of neck injury, back injury, and a wheelchair?  Or was I concerned that my daughter would get the message that perky prettiness was more important than brains and brawn?  Certainly, I knew the physical demands of cheering were equal to a vigorous workout and I had heard from other coaches that cheerleaders take on more bumps and bruises than perhaps, football players.  But, I was nervous…about all of it.

When my daughter came home and told me that she was to be one of the flyers (you know, the ones that get tossed up in the air and hurtled through space?!), I put on my brave and neutral face, and said, “Well honey, that’s great!”.  As time marched on, and twice weekly practices were the norm, I noticed that I tended to wait in the car for my daughter, rather than go in and watch the tail end of practice, like so many of the other mothers.   I told myself that I would wait to watch her …until when?  Until she told me she was perfectly perfect at all the stunts?  Safe?  Still grounded in her self, her spirit and self-confidence?  Still naturally beautiful?  I asked her questions targeted at her self-esteem and the dynamics of the group.  She always said, “ Practice was great!”.  I was searching for a drawback, a down-side to the experience, but was coming up empty-handed.

Despite my ambiguity, as the weeks turned into months, I couldn’t help but notice the little split jumps my daughter would do as she walked behind the couch, or the abrupt moments of getting up from the dinner table to bang out a move or two from her dance repertoire.  Our family enjoyed these moments.  We could actually see her improve and develop her skills throughout these months of dedicated practice.

Last night was the end-all, be-all cheer competition, the final finale of teams against teams, loud re-mixed versions of “Boom Boom Pow” and other songs I couldn’t begin to define.  As my daughter and her cheer team approached the stage, I sat amazed at the talent in front of me.  Their crisp movements. Their confidence and poise.   The wonderful show of sportsmanship to the fellow teams.  And the sweet and sincere support the team had for each other. 

I rest now, of clear mind and contented fears, assured that my daughter has benefited from cheerleading– in self-confidence, poise, and the knowledge that hard work REALLY does pay off.  The dividends of a positive team experience are numerous.  Yes, a trophy is always a nice reminder of the event, but the lasting pride, self-esteem, and inner satisfaction a girl, like my 7th grade daughter, can muster in the days to come  have exponential rewards.