Confidence
is Key
Dreams
of a national title flood through my mind.
My last year, my last chance. Two minutes and thirty seconds to prove
yourself to the nation, no big deal. Other teams have had their routines perfected
for months and ours was completed last week, but this is nothing new. I still have so much faith in our team and confidence
in our capabilities. Then the thoughts of Nationals 2013 run through my
mind. My expectations were too high,
our division too hard and when we all went home we were not only heartbroken,
but our team was divided. How can I know
that this year will be different? How
can I know that our routine will be good enough? How can I know that my team
won't cave under the pressure? How can I
know all of our stunts will hit, that everyone will remember their dance, and
that everyone will be sharp? I can't.
But I have to believe that we will, we have put in too much work to
think otherwise. Yes, cheer is hard
work. There is no doubt in my mind that
Competitive Cheer is a sport. We are dedicated and motivated, but our
confidence will ultimately determine how well we perform. Confidence is so essential to any aspect of
our lives. Confidence has always played
a big role in my achievements, and I truly believe that our mind is our most
powerful influence over us as human beings. It's crazy to think that we could
manipulate ourselves into having a certain mindset, and that this could affect
our performance and behavior. I see
confidence as the foundation for how we complete anything and everything. It combats my nerves and fears, motivates me
to do my best, and helps me rely on and trust my team. Nationals is now only a week away, and I am
trying so hard to not only gain personal confidence in this routine but instill
confidence and positive thoughts in the minds of my teammates as well. Although I am scared of raising my
expectations too high and being crushed by the results, I know I have to stay
positive and think of how amazing it will be for Etiwanda Cheer to have another
National Champions banner in the gym.
For some reason (it might have been the multiple Bring it On marathons on ABC Family I've sat through over the years) I love cheerleading stories. This was a pleasure to read not only because find the subject matter interesting (seriously I can hardly touch my own toes) but because it was also very well written. Good job!
ReplyDeleteI loved reading this because I was in color guard and it is true that confidence is key when it comes to performing. You have to believe in your abilities and the abilities of your teammates. And I loved how you kept the story interesting all the way through!
ReplyDeleteyou're right confidence is key you can never have enough faith I your team and you can never have to much but always believe in your team good job, and it really grabbed my attention.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with Delaney about the Bring it On marathons. I love this story so much, very well written, and great use of detail.
ReplyDeleteWell written, and i agree confidence is key great work! :)
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of people undermine the intensity of cheerleading and stereotype everything and everyone associated with cheer. But what they fail to notice is how much pressure, dedication, time, effort, and endless practice cheerleaders put in. Cheerleading is a form of expression and nevertheless an art form. It amazes me that the human body is physically capable of doing the stunts cheerleaders do during their performance. And in this piece you really emphasized the dedication and confidence one must acquire in order to be the best. It really shows how passionate you are on the subject and keep doing what you're doing, you guys are great! Hope you guys do well at Nationals.
ReplyDeleteI love how you related your mentality about cheer to an overarching issue that everyone can understand. It's so true that attitude and confidence are essential to success.
ReplyDeleteI'll be honest. Cheer is a foreign subject for me but seeing you and your entire team perform, I can't help but admire you and your guys' work. Your dedication and hard work shows whenever you guys get the stage just as how that determination is being emulated by this piece. I truly enjoyed reading your work. I love reading about what inspires people and how they portray that feeling. Thanks for sharing. :)
ReplyDeleteI felt the pressure you were under as you described your experience during your competition.
ReplyDeleteI love how inspiration the work is! Despite your lacking of confidence in the past, you try to improve and think positively, and even support your teammates as well. From the work I can tell that you care and want so much for your team. Keep working hard and passionately!
ReplyDeleteI really liked this well written piece. It is awesome to see how reliant you guys are on each other just like every other sport. Good luck on your upcoming competition.
ReplyDeleteI like this story, it made me feel inspired about success, great work.
ReplyDeleteAwesome, Katie! I enjoyed your excellent word choice and your appeal to the senses. It made me feel what was running through your mind in preparation for the next competition. This subject is great for this audience because it shows us that if we have confidence, we will always know that we gave our best effort. Great job!
ReplyDeleteWow, you have so much faith in your team and so much trust. It's incredible! Too see youth coming together and having to work together in order to pull through certain situations or events. It was well written!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Delaney! Cheer stories are frames for the message your piece has. Confidence is definitely key! It's a wonderful thing and I'm glad you have it. It shows through your piece as well, very well written too. Good Job!
ReplyDeleteYou know, I've always had respect for cheerleaders (for one, I have no flexibility. At all), but this just blew my mind. You had two minutes, give or take, to perform? That's… wow. And you pulled it off and won? That's another feat in itself. And your writing, Katie—it really puts the reader at the edge of their seat.
ReplyDeleteNice story on cheerleading. Good job!
ReplyDeletei know the feeling of learning a routine a week before you compete. it sucks, but confidence acutally dose help and motivating your teammates on and off the mats as well.
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