Julissa--The Unclear Night

The Unclear Night

I had to drive very slowly keeping in mind that I was on a cliff. There were three exits, the way I came down from, and the other two unknown. We were going to take the first exit that was the closest but I knew that it would lead to absolute death.

I received a text message, which said “We should go up to the mountains tonight to glaze at the city lights and catch up. We haven’t hung out together so hopefully you do not have any other plans.” I had not heard from this person for quite some time and we had not hung out as friends as we used to. The first thing that came to my mind was ‘hmm that sounds like it would be fun since I have nothing to do on a Friday night.’ So, I got dressed, told my mom I would be hanging out with my friend. She advised me to go somewhere else, where we would be safe. Nevertheless, as a teenager I did not pay attention to her and told her “Mom will be fine, everyone from school goes to this place, I will be back before you know it.” I left with the thought of my mom telling me it was not a good idea to go by ourselves.

While driving to our destination, I tried to blur out all the negative thoughts of coming with her to the mountain and just tried to be excited about this outing with her. Therefore, I tried making a conversation with her to forget the painful stomachaches and nervousness within me.

Upon our arrival to the top of the mountain, there was only one way to get to the road and I was not able to see if any cars were coming down. My pulse throughout my body began to increase in seconds and I knew that what I got myself into was not going to be a good outcome. The entire drive uphill to find an area to park my car was the most agonizing experience. Meanwhile my friend was sitting calmly not caring about how I was feeling about this trip.

We got to the top of the mountain, parked my car and about 20 feet away from us were cars with men inside smoking and drinking. I immediately told my friend that we should move to another area having in mind that these men could kidnap us or confront us at any moment. Thus, we had to drive back down and we turned into an opening that would lead us to another parking area. As I was driving down the steep slope, the bottom of my car was screeching loudly. The only thing that crossed my mind was “My parents are going to kill me, what am I doing?” I did not know whether to keep going down the steep slope or back out. So I stayed there on the slope for a couple of seconds. My friend, who had never been to that location before, kept telling me “All cars make that noise, don’t worry, we’re fine.” I continued driving downhill, even though my car screeched horribly, and then parked.

“What a relief,” I said to my friend. However, I knew this sigh of relief was not going to last. We sat there in the car, she talked abundantly about her other friends and issues that she had at home. While I sat there, looking out at the entire city and watching the sunset fall, I was reflecting on how I got there and how I was going to get out. At that moment, I received a call. I felt relieved after hearing my moms voice on the other end.

At this point, it was obscure; I could not see anything surrounding my car. The platform we were on was extremely small and there was not an official exit. Therefore, I stepped out of my car before driving off and it was not an exit, it just led down the cliff. We decided to take the second exit, which looked more accommodating than the other did. We did not even make it half way down the slope when my car got stuck. It was on a scale moving back and forth not letting me drive in either direction. I panicked and began to cry. Thinking that my parents were going to be furious with me, and I would not make it out of this frightening place.  The worst part was that my friend just sat in the car on her phone not even worried that we were in this situation. She told me not to call my parents and to figure it out on our own, which was ridiculously bizarre. It turned out that her parents did not know she was there.

In conclusion, I have learned that I should think twice about my actions before I put myself in a situation like that again. I will never forget this experience because it has taught me to not please others just for having a good relationship with a friend and being driven to extremities just for them. But most of all to always listen to my parents advise.

Kaitlyn--Confidence is Key

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.

Brian--CIF

Awake, a sudden burst of Immediate fear. Fear of imperfection, mistakes and failure but not without a slight hint of happiness for making it this far.

Arrive, here it is, the place where an entire season of practice is put to the test. Suit on ready to go, all while the tension is building with every agonizing second that goes by.

Warm ups, first up. Dive in, the first mistake is here Dive again, over. Again,under. Frustration building and building.Warmups over.

Competition begin. First dive "Brian Murarik 103 b front dive pike" approaching the board. Eyes countless piercing eyes from every which way. Look down, deep breath and begin. Left foot step, right foot ,left foot jump  and high knee then swing up.Stop, wait a second drop both legs then bring arms back down and jump. Weightless like the gravatational pull exerted by a black hole I was thrown towards the sun and was pulled back down in the same manner. Entry, like being transported to a different world I automatically felt the cold liquid around me, unwinding the tension from before. Until I heard "5,5.5,6,6.5" distraught I looked to my mentor and in return with a calming look I knew he was telling me not to focus on the scores.

Time, moving oh so slow passed with 4 dives in the same manner all being sub par. Tension mounting again I read the list of continuing divers. Instant joy, I had made it.

Twisters, these were my worst category and it was time. "Brian Murarik back 1.5 with a half twist" I stepped up. Up down ,up down ,up down storing energy then bam! Releasing it in an instant. Too fast and out of control. Just as I was thinking these things the transportation was complete I was on a different world and before I knew it I heard the words "failed dive" . Shock pulsating through me. "No" I thought , "it can't be" it was over. The culmination of so much practice had become an utter failure.

Asleep, a mind full of regret dreaming of the future. Dreaming of redemption and surpassing the limits but not without a slight hint of happiness for making it this far.