Personal Narrative: All-Star Cheerleading

I have participated in the all-star competition cheerleading world since I was a very young girl. Over the last ten years, cheerleading has not only taught me how to stunt, tumble and dance, it has also taught me so many remarkable life lessons, such as leadership, teamwork, determination, and perseverance. One important lesson I have learned over the years is how to overcome failure as well as learning to control the fear of failure. The all-star cheerleading industry is very competitive; one small mistake in a routine can make an incredible impact on the outcome of the competition.

A few years ago we were competing at a national competition, where several hundred spectators watched as our team took the floor to perform a routine that we had practiced, perfected, and performed many times that year. I was “basing” a “flyer” in a stunt that was positioned in the very center of the routine, because we were known as the “stunt group that always hit.” The stunt hit perfectly in the air as it had so many times before, but as my flyer cradled down I took a step backwards and was not able to fully catch her leg. I heard the echo of our parents’ cheering turn into what felt like dead silence, as I watched her knee hit the mat. I instantly knew I had just made a huge mistake that was going to be costly for my team. Fortunately my flyer was not physically hurt, but as it turned out my team did incur deductions for the incident. Our team placed third that day because of my one simple mistake. …show more content…
In what should have been a perfect routine, I was the only one to make a mistake of this magnitude that day. I felt so alone and singled out even though all of my teammates were trying their best to console me. I knew I had failed not only myself but most importantly my coach and team, the group of girls I've come to consider my