Symbolically, becoming a cheerleader means conforming; making the varsity team brings instant popularity, invitations to the best parties, and perhaps a date with the starting quarterback. To quote the movie Bring it On, "Mothers would kill to get their daughters on squads." The word itself conjures up the stereotypical image of a ditzy blonde in a short skirt.
Yet my choice to become a cheerleader was anything but a decision to kowtow to teenage conventions. At a math and science oriented school, cheerleading is considered an oddity; people who haven't seen our halftime routines think the team is something of a joke. But this has reinforced an important principle for me -- to persist, even when approval is not immediate.
Cheerleading has
Yet my choice to become a cheerleader was anything but a decision to kowtow to teenage conventions. At a math and science oriented school, cheerleading is considered an oddity; people who haven't seen our halftime routines think the team is something of a joke. But this has reinforced an important principle for me -- to persist, even when approval is not immediate.
Cheerleading has