Lynzee Jordan
Dr. Johnson
ENGL 2113.401
20 July 2015
Competitive Cheerleading
Starting at a young age, I loved to participate in sports. The first competitive team I became a part of was gymnastics. I was on a team with twelve other girls, but it was mainly an individual sport. I had my own routines for each event: beam, bars, floor, and vault. At competitions all of my concentration was on two main goals, beat my competitors and improve my personal best score. When I graduated high school, I became part of the Midwestern State competition cheerleading team. This team consisted of sixteen members, where every member performs each section of a routine together to be judged. Being a part of competitive cheerleading opened my eyes to a new meaning of team because it was no longer about me, but about the cohesiveness of the team.

Standing at the edge of the dark blue mat with my teammates, identically dressed in maroon uniforms and sparkling white shoes, we prepare to compete. The lights were shining so bright on the stage, blinding my teammates and me from seeing the crowd. The gymnasium looked like it was just four completely white walls surrounding us. The temperature in the gymnasium felt like it had risen fifty degrees in just seconds, making me hot and sweaty. As I hear our team name being announced over the speakers, my team and I step on the mat and spirit to o...

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