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Ever since I can remember, cheerleading has been a huge
passion and influence in my life. Instead of going to parties and my own senior
prom, I was going to cheer practice and competitions. And naturally, once I had
been accepted into the University of Texas I began to prepare to try out for
cheer at one of the best colleges in the state. After the nerve racking try out
process it was to my surprise that I made the squad! I was on the all-girl
team, White Squad, and couldn’t even being to control my excitement. I’m pretty
sure after I found out I made the team, my mom bought everything she could get
her hands on that was burnt orange or cheer related… once a cheer mom, always a
cheer mom. At the beginning of the year when we first started cheer practice I
didn’t quite realize what I was in for. Not only was I going to school and
being a new member of a sorority, I was also balancing cheer practice three
times a week. I was often sore from workouts and exhausted by the time it came
around to studying, but none of that really mattered to me… I was getting to
cheer at THE University of Texas, and that was pretty cool. On White Squad, I
began my year as an alternate team member and didn’t really expect to get moved
up or make it on the field to cheer at the football games. I just enjoyed being
around my friends as well as keeping up with my cheerleading. To my complete
and utter disbelief, when my coach was announcing the girls who would be cheering
the first football game… my name was on the list! I seriously thought I was
going to explode with excitement. I could not believe I would be cheering on
DKR Field in front of thousands of people for the first football game of the
season. That first game was probably the best and most exciting moment of my
life.
Just imagine thousands and thousands of screaming Texas fans, being five
feet away from the players, and looking up and seeing my friends and sisters
waving down at me, it was incredible! After that game, I cheered every single
home football game that season, I was incredibly lucky and blessed to have
gotten the opportunity. That first year as a rookie on White Squad taught me a
lot. I began the year as a main base, and then rotated to side basing. I had
never based in my life so it was quite the challenge to grasp the technique and
not be absolutely terrified to toss a girl ten feet in the air and then somehow
manage to catch her. About half way through the year I was put in the position
of a flyer in our two man stunts and also began to fill in the position of a back
spot… you could say by the end of the year I knew every position pretty well.
After a long year of football games, basketball games, volleyball games, as
well as cheerleading appearances, we closed the year with our annual cheer
banquet. Each year, there is one new member from each team who is awarded the
“Rookie of the Year” award. Naturally, I never imagined I would get that award
until all of a sudden our coach was calling my name and asking me to come up
and receive my award. I was so surprised, happy, and not to mention honored to
receive the “Rookie of the Year” award and it was so awesome to have my hard
work and passion noted by my captains, team, and coach. Being a part of the
Texas Spirit Program is one of the best things that could have happened to me and
this year has been a whirlwind of new friends, new experiences, a lot of sweat
and some tears, even more hairspray and fake eyelashes, and some pretty amazing
memories. It was such an accomplishment to end this season with the Rookie of
the Year award and I cannot wait to see where my time in this program will lead
me and what else is in store for me as a Texas Cheerleader.
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