I always wanted to be a cheerleader. My mom was a cheerleader and I had seen pictures. It looked like a lot of fun and I wanted to do it. Plus the uniforms were cute and who doesn’t love perky cheerleaders (I know some people are really annoyed by them but not me)? I tried out in seventh and eighth grade but never made it. So when there were only four or five girls trying out for six or seven spots (my memory is horrible) my freshman year, I thought I would finally get my chance.
Before I go any further I have to back up to my traumatic eighth grade year. I really liked one of my friends and was constantly harassed by his girlfriend who was a freshman. We had been good friends since fifth grade and it had progressed to something more but he wouldn’t break up with his meanie girlfriend. Since only eighth graders were allowed to go the eighth grade dance, he asked me. And that’s when I got my handwritten death threat from this gem a lady (I still have it and always get a kick out of reading it when I run across it). If that whole mess happened today she would get in SO MUCH trouble! He finally broke up with that bitty and we had a like a week of bliss until I found him making out with one of my good friends at a party.
Flash forward to my freshman year cheerleading tryouts. Nasty ex-girlfriend’s mother was the cheerleading advisor (or somehow involved) and I KNOW that is the reason I didn’t make it.
At the time I was very traumatized…as most fourteen year old girls are by such things. But now I look back and have several questions/thoughts I’d like to share.
1. Why did this mother/advisor feel the need to inflict her power on me and keep me from doing something I could’ve done and been very good at? She very well could’ve kept me from discovering my life’s calling as a cheerleader (LOL).
2. What kind of ADULT meddles in the lives of teenagers? Especially after their daughter is no longer even dating the boy who caused the mess! Get a life! Besides, is this behavior really something you want to teach your children?
3. Cheerleading could’ve been my way out of band. My parents had already made it clear that I wasn’t quitting band "just because." But in my mind, if I had another extra-curricular activity that prevented me from being in band, they’d let me quit.
I’m not going to name names. And it isn’t out of fear. It’s not of respect for them either – because I have none. It’s more out ofself-respect and knowing that I don’t need to belittle someone else to feel better about myself (at least not today and definitely not about this). I do take comfort in knowing that there are a handful of people out there who know who I’m talking about and hopefully you’re as amused by this story as I am.
And for all of this, I’d like to saythank you. Thank you for being a stereotypical, conniving woman. Thank you for helping me realize the kind of person I don’t want to be. Thank you for not allowing me to become a cheerleader and thus forcing me to stay in band. I was a much better French horn/flute/baritone/saxophone player than I would’ve been a cheerleader. Not to mention, I made some great friends in band (and have even managed to hold onto a few). That’s not to say that I couldn’t have done the same if I had cheered but I’m happy with the way things turned out. Thank you for teaching me to not let mean people get OR KEEP me down!
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