by Grace Langella (10th)
Participation in sports teams, the Dramatic Society, student council, peer mentoring, or any other extracurricular activity at Whitefield is not only fun, but a great way to learn a little something about oneself and a lesson or two that might prove useful in life.
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Cheerleading is a team sport. To be successful, you have to rely on your squad, and within your squad, your stunt group. A good stunt group is the key to victory in cheerleading. But even the best of stunt groups make mistakes, which is definitely something I have learned through cheerleading that has affected my life.
During homecoming week this year, the three cheerleading squads at Whitefield joined together to create one “Mega Squad," as we called it. Together, we performed a routine that included dance moves and jumps, which finally ended in one complex stunt —all connected by several different stunt groups. I was fortunate to be put in an amazing group. We all worked so well together, and our stunt hit perfectly every time. Not once did we drop our flyer, and while all the other girls' groups seemed to be struggling, our stunt was extremely easy for us. We were like superheroes: strong, powerful, and obviously the best group in the squad.
As practices for our big performance continued, our pride only grew greater. We were still the best, and we even got the reward of showing our stunt to tons of tiny Lower School girls that attended our cheer clinic. Yeah, we were that special. Then one day, we were humbled. During practice, we were doing our stunt along with the other groups, and while all the other girls were focused and intense, we were relaxed. Our stunt had never fallen, so why would that happen now?
Unfortunately that time had come. We started the stunt on the wrong counts, and then missed our flyer’s foot, so we couldn’t lift her up in to the air. Then with a loud bump, we all awkwardly tumbled and collapsed to the ground (gracefully, of course). We all laughed hysterically (none of us were hurt) at our ignorance and couldn’t believe what had just happened.
This was just a silly mistake, and it was hilarious when it happened. But looking back on it now, I see that I learned a very important lesson—hard work. Even though the stunt was easy for us, and we didn’t have any trouble, our group should have put effort into it consistently. This would have helped us avoid mistakes and we would have executed our stunt perfectly. After our mistake, our group buckled down. We worked hard to make our stunt impeccable, and by the time we performed, it was flawless. This taught me that by putting effort into everything I do, not only will my cheerleading skills improve, but so will my grades (which matter even more than cheerleading). Through cheerleading at Whitefield, I have learned an important lesson that I think will stay with me forever.
Participation in sports teams, the Dramatic Society, student council, peer mentoring, or any other extracurricular activity at Whitefield is not only fun, but a great way to learn a little something about oneself and a lesson or two that might prove useful in life.
Cheerleading is a team sport. To be successful, you have to rely on your squad, and within your squad, your stunt group. A good stunt group is the key to victory in cheerleading. But even the best of stunt groups make mistakes, which is definitely something I have learned through cheerleading that has affected my life.
During homecoming week this year, the three cheerleading squads at Whitefield joined together to create one “Mega Squad," as we called it. Together, we performed a routine that included dance moves and jumps, which finally ended in one complex stunt —all connected by several different stunt groups. I was fortunate to be put in an amazing group. We all worked so well together, and our stunt hit perfectly every time. Not once did we drop our flyer, and while all the other girls' groups seemed to be struggling, our stunt was extremely easy for us. We were like superheroes: strong, powerful, and obviously the best group in the squad.
As practices for our big performance continued, our pride only grew greater. We were still the best, and we even got the reward of showing our stunt to tons of tiny Lower School girls that attended our cheer clinic. Yeah, we were that special. Then one day, we were humbled. During practice, we were doing our stunt along with the other groups, and while all the other girls were focused and intense, we were relaxed. Our stunt had never fallen, so why would that happen now?
Unfortunately that time had come. We started the stunt on the wrong counts, and then missed our flyer’s foot, so we couldn’t lift her up in to the air. Then with a loud bump, we all awkwardly tumbled and collapsed to the ground (gracefully, of course). We all laughed hysterically (none of us were hurt) at our ignorance and couldn’t believe what had just happened.
This was just a silly mistake, and it was hilarious when it happened. But looking back on it now, I see that I learned a very important lesson—hard work. Even though the stunt was easy for us, and we didn’t have any trouble, our group should have put effort into it consistently. This would have helped us avoid mistakes and we would have executed our stunt perfectly. After our mistake, our group buckled down. We worked hard to make our stunt impeccable, and by the time we performed, it was flawless. This taught me that by putting effort into everything I do, not only will my cheerleading skills improve, but so will my grades (which matter even more than cheerleading). Through cheerleading at Whitefield, I have learned an important lesson that I think will stay with me forever.