A Day in the life of a CHEERLEADER...
by Jazmyn C. Boulware-Wilburn

Today is the day...the big day! I awaken to the noise of several cheerleading teams already up and ready to perform their routine, a performance of their life, as one cheerleader tells me. Every ounce of energy, every skill repititously rehearsed for months now is under the microscope of several judges. Wait a minute...it's 5:30 a.m., you have got to be kidding me! But for these cheerleaders today, it was the finalization of all of their hard work and determination. Win or lose, they have given it all to be here today and so it shows (even at this ungodly hour).

I stand their on the balcony of our hotel watching them from a distance as they shadowed their teammates continuous movements in unison. I hear the coach beckoning them to get together as they will be leaving in less than an hour. The day has just begun for them.

Once I arrived at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex, I now see those same cheerleaders battling nervousness, however, remaining confident of the routine they were about to do. Once on the mat, they prove that they are there to do business and successfully gave all they had and without a doubt it showed.

As I am sitting next to the coaching staff, I notice they are sitting restlessly in their seats and yet cheer out loud as their girls hit every move/stunt right on the money. You can see that the coaches are stressed and nervous as well. I am finding that they appear to be more nervous than the girls on the mat. Could this be? I have the answer and the answer is YES. The coaching staff is just as nervous and jittery as the cheerleaders claim to be! To think, the preparation for this event begins months earlier when the season starts and the girls first meet up. Some return from the previous year, while others this is a first time experience. Regardless, they are now a team and together they practice almost daily and if lucky enough, are present at the National level of Competition, such as today!

I watched, and listened and overall appreciated the hard work that goes into the success of each and every team out here. Their hard work, confidence, precision and spirit showed throughout the entire day.

So, no matter who Wins (yes, I can say that), everyone here today deserves the recognition of a job well done.

In my eyes, they are all winners!