It's all been worth it - AU Cheer Junior, Jacquelynn

After three years on the AU Cheerleading team I feel like I have been through enough to be able to come flat out and say – the road to NCA Nationals has not been easy. Dedicating 5 days a week (3 days of practice & 2 days of games) during my junior year of college has not been a simple task by any means. On top of my rigorous practice schedule I also take a full load of classes, intern at a web marketing agency, and work another part-time job at AU’s law school…yeah, I’m not sure what I was thinking taking on all of that either =]

But the reason why we all dedicate, plan, and sometimes stress about our packed calendars is for the overall satisfaction that cheerleading gives us. My cheer coach, Brett, always loves to repeat a story about his cheerleading career (yes, he’s only 30 and he’s already unaware of his repetitiveness = P ). He says that his best friends till today were those made on his college cheerleading teams—and I couldn’t agree more.

The time my team and I spend together are filled with countless memories. From cheering at the big bball games, to eventful car washes, to road trips to Infinity gym, and to rolling around in hysterics after a practice-uniform-wardrobe-malfunction, we have had a blast the last two semesters together. And although we have had our ups and downs, there is no denying the friendships we have made.

Cheerleading brings you together. We tumble together, jump together, dance, stunt, sweat (well, me mostly..), laugh, fall…and even though Jimmy Dugan says “There’s no crying in ‘cheerleading’”…we definitely have cried together haha! Because Cheerleading is the only sport where trust in each other is not an added bonus; it is a necessity. The trust we have in each other has kept us united as a team even when times are tough. And it is this trust in each other that will keep us working together until we step off that competition mat in Daytona.

All athletes love the rush of competition; it’s why we do what we do. The moment you to step out to perform your routine, the hours upon hours of physical pain and emotional weariness, dissipate from your mind and it’s all worth it…

Now that our moment in the lights is finally upon us I want to say it definitely has been worth it =] I can’t wait to see everyone tomorrow at our Friends & Family Event! It’s time to cheer on the cheerleaders and dancers!