Written by Elizabeth, Year 12
Cheerleading began as a hobby for me back when I was 3 years old. Throughout the years, I have gone through every level to get to where I am today – an international level 6 athlete.
Having already been to the Cheerleading Worlds last year, this year wasn’t as scary for us as a team as we knew what to expect. We aimed to beat our last year’s placing (7th) and we knew we had to take on the judges’ comments in order for us to improve for the finals. With one fall on day 2, we were not sure where we would place; but of course, we very much shocked ourselves and our coaches by ranking 4th in the world!
There are a few things I have learnt from this experience. The first thing is that dedication is crucial to reach the top. I can see that hard work and determination pays off. Another huge part of my success also comes from the dedication of my parents who drive me to training and all my competitions.
The second biggest lesson I learnt was time management. Having to balance school work, training, a job and a social life began to get overwhelming at the start of the year. It took me quite a bit of time to work out the right timetable where I was able to have an equal amount of time relaxing, as well as doing all the necessary things.
Unfortunately you can’t go professional in Cheerleading, so my ‘career’ will have to come to an end one day. After finishing my A Levels here at OHS, I hope to go to university to study sports and exercise science (and hopefully join the cheer team there, so it doesn’t stop quite so soon). After that, I hope to become a sports nutritionist/psychologist to continue my interest in sports.