OT How Did You Get Involved In Cheer?

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Apr 1, 2020
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Whether you are/were a cheerleader, a coach, a parent or just a fan: How did you get involved? Doesn’t matter if it was all-star, prep, high school or rec.
 
My kid drug me into it lol. I never would have even thought to sign her to for cheer but she literally begged me. And here we are a gazillion years later, loving cheer. Who knew?
 
My kid drug me into it lol. I never would have even thought to sign her to for cheer but she literally begged me. And here we are a gazillion years later, loving cheer. Who knew?
My mom told me I asked her if I could be a cheerleader...literally no idea where I got the idea, but it’s been a gazillion years here too, and loving it!
 
I was scrolling through TV (we had DirecTV) and so I saw the title "The Cheerleading Worlds" on the channel so I was like "hmm... yes, interesting" So I clicked on it, watched routines for 45 minutes, fell in love with it. Took me 16 months later to convince my parents to let me start cheering.

(Prior to watching Worlds, I had NO clue what cheerleading really was)
 
I started in middle school. Some of my friends did rec cheer in elementary school, but I was too focused on soccer at the time. Wanted to start doing other things as well in middle school, so I tried out for my middle school team in 7th grade and made it. The next year I saw the infamous TGLC video of Cheersport 05 and that sealed the deal. Been hooked ever since.
 
I have wanted to be a cheerleader as long as I can remember, don't know where the idea came from. I didn't know about all star until fifth grade, tried out and didn't make it. Finally made an all star team in 7th grade. I quit after tryouts the next year for silly reasons and wish I had continued.

CP's gym was in its second year when I cheered and they dominated the competitions. When she was old enough for an activity cheer was my first idea, I kind of idolized them so took her there, and she's loved it ever since.

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I'm just a new and curious fan. At my local university in southern CA, cheer is actually a competitive sport. At the uni I went to in the late 90's, cheer and dance were sideline, not competitive. So, the competitive arena is new to me. My local uni has a cheer/dance showcase every year (because actual comps are not home and away), but I've never gotten to go because of IRL issues. But now I keep seeing stuff about "Cheer", about the Navarro College (TX) team, and it looks interesting. I don't have Netflix, but that may be a reason I finally get it.

At my uni in northern CA, we did have gymnastics (WAG), and I have been a WAG fan since 1990, when I first watched Kim Zmeskal (who is now a coach and gym coowner). While cheer and dance are completely different than gymnastics, there is that tumbling aspect, and it is a judged sport.

Edit: to correct last sentence.
 
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I started off in gymnastics at 2 before o got involved in cheerleading. But my aunt was a cheer coach at a local gym in my hometown I started there when I was 3, at first I had no interest in it because I hated the bows, And make up. But I ended up falling in love with the sport. I was a allstar cheerleader from the time 16 or so years. I also did middle school and high school cheer.
 
Started with sideline, moved my way up to college cheer.

I heard about a try-out and I just said... well ok, I'll go and see how it goes. Asked my teacher (I was 16... so it was 17 years ago haha) to leave school early during last period and she let me go. I had a blaaaaaaast. There never was a cheer team in my town before so we were starting from the ground up. It was fun.

I left for college at 20, came back to town 2 years later, founded two competitive school programs that are still running to this day, and left again 2 years later.

I am still very involved in cheerleading. Looking back, it is funny to think everything started because I randomly heard about tryouts when I was 16 and decided to make a move. I am thankful.
 
CP was doing gymnastics age 6, then said she wanted to do cheer instead because she wanted to wear bows. I said ok even though I thought cheer seemed silly, but when I saw some older girls tumbling I started thinking it was really cool. She is now 12 and still cheering. I still think it’s pretty cool. :)
 
I’ve wanted to cheer since always, it seems. I remember watching our local high school’s homecoming parade when I was five and my mom telling me, “Shay, look at the cheerleaders!” and just falling in love. In my mind I remember them being sparkly and gorgeous. But I know realize that what I remember as untouchable sophistication was more likely just early-nineties teen cheerleader glamour: crimped hair, baggy sweaters, Keds. All of which I’d still rock today.
 
My daughter started cheering in 1996 in Lexington, KY. She joined Kentucky Elite when it opened in 1997. My wife and I were involved as team parents, booster club accountants and travel coordinators. In 2001, I volunteered to help start the Kentucky Elite Showcats. We moved to Birmingham and ACE of Alabama in 2003. Lots of coaching and USASF committees after that.
 
I have vague memories of seeing basket tosses at our local university football games and thinking I wanted to get thrown around like that, when I was about 4. But cheer didn't exist at my schools, nor did all-star, until a team started at my high school in grade 10. Cheered there for the last 2 years and never really stopped.
 
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