All-Star Moving On

[WisconsinIsFierce]

My senior year of cheer is coming to an end and we all can't cheer forever, no matter how hard it is. Share your stories about your decision to move on in life without relying on your gym and team every practice. How did you take that step?

 

[Mamarazzi]

**WARNING - BRING YOUR TISSUES TO THIS THREAD**

 

[Fionaelite]

Every time I even think about the fact that this is my last year before university I start to well up...
I have never been so pleased that the English cheer season ends in July, so I get a few more months with my team before I have to graduate,
Every competition we do makes me want to take a gap year and spend one last year with my team <3

 

[eam1892]

After you're done, you sit down and realize, I will never be on stage again to show everyone what I've trained (enter years here) for. All the stretching, tumbling, privates, hyperextending your jumps, etc. will be "worthless" in a sense. Where will you use those skills again? You will be attached to FierceBoard because it's your way of still being part of the cheer world. Although this sounds awful, you take away wonderful skills (not necessarily physical, but mental ones). You learn to work as a team, to overcome differences and work with people, set and achieve goals, and learn that you always have people to rely on even when it seems like life stinks. I think cheering has open me up as a person and made me feel important, you cherish the memories and you won't even remember the tough times.

 

[XtremeWpg]

Could there be potential to cheer for an International Open or your College? I know here some places have open gym times where you can bring a group and stunt around. Remember that life isn't over after high school (I'm 28 to prove it!)

ETA: This is not to say that I still cheer. Far from! But there's always coaching or training for judging. There's for sure ways to stay involved!

 

[HotcheerJazmine]

It's one of the hardest things to deal with. To not get up and go to practice everyday, and be with your teammates, is hard "/ It does get better though! When i left for college, i missed my gym (Hotcheer) more than anything. I would try to make it to competitions and what not as much as I could, so that helps alot. I also coach there now, and it feels so good to be back with my family. The time away is hard, but i promise it gets better! We also have an open team that im on, maybe your gym, or a gym near you has one that you can join?

=)

 

[jmac16]

Finishing my senior year up this weekend with compeiting at us finals in indy ! and my last practice is tonight.. i cry just thinking about it.

 

[brandon0309]

It's easy to focus on the emotional side, but I've been through it and there is a lot of good to it as well. So after all the missing it, missing your team, and realizing you have nothing to do without practice every night..

-you think that you love cheerleading when you are in it.. but you will truly love it when you are an alumni. Your focus shifts from your team and your competitors to opening your eyes to everyone/every aspect of the sport. You have a completely different perspective on the sport and its hard to explain but just look at some of us overly cheer obsessed people and I can guarantee alot of us are alumni/coaches/parents and not participants (anymore).

--You get to go to worlds/cheersport/NCA and watch ALL of it. You don't have to leave for warm-ups or team meetings etc. You get to obsess over all of your favorites.. You start to loose that inner feeling of wanting the teams your against to mess up and you really want everyone to win and watch the competition stack up against each other. (along the lines with you get a new perspective to the sport)

I would say super senior if you can or cheer international while you have your skills.. They do not stay forever.. promise.
Coach if you have the passion/talent/skills for it. && you can always visit your old gym.. I used to a lot when I first graduated..

- you'll realize the hours spent at practice are replaced with fierceboard.. well for some of us.. summer sucks.. everyone is working on skills/choreography.. very few updates but its summer so your traveling.. at the beach.. etc. its not too bad. When little videos/ big news pop up it will make your week.. lol

Cheerleading will always have a place in your heart if you truly love it and "you love things more from a distance" because you miss it kind of thing..

 

[ssccxnce]

honestly, last year when i graduated, i bawled my eyes out the whole entire car ride home from my last practice, on day two of canadian nationals me and my one friend crumpled into each other because we both realized it was our last year to cheer together (we'd only known each other for a year but this girl was by best friend i had met through cheerleading) and then the banquet at the end of the year our coaches said speeches about all of the graduating seniors that would be leaving it took every single bone in my body for me to not cry when they were talking, and when it was time for everybody to get ready to leave, my flyer from early on in the season came up to me hugged me and started crying on my shoulder, when i asked her what was wrong she told me that i was the best (and first) back spot she had ever had and that she trusted me more then anybody else on the team and that she didnt want me to leave as soon as those words left her mouth i realized i did not under any circumstances want to leave that gym, i wanted to go back to grade 7 to the first year that i tried cheerleading at a time when wanted to give up on everything i wanted to experience that life altering moment when you step on to that ugly blue mat covered in sparkles just one last time, i wanted to put on my uniform bow and makeup and prance around like i owned that stage, but the reality of it all was that i couldnt, i had to make a choice, university or cheerleading and it was the hardest thing i have ever done, still even now i would kill to have all those moments we take for granted on that floor i just want one more chance, and i think that makes a huge difference, knowing your done, and wanting to be done are not the same thing if you still have the chance to cheer and want to do it, you will not understand how much you will miss it afterwards, and for those seniors who are done this year i have one thing to say, that very last time you compete, leave your heart on that floor, take in every second and do not regret a minute of that routine because when you look back it will have been one of the greatest experiences of your life

 

[Eyes On The Prize]

I graduated two years ago and leaving was extremely hard for me, especially after 10 years of cheer. It was my life and I was really lost with out it for a while. Then I went to college and missed it even more. Even worse, my schools team was worse than most area high school teams (which is saying a lot) so I wasn't going to join it. (Plus, it was a bunch of politics and I didn't want to get into that). But I found a local gymnastics gym where I took tumbling privates for most of freshman year. But the thing is, as the days passed, the less and less I missed cheer. Yes, I still miss competing and stunting and the make up and the travel and my team mates and the familiarity of everything, but I also enjoyed moving on with my life and exploring different things. I enjoyed not having to say "I can't, I have practice" and not having to plan things out a few days ahead to fit around my cheer schedule. I could just hang out with my friends and do what ever I wanted whenever I wanted. Want to randomly go to the park? Yeah, I could do that. Or go walk around town? Let's go! I still stayed up to date with the happenings with in the cheer world, but I also enjoyed the non-cheerleader life as well. So you will miss cheer, but it'll get easier to deal with, especially if you go away to school.

 

[JulieP]

When I was finished cheering, I was almost relieved. I was excited to start the next chapter of my life and my body was ready for a break from tumbling. I started coaching a few years later when I realized how much this sport shaped the person I am. Ultimately, stepping away was the best thing I ever did. I think I love it more as a coach than I ever did as an athlete.

 

[IzzyFierce]

Im very nervous about this. I have many many dreams. Ive always been a dreamer. Its just what I do.
I want to become a Disney animator AND open my own gym some day. But when I go off to art school, I wont be able to cheer. I have no idea how Im going to handle this. I might end up begging my mom to pay for me to cheer at a local gym while Im in college. I dont know. :/ Im so nervous about it....

 

[CaptainoftheCheerocracy]

Where are you going to college? A lot of the UW schools have decent teams to coach on. And if you don't want to cheer at a college, you might try coaching...If you want to stay in the cheer world, you can. I know it is different, but it's still pretty great!

Maybe NCA or UCA camp counselor is an option?!?

 

[CaptainoftheCheerocracy]

*I meant the UW schools are decent to cheer on.

 

[ssccxnce]

Im very nervous about this. I have many many dreams. Ive always been a dreamer. Its just what I do.
I want to become a Disney animator AND open my own gym some day. But when I go off to art school, I wont be able to cheer. I have no idea how Im going to handle this. I might end up begging my mom to pay for me to cheer at a local gym while Im in college. I dont know. :/ Im so nervous about it....

lol awkward you sound just like me , (i wanted to work for disney but i really dont have the heart for animation im in graphic design/advertising at an art university hah) but honestly, art school is a TON of work the projects really pile on, i have had one full good copy project due every single week, on top of that essays, and lectures to attened, it is really not just colour me a pretty picture you really need to plan out your work and your instructors if they are anything like mine expect you to act like your education is your job, so as much fun, and as amazing as cheerleading is, you simply may not have the time, so before you commit for a full season start the year out at school first and go from there