All-Star Super Senior Vs. Moving Home

[alexandra_ashleigh]

Two seasons ago, my family and I moved from Pittsburgh, PA to Detroit,MI. I have always been extremely into cheerleading and it has been my life for the past 9 years. But, I also have grown to miss my hometown in Pennsylvania very very much, and have become very emotional over leaving when I visit. The problem I'm facing is whether or not to super senior next year. Id love to stay and cheer one more year and complete pre-rec's at a community college, but I can't decide if I'm ready to move on. I know this is awhile away, but I really feel I need to think about it now.. thoughts?

 

[PullandPray23]

see where you get into college then decide dont put off your future just to cheer maybe you can do it in college!

 

[mommy2mygirls]

How is that even a question -- YOU CAN'T LEAVE!! lolol

But honestly, are the people you want to go be with going to be around in PA or will they be going off to school as well?

Only you know the right answers - <3

 

[cheerforeverever]

It is a big change to go off to college and stop all star cheerleading. It's also rather scary because you're venturing off into the unknown and into a new part of your life. That being said though, you need to think of your education first and cheerleading as secondary (I know its hard to do when cheer is your life but trust me). The pace of community college is very different than a full fledged 4 year university honestly (I've had to take several summer courses at various ones), and not every credit always transfers depending on what college you end up at later. That's why my view is it's better to go to a 4-year university first if you have the opportunity (you can always strategize to take difficult basics at the JC over the summer or online that you KNOW will transfer since you can get a counselor to sign off on it at your college). JCs can be great for those that need to save money, but unless you are set on being completely motivated to finish, many times people don't make it past the point of "wanting to transfer to a big college" (there are plenty of people that can be successful and graduate as well, but I'm just saying that a chunk of people in your classes will not on the whole at community college). You also get the true freshmen college experience at a 4 year university from living away from home, which instantly teaches you so much and many people that go to JCs at first will miss out on that.

Overall, if you have to opportunity to go to a 4 year university right away, take it imo. You can and probably will (since you're on fierceboard) always find your way back to cheer, if not in strange and unexpected ways......

Example: After NCA during my senior year of high school, I thought I was done forever with cheer. The college I chose to go to didn't even have a sideline cheer team at the time let alone competitive cheer, and the only allstar gym within a 2 hour radius was VERY small (think youth and junior teams). I chose not to get involved that first college year in anything else on campus (which was dumb), so I did start to miss cheer badly. That changed as soon as I got involved in an organization on campus during sophomore year however, because it gave me that "team" feeling, and forced me to grow as a person and leader because I had to branch out of my comfort zone of cheer. I ended up finding ways to stay involved in cheer as well eventually, with cheer camp staff and assisting at a local high school . My university did eventually get a competition specific team my junior year which I then joined, but found that I loved coaching even more than competing actually! It worked out for the best and I don't regret any of it, because I wouldn't be the person I am today without those experiences. I never would have joined staff otherwise or got into coaching really, plus I have a 4 year degree from a wonderful university now!

Sorry for the novel. That's my opinion. I'll wish you luck with whichever decision you make!

 

[canttouchthis]

education over everything

 

[coachbd]

I'm going to have to agree with everyone and say pick what is best for you as a whole, as opposed to what is best from a cheer perspective. An example from my very recent personal experience is when I was trying to pick a University in Europe to do an exchange at, and at first I was basically solely looking at finding a place that had the best cheer team so I could go to Worlds with them (that's a big deal for Australians and we don't have many opportunities/teams where I live that attend, so it was more feasible for me to do this in Europe than at home). I wanted to go to Norway for Viqueens, who I think are amaaazing, and I was actually offered a position on the team but in the end I decided against it because when weighing up my options I realised that the sole reason I was going to Norway was because of cheer. Whereas my other option, Germany, really was a better decision for me overall. My boyfriend is German, his family live there (so I have people I know nearby in case anything goes wrong or I feel homesick), I am learning German which I can use in my job so getting my German fluent by living there will be a huge advantage for me not just for my personal life but also in my professional life in the future for secondment opportunities within my firm etc etc.

So in the end I made the decision to pick what was best for me as a whole, and now it turns out the small town that I am living in in Germany actually has a good cheer team (found thanks to my wonderful German fierceboard friends! ) that have offered me a position on their team when I arrive next month. I won't be going to Worlds since I need to be back in February for the awesome new job I was super lucky to score (which I need to prioritise above Worlds), but it should be a good experience nonetheless. So sometimes things happen in a round-a-bout way, but I think they work out for the best in the end Go with your gut feeling!

 

[Angelica]

Do whats best for you. I remember being right in your position last year and feeling the same way, but if you want to cheer, then do it. I took 36 hours my first year of college, drove to dallas 2 times a weekend and worked 4/5 days a week...and still passed all my classes with a A. It is possible, but its not easy and school always comes first. You only live once & if your body can handle it one more year, then go for it!

 

[BuegeSmalls]

Could you Super Senior at a gym in PA?

 

[Aussiekat]

Y'know, I hear "education first, school over everything, the most important etc. etc." thing all the time. Yes, education is important, but it's absolutely pointless if your heart isn't in it and you spend you whole time wishing you were elsewhere; it's just an expensive exercise in procrastination. I went to college straight out of high school and failed spectacularly. I went back a few years later, graduated in the top 2% of the entire university and kicked proverbial academic booty. So if you want to take an extra year to chill out, get a job, super senior and have some fun, DO IT! You'll wake up one day and realise that you aren't where you thought you would be when you are the age you are, but that life is beautiful anyway. The experiences you have and the friends you make enrich your life as much as an education. Have fun, be a leader, take charge of your life and dedicate yourself 100% to whatever you choose. No regrets, only lessons.

 

[xomckenzieee]

Go off to college. My friends who didn't regret it so much. How many chances in your life to you get to go off and experience an opportunity like that? I actually go to college in Pittsburgh and I live in Rochester, NY and do I get homesick... yes. Do I miss cheer? All the time. But at the end of the day going away and being on my own and meeting all new amazing people is something I'm most proud of.

 

[SpicyNacho]

If I could go back, I would super senior. Just sayin'

 

[HotcheerJazmine]

Super senior in PA =)