Coming of Age Essay Rough Draft

The person that graduated from the middle school in the summer of 2011 and the person sitting here writing this essay today might as well be two completely different people. The first was a shy, introverted girl. She didn’t yet know what she wanted her future to consist of, and to say she didn’t open up to people was an understatement. Her changes into a girl who was still small in height but huge in spirit could be a result of many different life experiences and challenges she faced in that 1 ½ years. However, the main one had to be that 2011 summer before freshman year. That’s the summer I joined the Moanalua High School cheerleading program. Despite the negative connotations associated with the sport itself and the people who play it, cheerleading was the thing that truly sparked my coming of age.

            Bland would be the one word I would use to describe my life before cheerleading had made its impact. I tried a lot of things, from ballet to soccer, but none had yet captured my absolute interest. Believe it or not, my teachers would actually tell me that I needed to speak up more in class. I’m a huge dreamer now, but I don’t think I was even half that back in middle school and before. The future seemed like a vast unknown to me, something in which I had no plans for.

            I exited middle school still waiting for the shift.  Back then, I didn’t known what that shift was exactly or what would bring it about. I just knew that there was some kind of bigger plans in store for me, and I had to really go out and search for them.

            It was a spontaneous decision to join cheerleading, to be honest. I wasn’t looking for a shift. I think I was just set out to find a new hobby to distract me from my dull every day life. That first day of tryouts will be forever etched in my memory, reminding me of the changing point between my personality then and now.  The nerves had really taken over me, and I was practically shaking. But then they called my name and told me I had made the team. The state of shock I was in was indescribable. It wasn’t the same as accomplishing anything before. This was different. This had meant something to me.

            My first season of cheerleading had changed me a lot. For starters, I used to be practically one of the laziest people you would ever know. The amount of time I spent parked in front of computer screen or TV was higher than I would’ve liked. Cheerleading changed that. Cheerleading taught me to dream.  From day one as I watched varsity hit every motion precisely, throw girls up into the air and catch them solidly as they twirled down, and perform inverted jumps like it was simple, I learned goal setting. My ambition had sparked that summer, and that’s something that I carried with me every day after that. Not just in cheer, but in the real world as well. Now, I know exactly where I want to go in life and what steps I need to take in order to get there. The dreams in my head about my career as such are as big as my dreams when I step on the cheer mat.

            One of the lines in the competition cheer last year was simply “Do work, commit, we strive for the best. Through pain and stress we will conquer the rest.” This is something I really live by. Becoming a cheerleader is much more than just wearing the uniform and putting on a peppy smile at football games. It’s much more than the big bows and curly hair. It’s much more than it’s negative stereotypes. Becoming a cheerleading taught me commitment, determination, pride, and perseverance, all things that again is carried on with me through my normal everyday life. This especially comes into play with school. I don’t allow myself to give up without a fight anymore. If I want something, I’ll put in all the work necessary to get it. It’s something I really pride myself with having, because of the things I’ve accomplished.

            I’m stronger now, because of cheer. People stereotyped me from the very beginning. They tell me all cheerleaders are the same. They tell me I’m supposed to be dumb, supposed to be a flirt, supposed to be an airhead. But I’ve learned to not let criticism and other peoples’ negative words bring me down. People can disrespect me, but they won’t break me down. Before, I used to get my feelings hurt at the slightest of things, and that all changed after I started cheer.

            So, I’m sitting here, writing this essay, and reflecting about how something as simple as joining a sport could change my life completely. I’m blessed for the opportunity that was given to me when I made the team. That was the shift in my life that I had needed. It made me the person I am today, a girl who doesn’t give up, and chases her dreams. Forever changed, forever greatful.