Question By Future Cheerleader?
My friends last year and all throughout this year have wanted me to try out for cheerleading. They say that they can picture me as a cheerleader, and then my mom was trying to get me into cheerleading this summer. But I play softball. I know NOTHING about cheerleading! They have been trying to get me to try out since last year. I think cheerleading is not a real sport and I don’t want to do it. But I don’t want my friends to be mad at me either. HELP! What do I do?
Dear Future Cheerleader? ,
Good for you for knowing what you want and what you don’t want to do. So many kids are pressured by their peers into things they don’t want to do because they don’t have the courage to say "no" to their friends. So my answer to you is simple… you have to do what you want to do.
Skyward Skills
It’s probably very flattering that everyone wants you to be a cheerleader. Cheerleading is a sport and there are many skills involved. You need to be creative, acrobatic and positive. There are competitions involved, and cheerleading skills can lead into many other sports such as dancing and gymnastics. I’m not trying to sell cheerleading to you, but whether or not you think cheerleading is a “real” sport, you should recognize that there are benefits to it.
Team Turnout
So support your friends. Let them know that you are very happy that they like cheerleading and that they want to share it with you. Make sure not to ridicule it and tell them that it is not a real sport. Your friends obviously love cheerleading, so you need to show them respect and encouragement to pursue their own interests in it. Keep things positive!
Great Grounder
Now that you’ve supported your friends, you can expect them to support your decision. Invite your friends to come watch you play softball. Let them know that you care about what they think. If they come see you play, maybe they will realize first hand how happy you are playing softball. There’s nothing more important than friends supporting each other, no matter if their ideas clash.
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