Bring it on!

You know those little girl fantasies you never knew you had until suddenly you're given the opportunity? This was one that surprised even me!
I was on the star now website when I saw the following ad:

It was at that moment that I had flashbacks to watching all the bring it on movies and had a sudden desire to be a cheerleader, despite the fact that I had absolutely zero dance experience. To be completely honest though, I have sat in NRL games often and watched the cheerleaders and thought "that's not that hard, I could do that..." Well if this experience has taught me anything (and it's taught me a lot) it was that I was very wrong!

So I applied to the listing and started corresponding with the coach. By this point I was wanting to back out something chronic! I had a series of emails and messages back and forth with the coach where I basically tried to convince her in any way (without actually saying the words) to not take me on so that I could legitimately get out of what I was sure was going to be too hard, and perhaps too out of my comfort zone and not have to say I quit. I had every reason under the sun... I had never danced before, maybe she would prefer girls from the local area,  there were a few games I couldn't make due to prior commitments etc. Alas though the big guy upstairs was watching over me and had other ideas. There's a quote somewhere that says God won't give us more than we can handle, and though it is not scriptural or necessarily true,  clearly this was something I was going to have to stick with. So I went to SUPRÉ and bought the skirt and shirt I needed by the first training (much to my horror at the tightness of the short red skirt) and psyched myself up for my first training.

I left two hours and fifteen minutes to get to training, and it was lucky I did because I got incredibly lost at the University of Wollongong, which as a side note is really nice, and made it just in time for the practice.
When I arrived I met a few of the girls, and when the coach arrived she sat everyone down for a talk. It was the commitment talk... She ran through the expectations of the team, for training and for games and gave everyone the option to leave then if they didn't feel they could make the commitment.
I'll admit, at that moment I was so scared of what was to come... I didn't know if I'd make it through the first training session let alone the whole season, but I'd driven a long way to be there and decided as scared as I was, I wasn't going to leave.

The first training session was very difficult... I'd missed the first training session the week before, so not only was I a week behind in choreography, I was 20 years behind in dance ability compared to some of the girls on the team. It gave me some comfort knowing that I wasn't the only one who hadn't danced before, but by the end of the training, I was not confident that I'd ever be able to do it. Knowing how uncoordinated I am, but not wanting to look like a total and complete failure, I told the coach and captain that I just needed to practice and I'd be fine by the next training, but every part of me knew that was a lie. The only thing I liked about the training was that I knew the song... Taylor Swift's Trouble, minus all the goat inserts!

I drove home that night feeling worse about myself than I had remembered feeling in a long time. I don't like failing at anything, and for some reason went into this venture feeling like it was something that might be hard and a lot of effort but that I'd be able to do it. When I got home I debriefed with my bestie, telling her it was hard but i'd be fine. Then she asked me to show her what I learnt. I showed her the one little bit of floor work that I remembered and then it got too much. I showed her the video I had taken and she (a dancer of 22 years) said even she thought it was hard for a beginner. You can imagine my further distress then, as I started a rant about how I was terrible and a failure and all those things (it was late at night by that time) so as the awesome friend she is, she offered to learn the dance herself and teach it to me. So for the next week she went over bit by bit with me in the backyard, not letting me go to bed until I could do one section perfectly three times in a row without a mistake. At 11:30 on the night before the second training I was rolling around the ground in the backyard repeating the choreography over and over, as the dew was setting in, yelling at my housemate  that I wanted to go to bed. Knowing how disappointed I would be if I went to bed without nailing it she persisted and didn't give up until I eventually got it.

The next night I went to the training pretty confident that I knew the dance inside out. We started going through it and I instantly knew the choreography had changed in a few parts from the week before and had a quick one of those "I don't like change" freak outs before accepting that I had to adapt and learn it.
I left after that practice feeling slightly better. I got on well with all the girls so that was an added bonus as well, and talking to some of them made me realise I wasn't the only one who felt a little uncoordinated. It was now two days till game day.

Saturday morning I woke up and was ready to go, I had gotten my hair straightened the day before so I could avoid the 2 hour ordeal that is doing my hair, and had my uniform all nicely laid out on my bed. After practicing several more times in the backyard I jumped in the car and was on my way.
 
When I arrived the nerves set in... A soccer field had never seemed so big to me, and the grand stand, though not too grand seemed to tower over me. I found the girls and we started practicing over and over again. After sweating it out for a bit we got ready, and into our skirts which I felt a little like a squashed sausage in.

The anxious face mirrors exactly how I was feeling

It came to 5pm and we went out onto the field for our first performance for the under 20's game. The grandstand looked half empty and I was more than okay with that. As I walked out onto the field I suddenly realised that I didn't need to be worried... No matter how bad I was or how embarrassed, I was in Wollongong and nobody there knew me. The music started and off we went! Before I knew it we were throwing our Pom Poms to the ground and the song was over. I knew I had been slightly off for a few bits but I didn't care. I was so pumped to have done it and It had been so long since I was in a performance that I had forgotten how much I loved it. 

Between the games we had to sell raffle tickets to raise money for the club... Well not me... I was one of the ones who had to stay inside and keep going over the dance... :-S but a few of the girls did, and I was surprised to hear when they returned about all the negative comments people in the crowd had given them. People had made remarks about the length of their skirts, and made comments about their promiscuity, life choices and just gave them generally dirty looks.

I was so shocked by this. These people didn't know these girls, or anything about them and made horrible assumptions. Usually I'm the ultra sensitive kind of person who would take offence to people judging me or making rude comments, but in this case I just laughed. I felt like going up to them and actually telling them about my life and why I had chosen to join this team and then seeing what they had to say.

We performed the second time at the 7pm A Grade main game to a crowd double the size, and I think this time I managed to get every move. At the end of the dance and after we had done the guard of honour, I was surprised when the captain/choreographer commented on how well I did and how well I had listened and fixed what I did wrong compared to the first time. This was the exact confidence booster I needed.

Watch the masterpiece below... You'll find me second from the left (in the middle row) once the group breaks out of the line just before the first chorus. 

So every Thursday night, and every second or third Saturday since, I have driven to Wollongong to be a cheerleader. The drives themselves (though scary when wet) have been a great chance for me to "practice" my singing, (something else I want to improve at) and give me a "quiet" down time where I can think and ponder life.

Since the first dance I have performed routines to Oye Baby by Pitbull and Set it Off by Timomatic.
The most recent was this one which I managed to get filmed. We only had one training session for this one which I missed because I was held up in Sydney, so I learnt it all in a day. Because of that I made 2 really noticeable mistakes (missed a kick, came in late) but otherwise it has been my favourite so far AND we got a standing ovation! :-) (though we think that could have been because one of the girls skirt got caught up partway through the dance.)

I was quietly impressed with myself this day at how far I had come, from the girl who was stressing in the backyard about the first dance to a girl who could pick up and perform a dance (almost right) in a day.

Watch Below or Via YouTube.
Pom Poms - Jonas brothers

I'm the one back right.

Here are the last two dances of the season:

Oye Baby - Pitbull

Va Va Voom - Nicki Minaj

The things that have occurred to me and I have learnt through this endeavor are varied, and this task has challenged me in more ways than any of my ten week project ventures to date. Even though I risk sounding fluffy or insincere... Here are my top 5 realisations:

1. Cheer leading doesn't have to be like Bring It On.
While some weeks we did some cool lifts and spins, and some cartwheels and handstands, there was no rival squad, no fight over a sacred baton or no girls trying to rip each others face off. We are a group of girls ranging from seventeen to thirty who all just want to learn and perform and have fun!

2. It is never ever too late to learn a new skill.
While I won't be touring with the Sydney Ballet, or dancing on Broadway anytime soon, I have been able to learn and I think get better at a skill I have never had and always wanted to be able to do.

3. I can be my own worst enemy when it comes to self talk and motivation.
I spent the whole first few weeks hating on myself for not being able to do something I had never done before. When I got over myself and went with it, I got there.

4. Always go with your gut.
When I saw the ad something inside me sparked and I wanted to join. The location and the time commitment had to be figured out later, and even though I tried to talk myself, and the coach out of it after applying, my gut instinct had brought me there so I stayed there and learnt so much along the way.

5. I love performing.
I may not have been very good, and the audience may not have been thousands, but the buzz of being on a "stage" was something I hadn't done (Except for acting in the Easter passion play) since I played a munchkin and flying monkey in my high school production of the Wiz.
It's something I am keen to keep pursuing, and although the Wollongong thing could get complicated and I may not continue next season, I do want to take drama classes, and maybe even join a musical or theatre society.
 

 
 

Cheerleading - 10/10