Prior to high school, I spent nine increasingly boring years playing softball. With little interest in continuing on the diamond, my fascination with cheerleading led me to trade in my bat and helmet for pom-poms and a bow. To try to make my high school team, I took cheer lessons daily. From the beginning, I struggled to learn the intricacies of cheerleading. I was overwhelmed with its difficulty. My frustrations mounted as I couldn’t master the skills necessary to excel in cheer. My life was quickly consumed by the sport as the daily grind began to take its toll. With no balance in my life between cheer and school, my grades continually dropped. My frustrations peaked and I considered quitting. But something within me kept me from it. I knew I’d regret giving up for the rest of my days, so I decided to give it one more chance with renewed effort. I attacked practice everyday with new energy and enthusiasm. This newfound work ethic gave way to marked improvement. What had previously been such a struggle became a breeze as the year flew by. But my dedication didn’t end in the gym as I brought it into the classroom. I committed myself to being the best I could be in school and soon that dedication began paying off similarly. My grades’ rise …show more content…
This realization particularly struck me though when I met Suzie, a disabled classmate at school. A victim of down syndrome, Suzie told me she wished to be a cheerleader like me but didn’t feel that she would be able to due to her condition. This opened my eyes to the negative light in which so many disabled students view themselves. Their disabilities define who they are to so many students. Ten years from now, students like Suzie will be able to participate on the cheer team in some form due to the work of my