I've been a cheerleader my whole life. I had large pairs of green and gold pom pons when I was a small child. I would have preferred to sit on the side and cheer for my friends in little league. It seems I was never skilled at sports involving a ball. My professional cheerleading career started in 8th grade and I had a blast with my friends. And probably the closest I ever came to feeling like I won a state championship was the day my friends met me at the bus stop to let me know that we all made the varsity squad, as sophomores.
We were awesome cheerleaders and took our jobs very seriously. Every member of the football team had a poster on his locker before each game. We petitioned against the principal and school board when funding was cut so that we could no longer travel to away games. Thanks to our efforts and parents, that problem was solved. We sold tons of candy bars to earn money for new uniforms. I actually purchased more than I sold to others but still, the uniforms were fully funded. We really considered ourselves part of the team. But we were on sidelines for every game.
That spirit hasn't died. I am an avid Packers, Brewers, Bucks, and Ripon Tigers fan. My favorite summer weekends are the ones spent at Murray park, watching all the local kids suit up in orange and black. Honestly, I sometimes get stressed. I realize they're just kids but there's nothing like a double play to fire things up and I just can't take it when the umpire makes a bad call. My cheerleading days are far from over.
I'm sure most of you can relate. It's not all about sports either. We cheer when our kids do well in school or when someone gets married. We sing and dance in cheer when we go to concerts or special events. We root for the underdog, applaud the improbable victory and pull for a big finish. For goodness sake, I have stood in the crowd at a fishing tournament, waiting to cheer for my brother as he weighed in the biggest walleye. That is a superfan, I'm telling you.
But guess what? I'm not satisfied with just being on the side lines anymore. I want to know what it feels like to hit a home run, kick the winning field goal, or break away for a slam dunk. The old cliche, Life is Not a Spectator Sport, is really beginning to sink in. The competition may be a little different. (Remember, no sports that involve a ball.) It's now a battle for a faster time, longer distance, or a new challenge.
When I finished my first 5K, my father in law was standing near the finish line, hand outstretched. I slapped him a high five, for the first time in my life as the competitor and not the cheerleader. It felt awesome. The only way it would have been better is if he had orange and black pom pons to shake high in the air. If you know my father in law, you also know how funny it would have been to see him with said pom pons.
I'm not ready to give up my pom pons completely. I'm still going to use them to cheer for my son with so many fun years ahead of us. The Packers have given me reason to wish I still had those huge green and gold ones from my childhood. But I'm not going to hold onto my poms so tightly any more. I'm going to lend them out once in a while and let someone else do the cheering for a change. Now I've just got to get out there and give them something to cheer about.
It's a new week. Do something worthy of a special cheer.
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