by Allison Mackie
A day at cheerleading camp. You probably think it’s easy, right? Grueling practices, tossing a girl up into the air, beginning every day at 6:00am and not ending until after 11:00pm every night… not to mention perfecting every motion, every movement, and shouting at the top of your lungs all day long. Sounds like cake, right? Okay, so maybe it isn’t as ‘easy’ as you presumed. But, along with all the hard work and dedication that goes into this camp from each and every individual, a whole lot of fun comes out as well.
Reedley High School Pirate cheerleaders
The Pirate cheerleaders of Reedley High School enjoyed another successful year at UCLA, attending their annual cheerleading camp. It is highly anticipated and all of us RHS cheerleaders greatly look forward to it. Of the four I will go to, this year was my third.
Each year, we have tryouts and begin payments right at the beginning of the summer season to kick off cheer for the following school year. Of all the money we pay for cheerleading, the majority of it is attributed to camp wear, camp attendance, and transportation to and from Los Angeles. Not to mention the Disneyland trip we also fundraise for to reward ourselves for the grueling days we’ve toughed out through the week at camp.
Along with our fresh new uniforms, shoes, bows, pom poms and bags, attending camp at UCLA is ultimately the biggest reward for the money we put in. Under the instruction of certified UCA (United Cheer Association) Cheerleaders, we learn dances, perfect stunts and build up the core value of teamwork amongst ourselves. “Constant and never-ending improvement,” as our advisor Chris likes to say. We perform our home dance, which is one we’ve learned and perfected on our own, for all the other camp attendees who range in age, ethnicity and gender. We learn new cheers, chants and dances to bring home and use at our own football or basketball games. We do team-building activities and learn important leadership skills that help us each become a better cheerleader, teammate and student. We also eat like crazy, once exposed to the delicious UCLA cooking.
RHS Pirate cheerleaders practice at UCLA
All in all, a lot of hard work goes into every minute of cheerleading camp. We learn key techniques and develop in-depth relationships with our teammates, as well as develop new friendships with others. It’s a rewarding experience I encourage anyone to take part in. Attending the camp allows you to develop a whole new respect for cheerleading in general.
We left the camp with awards, smiles, pictures and a suitcase full of memories to take home. Here’s to an awesome year, Pirates; we’ve come so far and have so much more to experience! Gooooo Pirates!
0 Comments