As I thought about my next blog post I had a million thoughts running through my head. I was wondering how I would compel anyone to read about cheerleading; why would the rest of you listen to me about a topic you may or may not be familiar with, or even care about. Well this blog is going to tell you why I am a credible source for this topic…so here we go.

I have been cheering for 13 years (since I was 8 years old), or to break it down further: 104 months, 416 weeks, roughly 2,080 days, and about 6,240 hours…. and counting. On top of that, I am a certified youth cheerleading coach for elementary and middle school children. I love cheerleading. Despite what anyone else may say, it is my biggest passion, my biggest stress reliever, my main source of friendships, and a form of fulfilling happiness in my life. It’s safe to say that I have picked up a thing or two throughout the years. I have had the time to learn and perfect my skills, have had the opportunity to teach others about the sport that I love, and have been actively engaged and integrated in the environment long enough to stay on top of trends, acquire new skills, and continually expand my collection of knowledge. I am constantly reading, researching, and enjoying cheerleading. So although I may be a 22 year old cheerleader for a private Jesuit institution, my past and continual experience has given me the knowledge and qualification for this blog.

If anyone is interested in seeing a video of my Canisius College Cheerleading team competing last spring, you can view it here: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/video/video.php?v=10150157062068861&subj=644510855

I am already preparing myself for some touch criticism on the topic of my blog – but I’m ready for it! I believe that there is a stereotype of cheerleaders; that they are stupid, ditzy, arrogant, self-centered, and bubbly to a point of complete annoyance. And as a girl who has been cheerleading since I was 8 years old, I can tell you whole heartedly that some of those girls do in fact exist! But the vast majority of cheerleaders are the complete opposite.

Cheerleading has been my biggest passion since I was a little girl and there is so much to it that goes unnoticed. I have learned from it and grown from it more than I could have ever anticipated. This blog will be an insight to how cheerleading has shaped me to be who I am today.

I hope that you will read my blog with an open mind, enjoy it, and offer a lot of suggestions because I am always open to criticism and to new ideas.

Katie