Shocking, but yes, If she asked I would allow her to participate in AS cheer again. She has told me AS cheer taught her lessons she never would have learned in a rec sport or school.
Why would she choose to do it again? She has become friends with kids from all over the country whom she never would have met otherwise, learned the good and bad of teamwork, how to spot and avoid the self-promoter and the importance of staying far away from drama. She learned to depend on others and show them they can depend on her, that teammates will have your back whether they like each other or not, time management, how to respect the leaders decisions, commit to something and see it through to the end, to push herself physically and mentally when exhausted, make her own choices and deal with the repercussions and most importantly, when it's time to let something go and move on.
Why would I allow her to do it again with all the negatives people point out with cheer?
Because I've noticed while she complains about bad ankles, knees, wrists and back it has made her more aware and compassionate to the worker who stands on their feet all day or the football official who runs an entire game with kids half their age. Seriously, how many 16 year-olds know how it feels to have a seventy year-old body?
I've heard her tell friends who comment on her missing birthday parties and summer camps she feels blessed it was by her choice to miss for an activity she enjoyed and with friends she wanted to be with and not because she wasn't invited or couldn't afford to go.
I've watched her learn to budget money to pay for her private lessons and prioritize spending money on what she really wanted. Guess what? They don't teach that in school.
I've told her often how proud we are of her for the maturity she has shown being young on a high pressure team at a high profile gym and not letting that blow her ego out of the stratosphere.
She has learned how to manage 13+ hours a week in the gym plus 2 school dance teams, school sports, church and a rigorous course load at school. She laughs when kids say they 'don't have time for homework'.
Only dedicated athletes would understand, but she has learned life-lessons it takes most people decades to learn and we owe it to her years in cheer.