I could’ve handled the actual performance part, I just don’t think anyone would’ve remembered me when it came time to vote. I very much kept to myself and my little group of friends and that was that. I was not a social butterfly and did not have the big stereotypical cheer personality of some of my peers. I cheered all four years in HS, but by my senior year I still got a lot of, “Wait YOURE a cheerleader?” People just didn’t see me fitting the mold.
Interestingly, I think the “non-cheerleader” cheerleader is becoming more of a thing now. I feel like I get more girls each year who excel at cheer but don’t fit the stereotype, and are proud of it: girls in combat boots, girls with tattoos, girls who are hippie chic. Much more variety, and more of the personality type that wants to be the center or attention for a few minutes, but that’s it. I swear, if I’d been born ten years later my whole vibe would’ve been exalted, not ignored.
