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Nadia Keating

Mr. Wines

Comp 1

11 September 2020

State 2020

Being part of a team where you work hard hours after hours, are with each other throughout the day then

into the evening and achieve things together as a team is a feeling like no other. As a sophomore I tried

out for my second season on the cheerleading team. I was also trying out for the competition team which

was a intense but also enjoyable experience. I was on the previous competition team the year before and

we made it to state for the third year in a row.

At the time we found out who was on the competition team we were determined to make it to

state for the fourth year in a row. The season departed, practices started getting longer and competitions

started happening. We practiced two days a week with three hour practices. Our first competition was at

Lake High School which is an annual competition we attended to every season. Our next ones were at

Green High School, Jackson, EBC league competition at Carrollton and then regionals. Regionals is a

competition where you have to go to be selected to be able to go onto the next level which was State.

Regionals in cheerleading are not like the other competitions, this one you didn’t get scored, which means

you didn’t get numbers based on how you performed. It was all visual. They watched your routine and if

they thought you performed very well, you were one of the many selected to go to State. We performed

our routine and when awards came around we sat restlessly waiting for our name to be called. Names of

different schools were being called left and right.

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We then heard “Canton South” and we were wired up. This is the moment we waited for the

entire season. We were officially four time state qualifiers. Now it was time to work even harder and push

till the very end.

Practices were drawn-out and began to be more intense. We began doing beach body workouts to

get the stamina we needed to have to be able to pull off our routine at our finest potential. I personally

was struggling during these practices because I never have been through that. My my legs were in loads

of pain every single day. The amount of time we were in the gym expanded and the hard work we were

putting in became more important. Practices seemed to be getting rougher, reduced and time began to be

going so fast. The week of the State competition was I would say the MOST powerful and draining week

of the entire season. We were working harder than we have ever done so before.

The last practice ended and she explained the details, time, venue, and location of the hotel we

were staying at. While she was talking I was thinking about how it was the most important competition of

our season. My mom, brother and I left the morning before the competition. On the way to Columbus

which is where the competition was being held we stopped at a burger joint for lunch. After we finished

eating we headed towards the hotel which was where my team was supposed to meet to get our list for our

rooms. Everyone showed up around three thirty, four o-clock and we were sent to our rooms. While being

at the hotel we hung around and just did all around team bondings activities. My team was all fairly close

to each other and being with them was something I will cherish forever. Time proceeded throughout the

night and the time came to when lights had to be out. Which was 10:30. Our coaches came around and

gave each room a little pep talk about how the morning would play out and what they expected from us. It

seemed like the talk was 10 seconds because I couldn’t stop thinking about what MY job was as a person

on this team was for the next day knowing it was a big deal to myself and the rest of the team.

7:30 came around the next morning and all the alarms of each girls phone were screeching. We all

hoped out of bed and started getting ready. Doing each other’s hair, putting each other makeup on, and
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trying to get a goods morning breakfast in. At 8:40 we all had to meet down in the lobby. That time came

and it was actually the time to head to the arena. All the parents gathered their belongs, we scrambled to

make sure we had all of our materials for our performance and zoomed out the door. It was a 20 minute

drive to the arena and it felt like an hour. All my nerves started kicking in. My stomach started getting

quimmy and I started getting the shakes. We pulled up and I jumped out. I made my way into the area

with where we had to put our bags/ materials. My team and I sat around for a good 30 minutes before we

had to head on the warm up mats. The time sure didn’t take long. Before I knew it they were calling

“Canton South” on mat 1. Which was the mat just for tumbling warm up. 10 minutes didn’t seem like a

long time and that’s all we got on each mat. 10 minutes here and there and we were walking into the pit to

go onto the floor. My team and coaches knew THIS was it. The moment we have worked for since August

of 2019. I could feel so much adrenaline go through my body as the coaches we raising their voices and

telling us exactly what we needed to hear. A motivational speech. Those always seemed to help my team

get through what we had to get done. Nothing felt more real than hearing and next up “Canton South.” We

all held hands and walked with so much Wildcat pride out on to that blue mat in Saint Johns Arena.

The music started and that was it. The routine we have been performing since October of 2019

was being shown to some of the best judges for cheerleading in the state of Ohio. Our first task was to get

down was the tumbling dance. There was about 8 girls on our team who could tumble so it was like rapid

fire most of the 30 second song. Next was our cheer chant that was a crowd chant to get our amazing

supporters a chance to cheer with us. Lastly wast the dance dance. The last thing we had to show the

judges what we were made of. This was the part most of us including myself enjoyed the most because it

was a time to stay tight but always breath and have fun and give some sass. The music ended and our

19-20 competition routine for the season was competed for the last time. Walking off the floor felt like

such a relieve knowing we just hit our routine for the most part for the first time the entire season and we

all left it all on the mat. Nothing felt better than giving a big hug to all the girls and explaining to them
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how proud of them I was for doing exactly what they had to do and working so hard for that moment. Our

coach brought up awards and that’s what we all got nervous about.

Awards came around and they started calling off names in our Divison which was the Division

four A. Usually it’s only called “ Division Four” but there were so many teams in our division they had to

split the division in two. We seemed to be in one of the hardest division considering we were with teams

who have placed top 5,4,3,2 and even first the year before. They started getting down to top 9, which is

what we were wishing for. They went through 8 and 7. We were getting excited to hear top 5. At that

moment for 6th they called “Canton South.” I don’t want to say that it was disappointing but it was kinda

upsetting because we felt we did better than 6th out of 9th. Everyone was still more than excited because

WE knew what we did and how we ended that season. We then headed towards the area where our bags

were, gathered our things and headed out. That was sadly the last time I got to compete with our 3

outstanding seniors on that competition team.

This past season taught me many things and have actually made me the athlete I am today. Being

on that team where we had many many rough patches throughout the season and bumped heads but still

managed to get the job done made me feel like no matter what came our way we would always be able to

overcome it and do what we had to do to get where we wanted to be. That team made me a better athlete

by teaching what it truly means to be a leader, and a great teammate to girls I’ve been competing with for

the past 5 months. Those group of girls are people I will never forever and will forever have a special

place in my heart.
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