Cheerleading = No pain, no gain

As I prepare to walk into Nottingham arena with my fellow cheerleaders, I stop and it goes fuzzy...it's the beginning of Bring It On where Torrence Shipman, Captain of the Toros (Kirsten Dunst) is in the middle of a routine; she squats down, jumps up, pom poms in the air and she's... NAKED.

Nightmare scenario no.1! In reality this is pretty unlikely to happen but being me, anything can happen.

As a proud member of the Lincoln Jets, I am competing at the ICC (International Cheerleading Coalition) British Cheer and Dance Championships in March and what's on my mind? The hundreds of people that'll be watching and my clumsiness. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to be part of such a talented team that has taught me so much but the doubt is always there.

Cheerleading has definitely made me think more about having to work really hard to achieve success. In this case working on stunts, dances and jumps which believe me, aren't a piece of cake. I have to admit I used to be quite cynical, as the term "Cheerleader" came with a lot of stereotypes mainly drawing towards sexual objectification, unintelligence and spitefulness. However I have found the complete opposite; at basketball games the players are appreciative, thankful and admire the hard work that goes into a routine. The team look to teach and advise, not to criticise and every member is kind, supportive and as intelligent as they come.

I find it extremely annoying when people assume that cheerleading is easy. I can tell you now that it is not! Throughout the past 6 months I have been endlessly kicked in the face, trodden on, head butted and so on as a base and also seen a friend of mine nearly break her neck and miss a competition from falling. My role as a base is to lift the flyer into a stunt with my partner; whether it is a lib, a pyramid, a 180, an extension hitch, a basket or a log roll I’ve assisted it with not so pretty bruises in return AND I don't even get to see how great it looks!

I can't believe I’m complaining, when really I can't wait to see what they have in store for us this week. As for the competition we'll see what happens; try our best and we could walk off with a second trophy this year :D.