Whilst Australia's cheerleading community is anything but small (nationals pulled in 12,000 competitors and a crowd of 18,000 spectators), it isn't very well known across the wider population. These numbers are even smaller when you get down to where I live in the western suburbs of Melbourne. There are multiple reasons for this, including stereotypes perpetuated by movies and popular culture, as well as the general lack of awareness of this sport even existing. However, I am aware that another reason for a lot of girls (and boys) not being able to participate in cheerleading growing up was because not everyone could afford it.
See, cheerleading is an expensive sport. Annually, cheerleading costs me up to 3k a year. Term fees, uniform costs, competition fees, flights and accommodation for any interstate competitions, choreography, and music; it all costs a pretty penny. And if you're going to the national or world championships? Well, that's a whole other ball game that I don't need to get into. On top of all of this, my gym is on the other side of the city from where I live, and I train 3 times a week, though this sometimes increases depending on the time of year. Petrol isn't free, so you do the math.
My point is, cheerleading isn't cheap. And once I got old enough, it was (obviously) my responsibility to pay for my participation in this hobby, which as a full-time student, wasn't easy. I work a lot of nights and weekends, and I had to sacrifice a lot more than people realize to do this sport. But we all do. Being a high-level competitive cheerleader, or high-level athlete of any sport comes with sacrifices.
Being a Flyer
See, the coaches don't have time to take things through with you step by step. You get told two things: what to do, and then to do it. A lot of the time, they won't tell you exactly what you should expect to feel, how you'll be caught, how you should land, or give you any time to wrap your head around it. There are little safety precautions or measures in this sport other than the arms of a few girls standing at the bottom, and there is very little time for slow progression and steps. You can cry or panic, but in the end, you still have to do it.
My other problem is that I'm scared of heights. And though I feel ridiculous admitting that (it is my job on the team after all), it's something that I frequently struggle with. Sometimes I tear up out of sheer panic of a hard skill, or I'll break a sweat because I just don't understand what I'm being asked to do. I am terrified of heights, and I'm terrified of making mistakes; a terrible formula for a high-level flyer.
So why do I do it?
As selfish and completely inaccurate as this claim may be, most of the time when a team is on the competition floor, spectators aren't looking at the bases. Unless somebody in particular catches your eye, or an athlete draws attention to themselves, chances are, the crowd just isn't staring at them. They're looking at me. Not me specifically, but the flyer. One of the best feelings that I will ever experience is hitting a stunt at the world championships, and hearing a crowd of over 15,000 people cheering. And for a split second while I'm still in the air, my eyes adjust to the lights and I stare at the people in the crowd. And as arrogant as it may come across, even though there are 20 other people on the floor, it feels as though they're cheering for me. The feeling is addictive, and it's indescribable. It's why so many cheerleaders are never ready to retire.
However, this also comes at a cost. When a crowd of 15,000 people are watching you succeed, you're probably the first person they see when something goes wrong. They won't (usually) notice a base messing up the grips or taking a step in the wrong direction. But what they do notice is my head bounce across the floor, or all of the split-second mistakes that I frequently make at multiple points in a routine. They watch me succeed, but they also watch me fail. The whole stunt will be scrutinised and gawked at, but it's my face they'll remember.
Being Part of Team
Team sports are common. Basketball, soccer, netball, all the rest. But cheerleading takes it to another level. There is no such thing as personal space. We need to get super close and personal. A good base is standing chest to chest with their counterpart, breathing each other's air. As a flyer, I have had bases unintentionally shove their fingers up every crevice of my body. A good team of any sport aims to build a level of chemistry and trust within their athletes. However, unlike other team sports, I'm not just trusting them to do their job because I want to win. I'm trusting them to do their job because as I'm being thrown up 10ft in the air, my safety is on the line. I need to trust them.
And I do, I trust those girls with my life.
Looking at it from an unbiased point of view, cheerleading is a weird sport. For 2½ minutes, you are holding and tossing humans up in the air, flipping and twisting across the floor, and contorting your body in ways that it probably shouldn't. You're chucking the most ridiculous and theoretically dangerous stunts and tumble passes, and each year is all about how we can make it harder. And no matter how much you're dying inside, you're smiling at the crowd and trying to make it look fun and easy. You train all year to put a routine on the floor that is over in less than 5 minutes, just for the chance to win a piece of painted metal. No cash prizes, just a medal hanging around your neck. You'll tear a few ligaments, maybe an ACL. Maybe you'll crack a rib or break a nose. You'll get bruised, cut, scratched, concussed, and frequently beaten by a foot to the face. All of this and nobody in the wider Australian population will have any idea of who you are or what you do.
So yeah, It's a weird sport. But god, I love it.
Here are a few lessons I've learnt over time,
1. It is okay to grieve the loss of what you thought was to be
2. Accept what you can and can't control
This one is super important, because even when things happen that are out of my control, I take the weight of it on my shoulders and behave as though it reflects on me. But truthfully, there are forces outside of myself that influence and shape outcomes. I can't waste time dwelling on things that I have no control over. All I can do is focus on my own behaviours and actions.
3. Assess other options, and get planning
The beautiful thing about life is that you have options. There is always an alternative way of achieving something, and there is always a pathway to get there. Whilst it would have been great for things to work out the first time, it doesn't mean that it's necessarily your best or only option. There is always more than one solution to a problem, so when shit hits the fan, assess other options and get planning.
Like I said earlier, very rarely do things actually go to plan. You fail, your anxiety gets the better of you, you make mistakes, or perhaps there's a worldwide pandemic. Whatever the reason is, learn to cope with it and build from it. It's not to be ignored, it's there to remind you that you are alive, you are only human, and this is life. If things go wrong, try try try again.
4/14/2020
Battle of the Barbie: I spent 9 hours watching and ranking Barbie films so you don't have to
This post is probably going to be one of those things that I should have left in my folder with all the other documents that will never see the light of day. Or who knows, maybe this is just the beginning and I'll review more movie franchises in the future. Either way, I hope it was worth ruining the value of my blog over.
Another year has passed and as of today, I am another year older. Yes, I have finally hit the ripe old age of 21, which means that it's time to start thinking about retirement funds, menopause, and getting those damn kids off my lawn.
What is a bucket list, you may ask? Well, you've come to the right person.
A bucket list is a list of experiences or achievements that you would like to accomplish before you die, or in other words, kick the bucket.
I have had a bucket list since I was 13 (!) and I have slowly been adding to and editing the same document ever since.
So here it is below, in all its glory: my list of 178 things that I would like to do before I die, (mostly) set in the order in which I wrote it. Of course, some have been removed and/or replaced along the way since I no longer hold the same desires as my 13-year-old self....like attend an underage festival.
I am proud to say that there are a number of goals and experiences that I have crossed off, but it excites me to know that I have many more to go. I plan to update my list as I move forward in life so that no matter what I do, this will always be an up-to-date version for you all to see.
- Set foot on all of the 7 continents (4 down, 3 to go)
Go to the Australian Open(2024)- Attend the opening ceremony of the Olympics
- See the Seven Wonders of the World
Get my first jobGo to Disneyland(2017)Travel to every state/territory in Australia(2022)- Travel to every state in America
Catch a fish(2018, does catching a mudfish with my bare hands count?)- Run and complete a marathon
- Feed the poor
Swim with sharks(2019, cage diving with Great Whites)Visit Niagara Falls- Go scuba diving
- Get my fortune told
- Ski the Swiss Alps
- Keep a diary for one whole year
Go snorkelling in the Great Barrier ReefWin a national tournament(2014 and 2019)Make a wish at the Trevi FountainDye my hair blonde- Ride in a helicopter
- Go to a Melbourne Storm game
- Go to the World Cup
- Do the 40-hour famine
- Celebrate St Patrick's Day in Ireland
- Gamble in Vegas
- Learn to surf
Do my debGet into uni(2017, but deferred until 2018)- Crash a wedding
- Read the entire bible
- Get married
- Go to Dubai’s tallest building
Shop in NYC- Watch an event live at the Winter Olympics
Learn to snowboard(2022)- See an AFL grand final live
- See Carlton win a grand final
- Go to every train stop in Vic (not v-line)
Go to Universal Studios(2017 + 2019)- Visit the Greek Islands
- Float in the Dead Sea
- Go on a cruise
- Sail around the Mediterranean/Adriatic islands
- Walk on the great wall of china
- Go to the Amazon rainforest
- Go to the Mardi Gras
- See the pyramids
Climb the Eiffel tower- Ride a horse on the beach
Float down Venice- Go on a blind date
See the Hollywood sign- Live in a different country for 6 months
- Knit something worthwhile
- Have a white Christmas
- Visit Marrakech, Morocco
- Get in a fistfight
- Fly in a hot air balloon in Cappadocia
- Be a vegan for a week
- Learn a different language
- Fly first class
Fall in loveGraduate high school- Have a child
Have a New Years kiss(2017)- See a Canadian or American ice hockey game live
- Stay up for 48 hours
- Travel around Australia in a car
Get my driver's licenseBe a bridesmaid(2021, I was my sister's Maid of Honour)- Go to a Broadway show in NY
- Line dance in America
- Experience an African safari in Serengeti
- Make a million dollars
- Bet on a horse and win
- Ride the world's biggest roller coaster
- Go backstage at a concert
Get drunk(2015, clogged my friend's bathtub)- Get my dream full-time job
- Donate $1000 to a random charity
- Sponsor a child
Sleep under the stars(2018, fell asleep on top of a junk boat in Vietnam)- See Mount Rushmore
Receive flowers on Valentine's dayResign from a job(2021)Beat my sister's ATAR score(2016, officially the smarter sister)- Celebrate Halloween in America
Learn to ski- Go to Oktoberfest in Germany
See the Mona Lisa- Drive a Ferrari
- Go to Times Square for nye
Turn 18Turn 21Swim with dolphins- Ride a camel in the Sahara
- Solve a Rubik's cube without cheating
- Visit all the countries in the world
- Get in the Guinness book of records
- Spend a week in silence
- Donate blood
- Visit Alaska
- Experience weightless-ness
- Write a novel
- Watch an NBA game live
Go to Harry Potter WorldHave sexBe on TV(2016, appeared in a commercial and on a TV show)Get a selfie with a Quokka- Celebrate Thanksgiving in the US
Get a tattoo(2018, got PASTA tattooed inside my lip)- Get on the NY bestsellers list
- See the northern lights
- Shop in all 4 fashion capitals of the world
- Be in 2 places at once
Name a star(2018, bought and named a star after my mum as a present)Go snorkelling in a shipwreck(2024)- Ride a mechanical bull
- See Eurovision live
- Write a song
- Study abroad
- Move out of home
- Attend the Coachella Music and Arts Festival
- Drive across the Seven Mile Bridge
- Be part of a flash mob
- Be interviewed by a talk-show host
Ride the subway in New York- Buy a property
- Seek a great perhaps
Witness a shooting star(2017)- Get hypnotized
- Learn to ride a unicycle
- Crowd surf
Do something for someone that they cannot repay you for(2023, my first client as a provisional psychologist and one of the coolest achievements that I have ever ticked off my list)Make a YouTube channel(...I don't wanna talk about it)Go on a road trip- Go salsa dancing in Mexico
- Be in a movie
Go to Cheerleading Worlds(2017 & 2019)- Soak up in the Blue Lagoon, Iceland
- Take a photo on platform 93/4
- Hike the Grand Canyon
Go on a Contiki tourSee Eminem live(2019, so good)Complete a fun run(2022)- Go husky sledding in the Arctic Circle
- Climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge
- Come in the top 3 at the Cheerleading World Championships (lol rip)
- Go to college in America
- Go Paragliding
- Learn how to windsurf
- Volunteer in a third-world country
- Party in Ibiza
- Go to a red carpet event
Go indoor skydiving(2022, birthday present from the family)- Complete the Rickshaw Run
- Go paintballing
- Build/buy my dream house
- Complete the tough mudder
- Go either... skydiving or bungee jumping
- Get baked
- Travel to Budapest
- Watch the sunrise over Monument Valley
- Experience the Christmas markets in Europe
- Swim in a glass cage with a crocodile
- Enjoy Christmas in New York
- Hike one of NZ's Great Walks
- Hike to Everest Base Camp
- Swim in every official ocean and sea
- Learn piano
- Be an extra in a Bollywood film
- Buy Mum and Dad a holiday
- Attend a luau in Hawaii
- Visit a castle
- Become an expert in my field
- Eat at a Michelin-star restaurant
- Participate in the Rottnest Running Festival