When Everything Changed

I slowly looked roughly, detached from reality. The news hit me like a impressive black train. Silencecoated the room filled ofanxious to that degree unusually quiet cheerleaders like a heavy snow on the mountain peaks from where we came from. Every familiar face I couldfind grew rimy and stern. All go fors ofa internal title flew out of the window in advance the judges could evenmutterthe two wordsthat brought our world crashing down. penal stunts. Nine months of sweat and tears, 4years of commitment, all brought down in a matter of moments.Less than ten transactionsbefore my finalnational high school cheerleading competition and all thework my squad up and I put into our flawless process nolonger mattered. We had tenminutes torecreate a near-impossible routine and preform it for over 600 people. Howcould ourcoaches not receipt our routine was filled with illegal stunts? Moreimportantly why did we blend1,997 miles to be humiliated? I knew in that moment that the hard wor k, sweat, and tears that were supposed to yield off with a shiny gold metal and an adorable white silk national champ jacket, came down to one scene Can we pull this in concert? Before we could even wrap our heads around the situation that was being presented to us my team and I were being hurriedly rushed toward the overwhelming maze of two-story black curtains. I could hear the vast crowd roaring on the other side. Our parents, eagerly waiting, had no clew the panic that was now instilled within us. Scott, my teams choreographer, sashayed through the groups of cheerleaders toward us. Good luck, Ladies he muttered, sour about the sudden changes in your routineI I didnt think anything was illegal. At wits end, I huddled my team together.Taking turns, my co-captains and I shared some inspirational words and started singing our team song Lean on Me. Suddenly, we were united on stage in front of hundreds of people. Blinded by the spotlights in front of me, I glanced to my res ponsibility only to gossip my coach. She clung to the side of the raised stage, barely able to see over, her emotions written all over her face, frustrated and scared. At that moment I knew she was just as nervous as we were. The moment all the hours practicing, the stark naked muscles, the obsession over cheerleading for 9 months straight was about to pay off, BOOM.The euphony was on and muscle memory kicked in. One dance step afterward another just happened without any thought. As the dance portion of the routine was over and the cheer portion slowed to an end, I knew our final pyramid was glide path soon. Panic. No one was where she needed to be. It seemed as if we were ants being watched through a magnify glass, scurrying about with no real direction. Rushed and confused, we threw together what we could. We can do this I shouted to the girls. Finally some saneness as my bases threw me into the air, only to realize the other half of the team was struggling.I was forever an d a day taught to just keep going, so thats what I did. The medical specialty continue to build, and the newly changed portion was finally here. My bases, consisting of my fellow captains, pushed me into the air. I reached out for the invoice next to me. Only there was no flyer next to me, and without her, none of this would work. I glanced over after hearing gasps precipitate from the audience, only to see half my team on the ground, struggling and fighting to pull themselves up. The music ended. Silence. The last impression the judges and the crowd saw of us was cope pandemonium.First place was out of the question. With a routine like that, you will be lucky to make it any further. Our coaches starred at each of us as we walked shamefully backstage to watch our routine on the whacking TV monitor. One 8-count at a time we watched our dreams unfold and come crashing down, literally. Knowing that it wasnt completely our fault, we joined the crowd to watch the suspire of the co mpeting teams. In the proceeding moments we learned that without the falls at the end, our routine was completed filled with smiling faces, tight dance moves, and a high take aim of difficulty.Due to those minor mistakes, however, our trip to Orlando was over without reward. The following morning, disappointed and heartbroken, my teammates and I boarded our course back to the mountains. Looking back now, the memories created are irreplaceable whether good or bad. Sometimes all the hard work and effort doesnt pay off in the way we hope for. Left with disappointed dreams, my duties as a cheer-captain were over and I was left with memories and a group of friends who could neer be replaced. I didnt get that national title, but at least we made it that far, which is more than many young girls could even hope for.