Having My Say

Although I appear to keep to myself about alot of my opinions, I am a very opinionated and headstrong person. One thing I am very opinionated about is cheerleading. And yes-- I do realize that I talk about this all the time. Most of the time, I'm not really bothered when people say that cheerleadings not a sport. That's their opinion, although I know they are misinformed. When most people think of cheerleading, the usually think of Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders or kicklines or waving pom poms. I agree, that is not a sport.  What bothers me is when people look down on cheerleaders because of their opinions. I cannot count the number of times i've been on facebook or other social networks and seen horrible statuses about cheerleaders and giving us horrible reputations. The reputation of cheerleaders has made me somewhat ashamed to tell people that i'm a cheerleader.

But what these people don't think of when they hear cheerleading is what I do: Allstar Cheerleading.
Allstar cheerleading consists only of competitions. We don't cheer for any team, we are the team. we are given 2 minutes and 30 seconds on the mat, and within our time we fit in as much flipping, twisting, jumping and throwing as we can. Its as fast paced as a basketball game and as nerve-wracking as a football play. Our season goes from May-April and we work endlessly perfecting our routines.  We work for the thrill of having our name called for 1st place and for the screams coming from the crowd. Our sport has idols and "cheerlebritys" similar to many other choices. All the best teams come together for The world championship at disney world. Worlds is the equivilant to the Superbowl or olympics. It's the ultimate goal for any cheerleader. Cheer is what i live for, and it just bothers me that my sport works just as hard as any other sport and we don't have nearly enough respect.


Well, this is alot longer than I meant it to be, but thats my say .(:

Jamfest nationals last year: me with Top Gun, my favorite team ever. <3

another one of my favorite teams: California Small Senior

Maddie Gardner Of Cheer Extreme Senior Elite on CNN.

Gives a pretty good inside look at Allstar Cheer

Expressions in art

This picture shows a black man searching for a job. He sees a sign, but cannot apply for the job because of the Jim Crow laws. This was an issue that the Delany Sisters faced throughout their lifes.  Their bus driver forces them to sit in the back and they can no longer shop at their usual drugstore.  The Jim Crow laws affected all american citizens of all races.

Connections from Whitman

"The mother with mild words, clean her cap and gown, a wholesome
odor falling off her person and clothes as she walks by,
The father, strong, self-sufficient, manly, mean, anger'd, unjust,"

This is the part that reminded me of my childhood. Being homeschooled, I spend alot of time with my parents growing up. My mom hardly ever worked and my dad worked one 24 hour shift every 3rd day. My parents spent the whole day with us. This Passage describes them perfectly, except for the "Mean, anger'd unjust" description of the father. I barely remember my dad every being angry at any of us kids. Both my parents were kind to all of us kids.

Me, my dad and Joel. I was probably 2 here and Joel was probably 4.

Joel, Me, and Nate. I would guess that we were five, seven, and eleven here.

In The Garden

A bird came down the walk:
He did not know I saw;
He bit an angle-worm in halves
And ate the fellow, raw.

And then he drank a dew
From a convenient grass,
And then hopped sidewise to the wall
To let a beetle pass.

He glanced with rapid eyes
That hurried all abroad, --
They looked like frightened beads, I thought;
He stirred his velvet head

Like one in danger; cautious,
I offered him a crumb,
And he unrolled his feathers
And rowed him softer home

Than oars divide the ocean,
Too silver for a seam,
Or butterflies, off banks of noon,
Leap, plashless, as they swim.


In this poem, the author is approaching a bird. She is cautious as she approaches to not scare the bird away. The irony is the bird is just as scared as she is. The bird flies away. I think this poem is showing the beauty and danger in nature. There are two sides to the bird, as everything in nature. With everything, one must take caution as we appreciate the beauty of things.

Affirmations of Life

There are many ways to handle something bad that happens in life. Realizing that hard times don't last forever is very important. Life is beautiful. Yes, it does have its ups and downs and everyone has bad days. When I feel upset I surround myself with people who can cheer me up and brighten my mood. I pray and ask God to help me and take comfort in knowing that my pain will be lifted soon.

And, one good thing thats happening is that i finally have time to catch up on the blogs that have been nagging at me for weeks. (: