When I first started cheerleading I never thought I would be able to tumble. Now that I know how to tumble, I don't think I could ever stop. For me it feels like nothing is happening. Almost like the entire world is frozen. Nothing else matters to me. I put all my focus and hard work into flipping myself over. I love the feeling of the wind rushing through my hair as I put all my power into landing that perfect tumbling pass.
As fun as it is for me, it can lead to serious injury. One time, I was performing a back tuck (back flip with no hands involved) and I landed flat on my back. I was so scared, nervous, and never thought I'd be able to tuck again.
But...you just have to push yourself and get over your fear. I needed to not worry about landing on my back and just go for it. Once I finally got over my anxiety, it felt like nothing had changed. I felt it was the regular old tumbling as I have always known it. That's how I learned to be consistent with my tumbling and to never give up if something bad happens.
Cheerfully,
Megan Hoffay
Varsity Cheerleader
*******************************************************************************
In recent years, tumbling has become a major part of competitive cheerleading. The crowd gets excited to watch athletes defy gravity in a way that only few can truly understand. Cheerleaders are awarded points based on execution of their tumbling and the difficulty. There is also a difference between standing tumbling and running tumbling. It's important that these skills are learned at an early age to allow for proper muscle development and strengthening. There are tumblers who have learned at a later age and are still largly successful. As Megan says, it's imperative that you give your all when trying to tumble and be in the right mind set. Above all, you have to believe it is possible.
No comments:
Post a Comment