Teagan Bowman

Mr. Taylor

English I

20 October 2020

A Memorable Moment In My Life

In my life, I have had many moments where I was impacted in a way that I would always

remember. As a competitive athlete, I definitely have times where I feel like it will change how I

grow up because I learn well from experience. I have been a competitive cheerleader for many

years and with all of the assumptions about us, it can be hard for people to understand what we

really do as athletes. So when I had my first competitive competition I was so excited to prove

myself as a strong athlete. I wanted to show how hard I had been working all year, but the nerves

were erupting inside of me and I was very scared.

It was the day my team had to perform and I woke up, in my hotel room, feeling

energized and well-rested from my much-needed sleep, to recover from the plane ride the day

before. I put on my gorgeous uniform and applied the makeup that would make me stand out on

stage. I felt ready to do my best, but in my head, I was so scared. I wasn't entirely sure on what to

expect when I went out on that stage, so I reviewed my three-minute routine so many times just

to be sure I knew each move and step perfectly just like I had practiced all year. I made a

promise that I would do my part of the routine at the best of my ability so that when I threw my

flyer up in the air that I wouldn’t drop her. My team was counting on me to do my absolute best,

like I was to them, but I was so fearful and I didnt know how to control my nerves by myself.

I arrived when it was about time to go backstage to warm up and my teammates and I

lined up and followed one another backstage. I noticed how big the room was and how many
people there were. There were countless amounts of teams working on their amazing routines

and they all moved with great precision. You could tell how hard they had been working for this

moment all year. In my head, I knew I had just as good a routine as them but it was intimidating

to see teams that were so good, so this made me even more fearful. It was about time to start

warm ups of our own so the team warmed up each part of our routines; first stunts, then

tumbling, then dance. Each section that we did was great and that helped me calm my nerves, but

the thought of going on that stage frightened me so much. I sat down and took some deep breaths

as my whole body shook and I was thinking about the parts of my routine that scared me. I

thought, “I could fall” or even “I could get hurt.” The thoughts overwhelmed me.

My friend, who has been a cheerleader in the past, noticed my nervousness and sat down

next to me. She explained how on her first competition she was very similar to me, but after she

got on stage, it was like she felt powerful enough to do anything. She held my hand as we prayed

and we talked about each section of the routine that we were unsure about. This helped me

realize that when I go on stage I can concentrate on what we had been working all year for and I

knew I was ready. As we stood in line for our turn, she held my hand and when they called my

team's name, I ran out on stage with the rest of them confidently. The music started and all of my

nerves were lifted off my shoulders. I did all of my tumbling well and I caught all of my flyers in

the air. When it was over, I was so proud and all of myself and my team because we had done

everything that we had worked for so well. That night it was time for our award ceremony and

my whole team sat in a circle and held hands as we all silently prayed for us to win. They called

out our team and one other team that we were against. They then announced that we had one first

place! I had so much joy and we all hugged one another with so much happiness because we

knew that all of our work and paid off.

 In conclusion, at my first cheer competition, I was so fearful that I was not going to do

well that I needed help from others around me. They calmed me down and my whole entire team

did amazing. We won first place and eventually, I realized that I never had to be fearful in the

first place because my team all knew what had to be done in order to do the best routine possible.

This experience has forever impacted my life because I now know that I don’t need to be so

frightened by my encounters in life and if I ever become scared I can ask others for help in order

to regain my confidence and strength to win.