Growing Up in the Gym
I basically grew up on a blue mat instead of a playground. I started cheer when I was eight at Cheer Legend Champions, this tiny little gym in Arlington where everyone knew everyone and our “big” competitions were just local ones.
I started this journey with my cousin and my sister, and honestly… I was the worst one out of the three of us. They always learned skills faster. They were always a step ahead. And I remember that feeling so clearly of being one skill behind and feeling like maybe I just wasn’t as good.
But weirdly, that’s what pushed me. I started going to tumbling and jump class multiple times a week. While they eventually quit, I kept going. And somewhere in the middle of all those extra reps and sore legs, I ended up passing them. Not because I was naturally better, but because I just refused to stop trying. In fact, at 12 years old I got asked to teach the jump classes at CLC! That’s when I realized how much I genuinely loved cheerleading.
Eventually, I wanted more than what CLC could offer. It was a small gym, and I had big dreams. So I moved to Spirit of Texas which is one of the best gyms in DFW. Going from a little local gym to ten-plus elite teams under one roof was insane. The expectations were high, the pressure was real, and the conditioning… let’s just say if ONE thing went wrong, we were all bear crawling lines. Forever.
But that’s where I learned discipline. That’s where I figured out what being an athlete actually meant. My technique improved, I got in shape, and I gained confidence. Spirit of Texas was tough, but it shaped me.
When high school came, I shifted from all-star to sideline cheer, and honestly? They’re two different worlds.
All-star is:
• High intensity
• Tumbling, stunts, perfect routines
• Training like crazy
Sideline is:
• School spirit
• Leading crowds
• Being the energy everyone else feeds off
It was a totally different vibe, but I grew from it.
Freshman year was wild because my team was full of seniors and suddenly they wanted meto be a flyer which is something I had NEVER done. It pushed me way out of my comfort zone, but it also taught me to be braver and more flexible (literally).
Then sophomore year hit… and it was rough. All the seniors graduated, and suddenly we had a team of nine and a new coach. At cheer camp we were the smallest team there, basically the underdogs, and everyone knew it. That year was my first time being captain, and I had to learn leadership quickly. It wasn’t perfect, but it changed me.
Junior and senior year were honestly the glow-up years. We finally clicked as a team, worked hard, and everything we struggled through before finally paid off. I grew up so much. As an athlete and as a person. I learned how to lead, how to encourage people, how to stay calm when things fall apart, and how to push myself in ways younger me never imagined.
Looking back, cheer taught me way more than how to tumble or stunt. It taught me discipline, confidence, resilience, and how to work for something even when it doesn’t come easy. I’m proud of that girl who started off “one skill behind.” She’s the reason I’m the leader I am now.
