We are not a series of contradictions. We are a routine: each move flowing into the next, the high-energy chant making space for the quiet huddle, the fall making the recovery mean something.
Because the and is the whole point. The and is where the power lives. The and is the basket toss you stick after a hundred falls. The and is the girl who leads the chant, then leads the classroom discussion, then leads the movement to change the rules entirely. but i 39-m. cheerleader
I didn’t mention my three-inch binder of sources. Instead, I said: “But I’m a cheerleader.” We are not a series of contradictions
After class, she asked what I wanted to write my final paper on. I said I didn’t know. She said: “Write about the magic. Write about what it costs to be the one who makes everyone else feel brave.” The and is where the power lives
Here is what people don’t understand about cheerleading: it is not a denial of intellect. It is a discipline of projection. You learn to count in eights while holding a flyer’s ankle. You learn to smile so wide your cheeks ache, even after you’ve dropped the stunt and your back hits the mat. You learn that timing is a kind of truth. You learn that loud is not the opposite of smart —sometimes, loud is the only way to be heard over the roar of a gymnasium full of people who have already decided you don’t belong.