Expert: Pamela Enders - 3/13/2009

Question
I'm nearly 13 and I've been cheering since I was 6. I live in the UK but the competition rules are changing to American ones and two of our coaches are American. I am one squad below the elite cheerleaders. I think I might quit soon, it use to be fun but now I think theres too much pressure and I also thought about asking to move down a squad, I'm just finding it hard to find something good about it at the moment. the other week I couldn't even base a lib, I'm backing it now instead. A few competitions ago, I had an epileptic seizure in the middle of a routine in front of everyone so people treat me differently. I don't know what to do, please help!

Answer
Dear Shannon,

It sounds like there’s a lot going on for you!

Cheerleading is hard work but it should also be fun!  So if the fun has disappeared, maybe you should consider other activities.  There is a world outside of cheerleading that can be rich and rewarding.

I wonder though if you’ve hit a wall, so to speak, where what is expected of you is more than you are capable of.  When that happens, there are several options – one is to walk away and find something else and the other is to figure out what you need to do to improve and then get the right coaching so you can improve.

Have you spoken to your coach?  He or she would be able to give you some honest feedback about how he or she sees your abilities and could offer some guidance.

Only you can make the ultimate decision as to whether you stay or leave cheerleading.  Try to imagine it’s 3 years from now and you had decided to leave cheerleading – do you feel any regrets?  If so, examine this closely before you make your decision.

If you are distracted by negative or anxious thoughts, this could affect your ability to base a lib.  If you were able to do it before, you should be able to do it now – if your focus is right.  I think you are preoccupied with all this stuff and that is affecting your focus.

Plus, you say you had a seizure. Worrying about that might be affecting your focus, too. Perhaps your coach can help you find a way to talk to the team about what happened in order to air any concerns people might have.

Whatever you decide, remember with every decision we make, we win something and we lose something.  You need to figure out if what you would lose (by leaving cheerleading) is worth what you would gain.

You might also want to check out my blog - www.confidentcheerleadingblog.com where you will find lots of information that might be helpful to you.

Good luck to you!

Pamela