MORE THAN A SPORT, A LIFESTYLE BY ALAN SANCHEZ

Alan Sanchez

ESL 100

October 15, 2011

MORE THAN A SPORT, A LIFESTYLE

When I was in the last year of high school, I was required to do social service. I had many options to accomplish it, but there was just a few in which I was interested. One day, my best friend encouraged me to join the school’s cheerleading team. At the beginning I did not know anything about this sport, but that was what made me feel interested in it. I started my school’s social service in the cheerleading team just for duty without knowing that at the end, it would be my new life. Little by little it started to change my life. I get to know more people, had fun, hang out with my team, and felt part of a true team. I really liked it. However, since I came to Chicago, everything changed. First of all, I was in a land where I was a complete novice, and then I would not have my cheerleading team here no matter how hard I try. I was willing to start my sport here, but I started to face many difficulties that did not let me practice it.

When I came here a year ago, everything was amazing: the parks, museums, and the lake, but something was missing, my cheerleading team. I was willing to find a place where I could practice my sport. I began the adventure of finding a place where I could train, so I started looking online because Chicago is an immense city. It is so that you can get lost if you do not know the city, so it would be hard to find a place without looking on the web. Sadly I just found a few places, and the worst of all was that they were in different suburbs. Then, I started to miss my gym in Mexico. In México, my gym was really big with all the equipment that we needed in order to practice and perform the sport. The thing that I miss the most is the mat, that big carpet that made us felt more safety when we perform our stunts. The time was passing, month after month, and I had not done anything about it. By that time I was taking my first ESL classes because learning English was my priority, so I stopped looking for a place to train. I also started to work, so then I had more things to do. Because of that, my time was reduced and my agenda was full. My weekends were my only free days, but normally the places where I could practice were open just from Monday through Thursday. I felt very bad that I could not find a gym to practice, but even if I had found a place, I would not have enough time to practice. In all sports you have to spend a lot of time practicing to get better. When I was in Mexico, I used to practice around four hours daily, four days per week, and even more when a championship was coming. I remember my first Championship. I was so excited, feeling that adrenaline going all over your body. I was waiting that day for almost one year, and once the day came, I knew one of my dreams was coming true. When I came to Chicago I was completely secure that it would not be the same.

Another reason why I had a hard time practicing my sport here is because most of the cheerleading teams are formed by girls. Every time I found a perfect place for me, near my house, and with a schedule that fits mine, I realized that the place was only for cheerleaders girls. That is also an obstacle for me because in my country mostly all cheerleading teams are mixed, but not here. Normally whenever I ask someone about cheerleading, the first things they think are “girls and dancing”. They are just stereotyping because not all the cheerleaders are like that. When I was a cheerleader, I never cheered at a football game. Even though our team was the school’s team, we never cheered in a game. We just participated in national championships. There are many aspects that people do not know about cheerleading like that cheerleading is not just for cheering the players in a football game, but also for participate in contests. Some people think the way I used to think before I became a cheerleader, just ignoring the sport and stereotyping.

The last reason and maybe the most important is the distance. Since I came here, I had only used public transportation, and that is something that I like because it has many advantages over driving. Every time I found a mixed team, my biggest enemy was the distance. One day I found the perfect gym. They admitted both girls and boys, it adjusted perfect to my schedule, and it was affordable. Normally cheerleading classes are expensive due to all the equipment that is used; it also depends on the coach. Sadly that gym was too far from my house. My lack of time did not let me practice enough and then having to go too far just to practice a few hours was a waste of time. Then I thought that some practice was better than nothing. I wanted to try because I really wanted to practice, but by that time the weather was too cold to wait for the bus, as my first winter here, it was just enough. In my country the weather is not that cold, so I was not adapted to that extreme temperature. I was not willing to travel to long with that weather, neither to be out too late.

With all my failed efforts to practice, I started losing hope. I was expecting to go this summer, but the difficulties and obstacles were still emerging. Cheerleading is really my passion, and I really enjoyed practicing it with my team in Mexico. Including all the experiences we shared, our winnings and losses. However, now that I am studying in college, I want to focus on my classes, so for that reason now I am not looking for a cheerleading team. Although I do not reject the chance that maybe one day I will find one and be able to practice. Until now nothing can be compared to my cheerleading experiences in Mexico. Even if one day I may try something more exciting, it will not be the same as my experience that I had practicing this wonderful sport. Because for me, it was not just a sport, it was a lifestyle.