Confidence Is Key.
Yesterday my good friend Andy and I tried out for UCA (Universal Cheer Association) which is essentially professional cheer leading. This tryout was something Andy and I had been stressing about for weeks. This opportunity is a huge one for the two of us. If we make it in, we leave a week after graduation and drive around the country getting paid to do what we love. Cheer. This weight on our shoulders left us extremely stressed. What if everyone is better than us? What if we didn't learn the right material? So many questions and worries were running through our minds. They were just the right questions to ruin our confidence, to make us feel like we didn't have a chance.
Last night around five fifteen we decided we had better find a UCA instructor so that we would know where to check in before tryouts which was supposed to be at five thirty. We approached a woman in UCA staff attire and she informed us that the cheer competition they were hosting was running a little behind so the check ins wouldn't start until six o'clock. That was somewhat relieving because it gave us a chance to stretch a little bit before the tryouts and go get changed into different clothes. When it came time for tryouts we walked over to the corner of the convention center where a bunch of people with white papers were. We went over and immediately began talking to the other people trying out.
As we talked to the guys, we began to realize some things. First of all, we were some of the only high school guys trying out. Second, we were two of the only guys that took time to learn the cheer before we attended tryouts, and last, we had better skills than most of the other guys! That made me feel really good that we, the high school kids, stood out like soar thumbs amongst these male college cheer leaders!
As we continued to talk to people and meet new friends we figured out that we learned the right material which was extremely comforting in itself. When it came time for us to try out in our separate groups, my confidence was right where it needed to be and everything went perfectly. I couldn't have been more proud of my tryout.
The example of my UCA try out shows that without confidence, we have nothing. We may be the most amazing athletes with the most skill and technique but when you throw low confidence into the situation, it can destroy. Lacking in confidence can make you into someone you are not and strip you of all skill but having confidence can make your skill and technique look sharper than ever before!
So remember kids, along with many other things, this year to be successful in all that you do make sure you have a healthy dose of confidence because in the end confidence is key!
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