Asking Coach

In cheering there have been many times when I did not want to ask a question because they may have just got over it or I might have felt dumb for asking it. It wasn’t just me that would feel like this, I am sure other cheerleaders have felt this way too. Whether it be because we missed a practice, were in the bathroom, or just weren’t paying attention, no matter the reason I always seem nervous or embarrassed to ask something.

Sometimes when we are learning a cheer I will feel embarrassed to ask to go over a cheer again because I haven’t understood it yet. I feel like others will be annoyed because they have already learned it and we have already gone over it a bunch of times or they will just be sick of doing the same one. Sometimes it will make me feel stupid because I haven’t learned it yet but there is always one cheer for everyone that they just can’t get and it takes them a super long time to learn it.

During stunts, I feel stupid about asking what a stunt is or what they are doing because I can clearly see what is going on but I still do not understand. For example, if I am a flyer and I am watching the other flyer perform a stunt I will feel pretty dumb if I have to ask what happened or how to do it because I just saw the other person do the exact thing that I am going to do. Sometimes I do not want to ask to do a stunt again because doing stunts over and over again gets tiring especially for the bases. Since I am mostly a flyer or a front I do not have to hold up all the weight so I do not get so tired. I get embarrassed or nervous to ask to do a stunt again because I do not want the bases and back to be annoyed that they have to do it again because I know they are tired.

Going over the routine can be challenging since we have so much to learn and memorize but I will still feel dumb from time to time. We go over the dances a hundred times but I still may feel stupid to ask to go over it again because everybody else has gotten it except me. I will feel like since I asked to do it again everyone will know that I probably look like a fool because I stick out because I am confused. Then after I ask I’ll feel like everybody will be watching me to see where I am getting stuck or doing something wrong which can be pretty embarrassing.

Sometimes I will feel dumb when we are doing things and coach will point people out and say what they are doing wrong. I feel like everyone will stare at me, but they don’t because they are focused on what they are doing. I feel dumb in these situations sometimes because I will ask coach what I did wrong even though she may have told me already. She may say “Sarah tighten your arms” but I will still ask “How should I tighten them” or “What am I doing wrong”. I feel stupid because I know the answers to these questions but I will ask them anyway. With jumps, it can be hard to ask questions about them too because often times one person will stand in front of the coach and do their jumps while the rest of the team watches. I will be nervous to ask how they were even if I already knew if they were terrible or good. I am nervous to ask about my jumps because everyone saw them and what they looked like and everyone will be able to hear what coach has to say. Other times she will have us stand in front of other teammates and do our jumps and they will critique us. They will tell me what I did wrong but I will feel stupid asking “How do I make them better?”. I feel dumb asking this because they will probably say the same thing every time so I will feel stupid still not knowing how to make my jumps or my motions or my dances or anything else in cheering better.

In cheering a lot of times I feel like I ask a stupid question because everything is so clearly shown to us and we are given multiple times to go over and practice everything. We have everything we need to figure things out but sometimes I feel dumb when everybody understands what’s going on and I don’t. I’ll be embarrassed to ask a question that has been asked so many times cause it makes me feel stupid for not understanding.