Rachel's Passion Blog

Last week I talked about my first experience ever as a Penn State Cheerleader, a minuscule event in which I did little to nothing! Still, it was exciting for me. This week, however, I plan to discuss a way bigger event, that you will probably (hopefully) be more familiar with. My first. Ever. Football game.

I know right, so intense. Well, for me it was. This is what I had been practicing 10 hours a week for! Our coach had emailed us our assignments for the day, even though it looked like complete gibberish to me.

Since it was a 3:30 game, I had to be up and completely ready, on the way to my first assignment at 10. Both our captains and coaches warned us of the long walk it would take to get to the stadium, as people would often stop you to talk to with their children or even take pictures with them. After all, the bright red lipstick you’re required to wear acts as a big target.

I set my alarm for 7:30 to allow for ample time, I got ready, and then the other freshman and I were off to the stadium. On our way there, we were stopped a total of 5 times. People asked us to take pictures with their kids and talk to them about Penn State. I felt like a celebrity.

Seeing all these smiling kids reminded me of when I was a kid dreaming of being a Penn State Cheerleader. I was so excited to talk to them and take pictures with them and its crazy to think now I actually am what I dreamt of being as a child, doing what someone did to me when I was younger.

Once we finally arrived at the stadium, it was a crazy rush feeling that overwhelmed all of us freshman as we suddenly lost all ability to think. We found the cheer room and as soon as we knew it, we were rushed to the other side of the stadium for team arrival. As we ran out, the crowd was cheering for us. We stunted, and danced, and waved, and honestly, it was so fun.

Next thing we knew we were off to warmups. The warmups I experienced that day were unlike anything ever. Usually during warmups, you can mess up, fix it, try again, ya know the usually WARM UP. No. Not on gameday. On gameday, your warmup is worse than preforming at an actual game. You are so close to the crowd and since there is no game to watch, all eyes are on you! Luckily, we survived, I’m not sure how, but we did.

The next big part of our day finally came, the thing we have been waiting for this whole time: Pre-game. Pre-game, to this day, is still my favorite thing in the entire world. Also, for my very first game, this was my very first time on the actual field in a uniform, so I was ecstatic. First, when the football team comes out, the feeling inside the stadium is so electric. Before they are able to run out of the tunnel, all the cheerleaders line up by grade on the field. Once the football players begin running, all of the freshman have to turn and yell “RUN” at the top of our lungs. We all sprint a full lap around the stadium, with the football team running after us, and it is the most amazing experience that I have ever been a part of.

Even before the game actually started, I was already having the best time of my life. As soon as the first whistle blew, we began cheering to the crowd. It was so amazing to be in front of the student section and hear them cheering through a whole new perspective. Occasionally during timeouts, we would get to onto the field, usually on the guys shoulders, and it is so fun to just dance to the music and show off our skills as performers. My favorite thing about cheering on the football field is being able to show the people in the stadium what I can do.

After a knockout win against Idaho, 79-7. Not too bad for my first game. Finally, we got to lineup and sing the alma mater. It is so crazy to watch every fan in the stadium join together at the end of a big win, and it was especially fun to watch from a one-of-a-kind point of view. Gamedays, although hectic, are one of the best experiences I have ever had, and I cannot wait to cheer for the Nittany Lions for the next 4 years.

You see us, all the time actually. In class, on the big screen at football games, walking around campus with our special navy blue obnoxiously obvious athlete backpacks, but do you really know all of the work, preparation and dedication it takes to be a Penn State Cheerleader?

Ahh yes cheerleading, the sport that most people don’t consider a sport. Well, as often as people underestimate the work cheerleaders do, do you think people look into their argument? If they had, they would see that my team and I devote over 10 hours for practice each week, endure many physical fitness tests, and not to mention the madhouse that is Gameday.

I am writing this blog, not to ridicule those who do not believe cheerleading is a sport, but to share my experiences as a Penn State Cheerleader and the impact that it has had on my life. As an introduction to the many topics that I plan to discuss, I have been hoping to start off with a simpler event that I took part in.

After the grueling and intense experience that tryouts was, we had a short break period over the summer before actually beginning our duties. My first ACTUAL event that I was assigned to was called the Greater Susquehanna Valley Penn State Alumni Association 40^thAnnual Pig Roast. Quite the mouthful. Waking up at 6 in the morning was not an ideal situation for me, but I had to be at the Sports complex by 7, so there wasn’t much time to waste. As soon as we all arrived hair and makeup all done, we boarded the buses and headed out.

After a promised one-hour drive, turned to two, we finally arrived at our destination. I was so nervous. All of us freshman were. It was our first event as a team, how could we not be? We warmed up our basic skills, which to the untrained public seemed pretty intermediate, and headed to the building where the event was being held. We walked in and set our bags down, then were instructed to walk outside and have conversations with the members of the association. As simple as that sounds, it seems to be one of the most difficult parts. You have to be engaging and upbeat, but you also have to remember you are a representation of your school. A huge school. A huge school whose name you need to uphold.

After walking around for almost two hours, just getting to know the members as well as their association with Penn State, it was finally time for us to perform. I was terrified to say the least. People always say that if you are nervous about something, then you really care about it and that is evident for me in everything I do that involves cheerleading because I am always nervous. Even this Pig Roast, one of the easiest events we will do all year, made me fearful.

As we started to perform all the dances we have worked on all summer, my nerves started to calm. I had so much fun being out there and performing for all these people who I knew supported me.

This is why I love what I do. Not only is it fun to learn new tricks and to be able to show off my skills to my Penn State community, but I also get to meet new people and experience new things. This event provided me with not only a taste of what it’s actually like to cheer for a school this large and this influential, but little did I know what the next weekend, my first football game, would have in store for me.