I Believe In You: The powers of a cheerleader.

I Believe In You: The powers of a cheerleader.

Why do you think there is a “home court advantage”?  As an athlete, I know the difference it can make when you have a huge crowd cheering for you.  You feed off of the positive atmosphere. 

In Physiology class my sophomore year at Linfield, we did an experiment that stuck with me.  We measured the power and amount of time a person could grip a bar with their hand.  We ran the experiment two times per person, once with total silence and once with our lab partners cheering us on.  The results were undeniable.  Every person in the lab had significant increase in both the power of their grip and the length of time they were able to endure when someone was cheering for them.

Recently there have been two amazing examples of this in my life.  The other day I received an email from my aunt.  It said, “We are so proud of you, and you’re probably the only person I know brave enough to chase your dream.”  We are proud of you.  Earlier in the day I had been down on myself for something I can’t even remember now.  When I read those words it made my outlook change and I had a better practice because of it. 

The second was when I had a meeting with my coach, just to talk about the upcoming week and how training has been going.  Then she told me four of the most powerful words a coach can say to an athlete; “I believe in you”.  It is one thing to believe in yourself and your dream, but it adds so much more when someone else does too.  Those words meant more to me that she will ever know.

People don’t normally do great things completely on their own.  There is a team behind greatness and cheerleaders are a vital part of a team.  This is why I say that without you I would not be able to do what I do.  Without your support I am fighting to hold my grip in the silence, but with you I have more power than I thought I ever could.

Inside each of us is the power to positively affect each other’s lives.  Just imagine the possibilities of  this, if we all became cheerleaders for one another.  What greatness can you inspire?