My name is Lisa Albert and I have a confession…Everything I’ve learned in life, I learned from cheerleading. Okay – so that’s a bit of an overstatement, but I’ve learned so many valuable lessons that I can apply to other areas of life.
Cheerleading has been part of my life in some capacity for 22 years. Coming from a gymnastics background, I was
intrigued with cheerleading tryouts in 7th grade. After my first clinic, I was hooked. I knew I wanted to be a cheerleader, and as it turns out, it came naturally for me. I was able to cheer at TCU, and I am now the coach there. I miss being in the middle of the excitement at games, and I find it hard not to jump around and yell and encourage people to cheer with me.
Cheerleading taught me dedication. When times get tough, its easy to want to throw in the towel and give up, but my commitment to my squad (and now my work team) keeps me in the game. It has also taught me how to work with different personalities. Sometimes I think it would be great if everyone saw things just like I do, but wouldn’t that be a boring world? Its great that people see things from different perspectives and cheerleading taught me how to embrace those differences and work through the challenges they present.
In my industry, I have to interact with people daily, so being a people person is a must. Most cheerleaders are outgoing and like being around people, so search for jobs that allow you to do that. Many times in my job, tasks seem insurmountable. It would be easy to give up, but I know I have team members counting on me, so I must do whatever it takes to get the job done. Much like a stunt that looks like it is coming down, you know your group is depending on you, so you adjust and figure out whatever it takes to keep the stunt in the air.
While you may not be able to parlay your tumbling skills into a successful career in the business world, the principles you learn will carry through life. As you graduate and enter the job market, never sell yourself short. You may not have experience in that particular field, but if you can explain some of your qualities that an employer would find valuable with cheerleading examples, it shows you do have experience they are looking for. Take the confidence you’ve gained through cheerleading with you into your interview. You know how to have presence from being in front of crowds often. Use that confidence and presence to stand out in an interview.
There is more to life than cheerleading, but cheerleading does a great job of teaching you about life.
