Watching cheer on television is much different from the actual sport. Cheerleaders seem like the most popular people in school. Cheerleading is also depicted as much easier and more of a social status than a sport. Coming from a foreign country can be a huge change in the point of view of this activity.
Nora Costa is an exchange student from Spain who thought it was much easier than it actually is after seeing it on television. Since this opportunity was not offered in her country, she was completely new to this experience.
“Many of my friends came from this sport, and I love it so much,” Costa said.
Before coming to America, all she knew about the sport was the cheer part, so the stunting part was a bit of a surprise—which is actually a common stereotype.
Costa also saw the team’s Instagram, and it looked like such a fun and positive team that she could not wait to be a part of it.
Another shocking factor was the extra time needed to be spent outside of practice. With cheer, there is always something to be done in the athletes’ free time, whether it’s practicing counts or motions or simply doing stretches and workouts to learn new skills. Doing this also makes the athletes stand out from one another, proving who really is dedicated to this team. This was something all the foreign exchange students had to adapt to.
Marlene Edenhofer is an exchange student from Germany who joined cheer because it was probably the most American thing she could do. She wanted the full, authentic experience of America.
“The games are fun, but the practices are more fun, in my opinion,” Edenhofer said.
Practices help everyone become closer because the athletes do not have to act one way or another because they are not in front of a crowd. Either way, work is being done, and both need to be taken seriously.
In the past, Lakeland High School cheer has had other exchange students who have had similar views, such as Charlotte Weibach, a German exchange student who is now back in Germany.
“Cheer helped me branch out and overcome my fear of asking for help,” Weibach said.
She said that at first, it was a struggle to be on a whole new team, school, country, and even a new family. So, she felt really alone. But cheer is what pulled her out of that loneliness.
“I feel like the stereotypes come from all the high school movies, which are inaccurate,” Weibach said.
She loved having an impact on the team and the game and helping them have that energy boost. But, she was scared of going out in front of the crowd she enjoyed being part of.
After joining the team, she learned that cheer is so much more than just being on the sidelines.
