I have quit two jobs, but most recently I have been thinking about quitting my sport. Although I love cheerleading, quitting the sport after ten years would be much harder than quitting a job. But I am constantly tired of it. Tired of the work it takes, tired of the time it takes, and tired of the toll it puts on my mind and my body. Just tired. Cheerleading is 90% mental, even though it seems like the flips and stunts are the hard part. It does take skill, but the most skill is needed when it comes to your own confidence you have in you and your team. 

The things that make me want to quit first include my skill level; I hate tumbling but love stunting which makes it hard for me to be set at a consistent level. To connect to it on a personal level, the way I feel about cheer matches to the way I feel about my brother. I love him with everything I have, but you have to hate him just a little right? Otherwise what fun would that be. There are parts of him that just bother me, the same way there are parts of cheer that really bother me. Cheerleading is so back and forth, I always love it but it makes me question things. Why do I put myself through so much mental pain multiple times a week all year? Not only is it personally difficult, but there are other people making the same choice to leave. I wish I could say I am not influenced by my friends' decisions, but half of my life has been dedicated to this sport. Meaning I met so many people and for me to have to go through a year without them is unimaginable. I know that I am capable of making new friends and starting over, but it's difficult to see myself doing this without them.

I want to stay because it is my senior year and I have worked really hard to get to this point. It makes me remember last year; I tried out praying my coaches would understand my mentality. I had a mental block for the past two years after breaking my arm. After tryouts was a waiting game, until all of the athletes received an email regarding the coaching staff. I was devastated to find out my coaches were leaving and a new owner was coming to the gym. I was so sure that I would be done for; no one knew me like those coaches did since I was 11 years old. But I ended up making two teams; both ones I was hoping for. That moment gave me so much hope and so I stuck it out for that year. That moment makes me so confident that if I just put my mind to it this year, I should be able to achieve what I want. 

Quitting anything is hard to do. But I feel if it's a decision you really want to make and you think it will benefit you in the long run, then do what will make you happy. Sometimes things seem like they are going to be hard because of how you feel in the moment, but everything happens for a reason, and you are probably going to end up making the right choice for you.