A Dream Come True

For years I was waiting for this moment; all my efforts, all my dedication, were like, finally paying off! I was about to appear in my first game as a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader!

OMG, I know! It seems soooo totes unbelievable, or it would have looked so if you know me before: yes, there was a time where I was like, totally different. Not the same hair, not even the same personli… personalee… uh… not even the same way of acting!

It all started back in high school.

You should’ve seen back then (or even better: NOT! >_<): I was one of those meanies who wore all black and purple lipstick. Eew, let’s just say, I didn’t quite develop my sense of fashion. I guess you could say I was like, kind of a tomboy, you know? I was even called by a boyish name: Sam. Haha! Can’t you believe it! Not even “Sammie”?

Samantha fits me totally better anyway and… where I was?

OH, RIGHT! High school.

So, so, there was this new rule that I had to join a school club in order to graduate. Back then I thought it was super stupid, especially since all the clubs that could interest the “old me” were filled super duper quick. The only was that was left and always accepting new solicitors was the cheerleader team.

To me, those girls were like, super vapid airheads (not like me today, LOL!), and I was SO scared at first. I mean, it didn’t help that most of those girls were totally cuter and sexier than me, but besides that, I didn’t exactly get along with them, especially our captain, Paulina.

I was TOTALLY expecting her to be the meanest one to me, but then, something weird kinda happen (and I know about weird: I’ve seen ghosts).

“Good job, you girl”, she told me after our first training session.

Like, what? With no sarcasm or irony, a compliment?

The truth was that, to my surprise, cheerleading was a more exhausting discipline, certainly more than what I expected. It takes a lot of effort and physical fitness to do what those girls can do. At first, I thought I was kind of slow, but IDK, I guess hearing those words so early kinda made me see that at least what I was trying was appreciated to some degree.

And the thing is, I guess I started to see it as a weird challenge? To me the idea that someone like Paulina could even be technically stronger and faster than me hurt my li’l ego back then. And bizarrely, the compliments kept going, and not only from her, but from the rest of the squad!

One day I had to, like ask, why was she so nice to me?

“I bet you saw us as nothing but pretty faces, Samantha”, she told me once in the lockers after training. “And you still can, I honestly don’t care about what’s going on in your head. But I care for the team, and while it wasn’t my idea, you’re one of us now; our team is only as strong as the weakest of our members, and for you to get better and better it helps all of us”.

My jaw was on the floor; not only what Paulina said made total sense, but I didn’t expect her to be such a good leader, willing to let go past stuff in order to focus on the greater good.

Maybe she like, knew way more than I expected? I could use her guidance, or at least her advice?

Things got better between the two of us, and the rest of the team as well. They even started to invite people to join'em beyond the field: going shopping, sleepovers, parties. It was strange at first, but I guess it was a thing of “one for all, all for one”, taken to other aspects of like, my life and such.

I gained her trust, and they earned mine; they even helped me to change my looks; after all, in contests and tournaments, uniformity is a very appreciated aspect to judge.

In the end, to my surprise, I even got a scholarship to become a cheerleader in a college in Texas. Like, I didn’t believe they give these for this!

My college years were very enjoyable; school was like, hard, but I could always count on a cute guy to help me study and such. And I could cheer on a completely different level!

And one day, on the last game of the season of my final year, I got an invitation by a super cute girl.

“Hey, do you want to cheer professionally?” she told me.

She also gave me a card and an appointment. Getting paid to dance, cheer and look super cute with other equally super cute girls for the entire country to see? OMG! Was I dreaming? I couldn’t believe it!

Those were super fun but also super stressful days: the audition, seeing if I got accepted (spoiler: I was!), training to A WHOLE NEW LEVEL OF PHYSICAL DEMAND (but with the advantage of not having to like study or work: THIS was my job, I could focus 100% and 24/7), and even deal with the cameras!

But it was all worth it: I even dyed my hair to get a cuter look, and let me tell you something: dreams come true, I just wish I wasn’t such a stubborn shrew for so long; I could be this happy WAY earlier.

“Now give a huge applause and welcome to America’s team! The Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders!” the announcer said as we moved towards the field!

But I guess it’s better late than never, and it’s never too late to change your attitude. This is me, and I couldn’t wish for a better version of myself.