My name is Alahni, and this is my 8th season of allstar cheer. Just like most,  I’ve gone through times where I felt like the skills I was attempting would never come. I would put so much pressure on myself, that I felt defeated before I even really got started. On top of that, I was very timid and would rarely voice my opinion on things. As we all know, those two do not mix, at all. So stunting and tumbling wise I have had several points where I wanted to just walk away from it.

The one who made me finally realize to just get it together was definitely my mom. She told me, straight forward, that if I wanted to continue doing cheer, I can’t let everything defeat me so easily. I have to face this sport as I would any career; because just like it, this too is a way of life. There’s always going to be challenges thrown my way and when things get tough, it’s up to me to figure out how to either work with my team, or focus on increasing my own experience to master it. She helped me realize that when it comes to things getting tough, I have to just get used to it!

That alone has made me who I am today – a first year, level 5 athlete, faced with even greater challenges when it comes to flying and tumbling. I can’t say that the frustrations have completely gone away, but I have learned to brush it off, focus, and reload. So whether it is a tumbling block, or just a skill that you feel you’ve tried again and again, but cannot gain. Just relax, and remember the fire that got you this far. I refuse to let frustration beat me… I’ve gotten used to it.