Considered one of the most dangerous sports in America, it’s no surprise that many of us avoid cheerleading because of stories we hear or our perceived conceptions of its risks. Yet despite the risks associated with it, cheerleading has firmly embedded itself in American society, becoming one of the country’s most popular sports.
While many students shy away from cheer, Marilyn Rosales is among the fearless girls who act as flyers for her squad. Since her arrival at the University, the fourth year has been a high-flying bundle of energy who performs at the College’s basketball and football games.
Unlike many girls who join a cheerleading squad in university, Marilyn had no experience prior to coming to college. Instead of after school cheerleading practices, she spent her high school years at working jobs for hours every week to support her academic dreams. The Rosales family’s tough economic situation meant that Marilyn couldn’t dab into every activity she wanted, as most of her time was spent at work.
Fortunately, Marilyn arrived at the University with enough financial aid for her to begin exploring all her interests, with cheerleading at the top of her list. She was immediately recruited as a flyer and, since then, has enjoyed taking off into the air with UChicago cheerleading.
Like all beginning flyers, Marilyn held her own small reservations. But it was only a matter of time before the mental barriers went down and she soon learned how much she loved to fly, contrary to many small girls who hesitate to try cheerleading.
“Fighting that fear of being dropped is a step by step process, and I really believe that the first step is actually falling for the first time,” Marilyn explains. “It`s all mental. After you’ve fallen for the first time, you realize that it isn’t actually as bad as you thought it was, and from there you become less and less afraid.”
“Falling is part of practice, and it`s part of trying out new things.”
Besides getting the chance to fly, Marilyn also found a strong group of friends who remain dear to her to this day. While not one to join a sorority, she has managed to find girls who she considers sisters and who, she believes, helped her fight any mental obstacles during their routines.
“The more you trust someone, the more you’re willing to try because you know that they’ll always be there for you,” says Marilyn. “I know that if I fall, any of those girls are willing to put their own body down to make sure I don’t get hurt. That’s the sort of friendship that has motivated me to get over my fear.”
Friends and new skills aside, Marilyn sees cheerleading as another outlet for her inner performance bug. As an avid Latin ballroom dancer who has performed for audiences large and small, part of what drove Marilyn to join the cheerleading squad was her desire to share her own work and abilities with others.
“I love performing because at a school like UChicago where everyone concentrates on academics most of the time, you get to show people another side of yourself,” she claims. “Not everyone gets to see me as the dancer or cheerleader, so it’s a chance for me to let people see that I am three dimensional and that there is so much more to me than they usually observe.”
For students who are interested in joining the UChicago cheerleading squad, Marilyn offers some advice.
“Here at UChicago, anyone can join cheer. It doesn’t matter how much experience you’ve had because what matters most is your excitement. If you have that commitment and enthusiasm, you can learn anything we throw at you. So just come with that dedication and we`ll teach you the rest.”
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Chicago chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.