Cheerleading Controversy

Often looked at as spoiled, prissy, dumb girly-girls... Cheerleaders accross the world get emotionally abused by not only their friends and family, but also the general public. Cheerleading, along with gymnastics, and dance, is a sport. Though cheerleaders rely on looking good for a sector of their abilities, they depend on strong bodies and hard-core training and coaching. Speaking out for cheerleaders has been one of my goals over the past few years, becoming an upgraded allstar, I have decided that the time and effort put forth by my team, and teams across North America, should no longer go unrecognized. My squad's main headquarters is over an hour away from my home. My parent's must travel three times a week to take me their, along with gym work outs at five o'clock every morning, including Sundays. I see regular fitness experts, and have trained with many high-class coaches. I am on a strict eating plan, where eating cheese is concidered junk food. Though this lifestlye doesn't only suit cheerleaders, we are often looked at as less important than the soccer teams or the football teams even though we sacrifise important parts of a teenage life for our sport. We may always seem to look perfect, but truthfully, each one of us has insecurities just like the rest of the world, we have each wanted to look better or different, and we have each had someone to be jealous of. I am often jealous of the people who are not cheerleaders, I feel blessed to have pushed myself so hard and to have accomplished my cheerleading goals, but I would love to be able to see my friends and family more, or to come home and watch Young and the Restless (don't make fun of me for that) instead of spending my night after school practicing. I wish I had more time to do things like study, and try different things, but I try to live a balanced lifestyle. I always do my homework, and I have played guitar for over five years and have been reccording recently. I love to travel with my family, and I play all-Ontario badminton as well. Though my life may not sound that bad, and though many people think cheerleaders have nothing to complain about, one of my greatest goals is to prove to the world that we have dreams and ambitions and feelings and knowlege beyond our pompoms. We are dedicated people who want to be respected. We don't all cheerlead to date a football player, or to wear short skirts, we do it because it's fun and rewarding, because we feel powerful when we are stunting and tumbling infront of our friends and families. I myself won't continue cheering past university. I want to study to become a plastic surgeon, some other cheer friends want to become forensic scientists, landscapers, and nurses. We know we are smart enough, and we don't expect to be young and flexible for the rest of our lives.
Thank you for listening.
PS. Sorry if I am not such a good speller, I did make an 89 in English but apparently it doesn't show according to my mother.