Dreaming of Cheers

I've been having dreams about cheers. (Mi buena amiga, Profesora Martha, who was leading the H.S. Cheer Team, calls it "nightmares", since the whole cheer process has not been the easiest).

When I came back to Bogota at the end of July, I was ready to spend all of my time & energy leading the elementary department at El Camino Academy. ...and then came cheers.

The Cheer Team at our school abruptly started this past August, after the Athletic Director (who also happens to be a buen amigo mio) announced try-outs after finding out that there was a new H.S. student who's been cheerleading since the age of 4, and who wanted to continue doing that at our school.

To make a long story short, along with try-outs came controversy. Many wondered if cheerleading even fit into our school's vision. Some expressed concern about the possibility of attention-seeking girls pretentiously pracing around in short skirts without a female adult advisor who would bring guidance to the group.

We decided to keep uniforms simple since it would be seen as a "Trial Period" anyway. And, I volunteered to lead the Middle School Cheer Team. Many of these girls had been students of mine when I taught 2nd and 3rd grade here, so I was really excited to coach them.

I look at cheerleading as something that can be positive, as long as you examine your heart. It's been a means to apply I Corinthians 10:31 into their daily lives. "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." It's also been a way to build school spirit, as we focus on encouraging, supporting, and cheering on our M.S. Girls Basketball Team (we call it the "Barnabus" aspect).

We have had numerous afternoon/early evening practices and games to cheer for during these past two months. Although it's been fun working with the girls, it has been time-consuming and challenging when it comes to balancing heavy administrative responsibilities. As the season comes to a close in a few weeks, it will be nice to have a bit more time to "breathe!"