• Contact
  • Blog
  • Professional ghost writing
  • Bio
  • About
  • Press
  • Jackie’s Book
  • Blogs I Love
  • Where’s Jackie?

Venting Sessions

~ where moms can let it out

Venting Sessions

Monthly Archives: September 2014

Ready? OK! Confessions of a Texas transplant-turned-Rhode Island cheerleader

27 Saturday Sep 2014

Posted by Jackie in General Mommentary

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

cheerleading, Rhode Island cheerleading, SNL perfect cheer

I have a confession to make. Although I was born and raised in Texas, I didn’t try out for cheerleading.

Of course, I always wanted to be a Derek Doll. 

But I never tried out.

Why, you ask?

Let’s see: I guess I was sort of cute when I was little, but then the hormones kicked in and I grew into a pale and gawky tween. Combine this with the fact that I was only allowed to buy things off the sales rack and I was not exactly “cheerleading” material. I was a polite kid with a lot of friends. I was on the dance team, the Sharkettes (Pop Warner) and took gymnastics, ballet and jazz. But I didn’t come out of the womb doing mid-air splits.

So I never bothered to try out for cheerleading.

I waited until I moved to Rhode Island my junior year of high school. I remember thinking, “What the heck do I have to lose?” as I rolled my Forenza jeans into my cowboy boots and coated my permed bangs with another layer of Aqua Net.

During tryouts, I did a cheer. A few kicks. Then another yell or two with moves like… Jackie. I smiled. Then my nerves got the best of me. After a few high kicks, I said something that would change my life forever.

I turned and announced to one of the judges, “I’m so nervous, I think I might pee in my pants.”

(In my defense, it was true.)

The next second was excruciating.

I remember hearing nothing in the auditorium but the squeak of my tennis shoes. It was like something out of a John Hughes movie.

Then I heard a few giggles. Followed by lots of laughing. Even a few snorts.

All the other girls were laughing. They were apparently laughing WITH ME. (OR so I hoped.). For a second, I felt like Molly Ringwald in Pretty in Pink.

I guess the judge appreciated my honest style because I made it.

You read that right – I made cheerleading!

When I found out I made the squad, it was as if the painful zit on my chin had finally popped, dried and flaked off. I felt free and clear. The stress that came with moving to a small town hundreds of miles away from everything I had known was lifted.

It was a dream come true. In my 16-year-old mind, I felt like I was Susan Lucci. (The up-teenth time she landed an Emmy nomination. Gooooo, Erica!)

But after a few weeks, I realized that in a small New England town, cheerleading was a lot different than it is in Texas. People don’t make as much of a big deal about it. I discovered a lot of things about cheerleading that I didn’t know before.

A few ways cheerleading is different in Rhode Island:

  • In East Greenwich, Rhode Island, there was no mandatory rule that cheerleaders permeate their locks with AquaNet.
  • The outfits don’t have to sparkle or look anything like NFL cheerleader outfits.
  • You HAVE to wear thermals or sweats under your cheerleading outfit in Rhode Island to keep from freezing your buns off.
  • There are no mothers plotting the murder of other moms so their daughters can get on the squad.
  • You don’t have to look like a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader to make the team.
  • Hair is much flatter in RI than in Texas, where they don’t condone “naked hair”. In Texas, “naked hair” is defined as hair that has not been permed, rolled, processed or curled and sprayed with enough hairspray to start a bonfire.
  • High school football stadiums in Rhode Island are like miniature Zoolander stadiums compared to the crowds that fill Texas Friday Night Lights’ games. The stadium we had in East Greenwich was a quarter of the size of the old stadium where I used to hang out with friends on fun Texas Friday nights.

Extra strength AquaNet or no AquaNet, I was still proud to be a cheerleader.

I spent some of the most memorable years of my life cheering, choreographing, and dancing with an awesome group of girls.

To this day, there are times when I will hear a Milli Vanilli song, lip synch and break into cheer, loud and clear for my kids to hear. The “beat” comes to me like the SNL Spartans squad led by Will Ferrell, as he and his female counterpart rooted on water polo matches with the “Perfect Cheer”. I can’t hold back. My hips start pumping. My head moves from side to side. Then I stop, look down, both arms to my side. “Ready? OK!” I yell out to my dog, who sits there, squinting back. (In shame.)

“Roll call boogie, check, check. Roll call boogie, check, check. So check. Us. Out.” I yell out to myself in the kitchen (the dog has walked away). “My name is Jackie, YEAH. I have a big grin. YEAH. I’ll tell you one thing, YEAH. This team is gonna win!”

Before I’m done dancing and pretending to remember the cheer, I realize my 10-year-old daughter is not only ignoring me, she is running from me, screaming, “Mom, please stop! My eyes are burning!”

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • More
  • Email
  • Share on Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

Find Jackie on Momunity!

Find Jackie on Providence Moms Collective!

Looking for a ghost writer? Contact Jackie today!

Book available on Amazon!

She was a cast member of the 2017 and 2013 Listen to Your Mother Shows!

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Follow Venting Sessions on Facebook

Follow Venting Sessions on Facebook

Latest from Twitter:

  • RT @SheriMcShane: 5 Favorite Halloween Treats whenthekidsgotobed.com/2021/10/15/5-f… 1 year ago
  • Saturday fun: Something Lilly is on sale in my closet! posh.mk/mTjMHSHfEjb 1 year ago
  • Cheers to getting back to a new normal! ventingsessions.com/2021/07/16/che… 1 year ago
  • When you see what this dry cleaner tag says, it might shock you. But then again, we’re all in this together. instagram.com/p/CPYHD1bnZQun… 1 year ago
  • A Lilly dress for how much? Whaaaat? posh.mk/mRMa1kXOfgb 1 year ago
Follow @JackieHennesse1

Archived Posts

Previous Posts

September 2014
M T W T F S S
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
2930  
« Jul   Oct »

How to Spread Sanity on a Cracker Wins IndieReader Discovery Award!

I signed books at the Boston Book Festival!

Posts by Category

  • General Mommentary
  • Survey Says
  • Mommy Musings
  • Uncategorized
  • Little Links
  • You’re Still A Good Mom If
  • Random Recipies
  • Oh, Mother

Jackie hosted a fun “wine and cheese” book signing at Books on the Square March 1!

Enjoy wine, cheese dip & a reading with Jackie from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Books on the Square in Providence's Wayland Square

Jackie was part of Barnes & Noble Local Authors’ Night!

Jackie joined fellow local authors at the Warwick Barnes & Noble!

Jackie spoke at the Southern New England Women’s Expo

Jackie was a featured presenter at the SENE Women's Expo Sept. 30!

Categories

Mom Bloggers Club

Paypal

Archives

  • July 2021
  • March 2020
  • October 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • December 2018
  • October 2018
  • May 2018
  • February 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • August 2017
  • May 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • September 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011

Blogroll

  • Blog
  • Discuss
  • Get Inspired
  • Get Polling
  • Get Support
  • Learn WordPress.com
  • Susie Brown's web site
  • Theme Showcase
  • WordPress Planet
  • WordPress.com News

  • Follow Following
    • Venting Sessions
    • Join 184 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Venting Sessions
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
%d bloggers like this: