by Daring Diane
Lee closed his door and laid face down on the bed. His mind was in turmoil. He did not hear the knocking until the third time. “Lee, can I come in for a moment?” his mom asked.
“I guess.” Lee said. Sally sat on the bed and rubbed Lee’s back.
“Honey, you have to realize that the girls all got excited. They were not thinking about you or anyone else. You have to have fun in high school. You have to do some things that you want to do. Your father and I just want you to be happy. I want you to take these next couple of days and really think about this. Make sure you understand your options. Ask yourself what you want to do. It does not matter what others want you to do. Talk to your friends and anyone else you want to. On Tuesday evening at dinner, I want you, dad and me to have a conversation. I am not and will not force you to make any decision. I want to make sure you are using good data and reasoning. You always do. Now, you can stay up here for a while. But, I want you to take a shower and get on some clean clothes. Later, maybe you can go talk to Darby and thank her for popping that bubble that was growing out of control. She is a really good friend. Ask her what she thinks.”
Lee hopped in the shower. He blew dry his hair and dressed casually before wandering over to Darby’s house. Erin pointed him to the family room. Darby was watching TV and Lee joined her on the couch. After about 15 minutes, Darby muted the TV. “I’m sorry about the girls. The older girls didn’t realize we had roped you into helping us. Tell me what you are thinking.”
Lee thought for a minute. “I think I said it to Coach Steiling. Boys should be playing sports. I played basketball and baseball. I didn’t think I’d be a manager in high school. I feel like I am an athlete. I work out and I work hard. There must be some sport I can do well. I guess my initial reaction is I’d be disappointed if my biggest claim to fame in high school was to be a manager for the girls. It’s nothing against you or the girls on the squad. It just feels like I’m not reaching my full potential. I know in my heart I can be a good baseball player. I was always one of the best players on the baseball team. I liked basketball. But you and I have talked about that. If all I am is a manager, I’ll be the joke of the class when we get together for a reunion.”
Darby thought about what Lee had said. “Lee, I know that initially you were reluctant to help us out with the cheerleading. Do you wish we hadn’t pushed you to help?”
Lee jumped right in, “No. You know I really enjoyed helping you during the summer. While I was reluctant at first to help out the squad, something happened. It turned into a really challenging exercise. I loved working with the squad and I looked forward to every minute we spent practicing. I have to admit, I love doing the cheerleading stuff. It just feels like I shouldn’t’.”
“Why not?” Darby asked
Lee looked at her. “Why not, what?”
“Why doesn’t it feel like you should do the cheerleading stuff?”
“Well, cheerleaders are all girls. And, I’m a boy. Besides, I’m just helping out. You guys are doing all the hard work. I’m just moral support. I give you guys a few ideas and you make it happen.”
Darby wondered if he was that self-deprecating. In his heart did he really believe that they were doing all the work? It seemed impossible. “Lee you are more than just moral support. And, I think you know it. You have to realize that without you none of our successes would have been possible. You taught the girls how to do things. You designed the routines. That is why Miss Steiling is asking you, a freshman in high school to help her. She knows that she can’t do it without you. Not without us. I know you keep brushing it off, but Lee you should be very proud of everything the girls have been able to do. Heck, without your help this summer, I would never have been in shape to do everything we did.”
“I think you are giving me too much credit. The girls on the squad are just good cheerleaders. I simply helped them focus.”
“Lee, that is baloney and you know it. Miss Steiling told me half those girls would never have had a chance to be cheerleaders next year if you had not taught them things.”
Lee thought about it.
“Lee, you had fun. You looked forward to every practice and you were thrilled when the girls started joining us at the house for weekend practices. Admit it.”
Lee tried to look seriously at Darby. But a little smile seeped through. “Okay. I liked the practices. And you are right. I was really excited that the girls wanted to come over and do more than was expected. Our weekend workouts have been really uplifting and fun for both of us. Well, I think our moms like having all the kids around too.”
Darby paused for a few minutes to let him think about that. “Lee, you said you liked the challenge of leading the squad. You said you looked forward to all the practices. You said you had fun. Isn’t that right?”
“Yes, Darby, that is right.”
“Lee, I want to tell you something. If you asked any of the girls or Miss Steiling why we have done so well or why the girls have exhibited great skills, every single one of them would say that you are the only reason. You provided a soft leadership style that endeared you to the squad. You taught people things they never believed they could have done. You made the squad. And if you need any more evidence, the fact that the varsity squad abandoned their practices and joined your program should tell you that even they know that you are the reason for their success.”
“You are as much a part of this squad as anyone else. You are the most important part of the squad. The girls want you to be on the squad with them. I said, with them. Miss Steiling has paid you a huge compliment by asking you to help lead this effort.”
She paused. Then continued, “Lee, let’s look at the alternative. You might make the basketball team. But you have told me you are very confident you will never make the varsity team. On the other hand, you would be helping a varsity team of cheerleaders compete against other schools. As a member of that effort, you would already be competing at the varsity level as a freshman. I admit, that you won’t be on the floor. But, the girls will all be thinking of you and in their hearts you will be on the floor with them whenever they do something you taught them.”
Lee smiled at that thought. Darby always had a way of helping him focus.
“I want you to think about something else. Since I am a freshman, it is unlikely I would be on this competition team. So, I am not trying to convince you one way or the other for my benefit. You need to decide what is right for you.”
That thought was a little jarring. “Can we just watch some stupid TV show and not talk about this for a while?”
“Sure,” Darby said as she turned the sound back on.
Erin, who had been listening at the door, crept back to the kitchen and made her way over to talk to Sally. She related the conversation to Sally and the two of them discussed the positives and negatives. Sally needed to talk to Jack to make sure he was up to speed and to see what his thoughts were. Both Erin and Sally liked the thoughtful way the kids were talking about the alternatives and Erin was very proud of Darby’s efforts to help Lee make a decision.
Chapter 8 – Week Eight
On Monday, no one said anything to Lee about the new opportunity. Practice went well. Lee stopped by coach Steiling’s office after practice to ask a few questions and figure out where he could look on the internet to learn more. Sylvia explained that there were mandatory sections which had required elements and then less structured elements where competitors got points based on performance and difficulty. Lee thought it sounded challenging.
After they finished their homework, Lee and Darby researched the competitions. They watched videos and read some of the rules. There were a lot of rules and for a first time team it would be an overwhelming learning curve.
Lee and Darby chatted some more. But she resolved to let him work it out.
Tuesday evening Sally cooked a nice dinner. After dinner, they cleared the table and they all sat back down for their discussion. Sally asked Lee to tell them what he understood about
the opportunity and what his thoughts were.
Lee summarized Miss Steiling’s offer and then he related what he and Darby had learned about the competitions. He was not sure his dad realized how he had gotten involved in the cheerleading practices, so he related that. He explained what his role was and tried to be fair explaining what he had done. Luckily Sally had given Jack a pretty clear idea of what Lee had contributed. Jack had been giving a lot of the credit to Darby and Sally made sure he understood how much of the squad’s success was due to Lee’s contributions.
Lee explained his thoughts about basketball and his father agreed that he was unlikely to be tall enough to be on the varsity basketball team.
Jack asked a lot of questions about how much Lee enjoyed the cheerleading and the choreography aspects. As a businessman, he could see the problem solving and creativity in what Lee was doing. He was not some dad hoping to relive high school through his son’s performance as a jock. Jack kicked himself for not realizing how much Lee had been doing for the squad.
“Lee, I want to apologize. I really had no idea how much of the success and creativity in the cheer programs was due to your involvement. You should be very proud. And just to be clear, your mother and I are very proud of what you have accomplished. Whatever you decide, you need to know you have our support.” Jack stated. “In all my years, I have never known of a high school student at any level to have this much impact on a program. And you are just a freshman. I can only imagine what you will do between now and graduation.”
Lee explained Darby's points and the questions she had asked. After researching things, he admitted to them, “Even if we do this with Coach Steiling, we are going to have a hard time performing well since we have no experience doing so. Some schools practice for these competitions all year long. But, if we can learn the rules and have an acceptable showing, maybe in a year or two we’ll be able to finish closer to the top. There are a lot of schools in these competitions.”
Jack and Sally looked at him. Jack said, “Wow. That is an amazingly honest evaluation of the possible success or failure of this new squad. While you may talk to the coach, I would never say that to anyone else. Unluckily, you are probably right. New team efforts always seem to take years to achieve success.”
Sally asked, “Lee, does the difficulty and likely failure scare you or influence your decision on whether to help the squad?”
Lee looked at her surprised, “Of course not. I didn’t think the girls would end up accomplishing everything they did this fall. I would do it because it is the right decision. There are hundreds of schools with existing programs that will fail in these competitions. The trick is to compete and not embarrass yourself.”
Sally could not help herself. She was up and around the table hugging her son. “I am so proud of you. I take some credit for teaching you to be a good human being. But, still, I am proud of you. Whatever you decide, we will support.”
The three of them discussed several other issues and some regular gossip. Lee told them about the dance and how much fun everyone had.
On Wednesday afternoon, all the girls were seated on the field waiting for Lee. Lee walked out to the field with Coach Steiling. Sylvia raised her hand to get everyone's attention. “Lee you have the floor so to speak.”
Lee looked at the joint squad. “Ladies, I have a few things to say before I tell you my decision. I have thought long and hard about this. I doubt most of you can understand why this is an issue for me. But, I’m learning that life seldom goes the way we expect. Because I trust all of you, I am going to say some things which I would seldom admit to myself. I know you will honor that trust.”
“I will admit that I had visions of being a star athlete in high school. But it turned out that while I enjoyed soccer, my skills were not good enough to be successful on the team. I had more endurance and could outrun any of them. But, I found out that if I can’t control the ball it didn’t matter. So, my first disappointment was that I was not going to be on the soccer team. I figured I would loaf around and practice to be on the basketball team in the winter term.”
During the summer, Darby and I decided to increase our workout routines. She and I ran 5 days a week from 3-6 miles a day. At least one day a week we ran as far as 10 miles. ”
“Darby and I used to do gymnastics regularly and she wanted to join the cheerleaders. She wanted to be sure she succeeded. Since she is my friend, I wanted her to succeed. So, as the summer progressed, we set in place a program to get in shape for jumps and things. Not having anything better to do, I came to the practices and watched the junior squad practice. I don’t want to sound too critical, but it was clear to both of us that the practices were not going to teach the girls much except the basic cheers. There was no fitness training and I thought the girls could do much better. I took time to observe what the varsity team was doing and I learned the cheers. I’m pretty good at watching and learning quickly. So, in the afternoons and on the weekend, I worked with Darby to teach her the cheers. We also maintained our heavy fitness activity.”
“Then Darby talked to some of the squad members and they asked me to help out with the fitness aspect of things. Frankly, I did not want to do it. I didn’t think a guy should be doing the cheerleader routines. I thought I would get a lot of grief and end up being a pile of goo under Clyde or Barry’s big foot. The girls promised to help me get in shape for basketball and baseball. I gave in and started helping them.”
“Of course, Clyde and Barry did eventually come calling. But, Coach Steiling solved that problem and we have not been bothered by them since then. We practiced and learned new routines. You guys came to our house and asked to join us for our weekend sessions. We merged the practices and had even more success. Everyone got better and we did some kickass programs at the football games. Every week our programs have gotten better. I am very proud of everything you guys have accomplished.”
“Now we get to today’s topic. Coach Steiling suggested after our Sunday practice that she might want to put together a competition cheer squad and she asked if I would help out. As discussed earlier, I had big basketball plans. But, I have a family history issue because I will not be getting very tall. Since I do not have the most amazing three point shot in town that lack of height will virtually ensure I will not be a varsity basketball player at this school.”
Several of the girls were chuckling, but tried to keep it under control to avoid interrupting.
“Honestly, I was worried that being a boy, I should do something more manly. After much thought and discussions with family, coach Steiling and Darby, I have concluded the following. Though reluctant to help out, I loved helping the cheer squad. I loved the fact that people learned new things and I could see improvement almost every day. It filled me with pride when each week more of you asked to join Darby and me for our weekend workouts. I looked forward to every practice or event we had. It gave me such a feeling of fulfillment and success when you guys performed so well at each of the games. And each week it was better than the last. I was actually worried about losing those feelings after the season ended. But on the flip side I thought that as a boy, I should be doing something else. Then I ask myself, why I should do something that does not make me really happy and fulfilled. I have never been as happy as I have been since school started. I have researched these competition cheer squads and there are going to be some major challenges to creating a new squad. We have to realize we can’t step into something like this and be at the top of the game.”
Lee looked around at all the girls and then at Sylvia Steiling. He took a deep breath. “I think this effort will be overwhelming and terribly difficult. I have decided that I want to play baseball. I think I can be a varsity baseball player. Given the situation with basketball, and after considering my future and my own happiness, I have decided that I liked the challenge this fall and I will be proud to join Miss Steiling in helping to form a competition cheer squad here at our school.”
The girls all scre
amed and cheered. Jumping up they all hugged and crowded around Lee. Lee noticed that Sylvia was in the klatch and she was cheering also.
As soon as they were able to calm down, Lee asked, “So, should we have a practice today or should we just skip this weekend’s game?”
Everyone lined up quickly. The smiles on all their faces filled Lee’s heart. As he looked out at them, he was hugged from behind. Over his shoulder he heard Darby whisper, “I didn’t get to get in on the group hug. I knew you’d make the right decision.”
Lee asked, “Can we start now?”
Darby let go and moved into position. Her smile was as broad as all the other girls.
After practice, Lee walked back to Coach Steiling’s office with her. “So, with all the excitement, it would seem everyone wants to be on the squad.”
Sylvia thought for a moment, “Not really. They were excited for you more than for themselves. They all knew this was the right decision. Sure, some of them want to be on the squad. But, they all knew you should take this chance. Those cheers and tears were all for you.”
Lee was flattered and speechless.
“Lee, I talked to all the girls. Here is a list of the girls who are available for the competition squad. We need to figure out who we want for the squad. We will be competing in the small varsity division which means that our squad size will be between 5 and 12 girls.
Kelly the varsity cheer captain played women's basketball. Upon review, there were 6 girls from the varsity squad available including Marcia and 8 girls from the junior squad.
Sylvia said, “I will be the one to tell people they are or not on the squad. I would never saddle you with that responsibility. What we need to do is look at the girls and think about possible routines. We need to decide how many girls should be on the squad. Then we need to figure out which girls are the better choices for the squad. Why don’t you take the list home tonight and think about it? We can talk more tomorrow. I’m really glad you decided to do this.”
