syd !!

A long overdue sappy post…

For as long as I can remember, cheerleading has been something constant through every stage of my life —through growing up, changing, learning, struggling, celebrating, and becoming who I am. What started as a little girl in bows and crazy eyeshadow somehow turned into decades of moments that now are just memories. Cheer taught me discipline before I even realized that’s what it was. It taught me how to trust people and how to be someone others could trust. It taught me how to work hard, how to lead, how to be led, how to support the people around me, and how to keep showing up even when things felt hard.

To all of my coaches, thank you for pushing me, believing in me, and helping me grow through every season. I’m a better person for it.

To all of my teammates, thank you for all the memories, laughs, hard moments, and everything in between. You all are what made cheer so special to me.

To my family, thank you for every sacrifice you made so I could do what I love.

How strange is it to say goodbye to something that has quietly been woven into almost every version of you? And while it’s hard, I think what I feel most is gratitude.

Gratitude for the little girl who started. Gratitude for every season, every team, every lesson, every challenge, every win, every loss, every person, every memory, and every version of me that this sport helped shape along the way. But most importantly gratitude for a creator who gave me the opportunity to be part of something that shaped so much of my life. Who in His lovingkindness walked before me and beside me every step of the way. The Lord used this chapter to grow me, challenge me, strengthen me, humble me, and bless me in more ways than I could ever put into words. Looking back, I see His goodness in every season.

All that to say, words still don’t quite do it justice — so here’s a post that glimpses into what my life has looked like over the past 17 years♥️