Man, today’s practice was something else. Let me tell you exactly how I tackled learning legit cheers for the Bendigo Women’s basketball squad. Totally winged it at first.
The “What The Heck Am I Doing?” Phase
First, I grabbed my laptop and typed in Bendigo Womens Basketball cheers. Expected some magic guide. Yeah, right. Found nothing useful. Just some crappy clips of random people jumping around.
Then I remembered seeing those college cheer squads on ESPN. Fired up YouTube and searched college basketball cheers. Watched like thirty minutes of Penn State and UCLA squads yelling chants. Tried scribbling down bits that sounded cool:
- “Defense! Clap-clap! DEFENSE!”
- That stompy foot rhythm thing
- How they pointed at the crowd to get ’em loud
My Living Room Disaster
Armed with half-baked notes, I stood in my living room yesterday. Cleared the coffee table (almost smashed a lamp). Practiced yelling “LET’S GO BEN-DI-GO” with claps. My timing sucked. Felt like an idiot. Brain froze mid-cheer. My neighbor probably thinks I’ve lost it.
Watched my recordings later. Looked stiff as a board. Realized my arms were glued to my sides. Also forgot to actually breathe. Like five times. Almost passed out after the “LONG SHOT, STOP THE BALL!” chant. Rookie move.
Game Day Test Run
Tonight was make-or-break. Got to the stadium early. Felt nerves buzzing before tip-off. When Bendigo’s defense was struggling, I launched into the stomp-clap rhythm. Couple folks nearby joined in weak. Then I full-on belted “WHO’S HOUSE? BEN-DI-GO’S HOUSE!” Arms wide open like those college kids. Felt silly, but committed.
And guess what? Whole section near me suddenly yelled it back loud. Even saw one of the guards flash a quick thumbs-up on the bench! Crowd actually got louder after that possession. Felt like freaking magic.
Key things I totally messed up but fixed later:
- Stomping needs HARDER FEET. Carpet ain’t the gym floor.
- Can’t mumble cheers. Gotta shout like you mean it.
- Make stupidly big arm motions or nobody sees you.
Yeah, I ain’t no pro cheerleader now. But man, seeing that crowd react tonight? Pure fire. Gonna practice the new “SWISH ALL NIGHT!” chant tomorrow. Probably knock over another lamp.
