But Patience was born with a hell of a lot of spirit and determination, and this year, her freshman year at the University of Arkansas, it paid off when she was made part of the varsity cheer squad!

How can a girl with only one and a half legs be a varsity level cheerleader, you ask? Just watch Patience. She’s amazing–and it’s clear that she wasn’t given special treatment to be part of the squad–she’s earned every minute of it.

Check out her moves here:

 
Inspired yet? What do you think about Patience Beard? Do you know anyone who’s overcome something super difficult? Tell us in the comments!

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Does prayer in school extend to evoking God in cheerleading? One superintendent thinks so. | Source: ShutterStock

Cheerleading requires a lot of things: coordination, balance, rhythm, enthusiasm. But in one Texas high school, it apparently also requires prayer in school and God, and those are two things that aren’t for everyone.

In Kountze, Texas, some cheerleaders got together and put a Bible verse on a banner for a public school football game–and they were ordered by school officials not to use the banner, because the officials believed it violated the law that bans religious expression at public school (and therefore publicly funded) events. This sent the cheerleaders and then their lawyers into a tizzy, because it posed the question: Is preventing their religious expression in itself a violation of freedom of speech and religion?

It all resulted in a courtroom battle over prayer in school and whether God has a place in a Friday night football event that taxpayers funded. Here’s what’s interesting: The superintendent who ordered that the religious banners not be used is also a Christian. He just didn’t think it had any place in a public school event.

We’re inclined to agree with the superintendent. The article also mentions that no school funds were used to make the banners, which were also made after school hours (though on school property). Keep in mind though, that when the banners would have been waved, taxpayers funded the event (in the form of the game itself). The cheerleaders also insisted that they faced no opposition from anyone else about the banners other than the superintendent and that they had almost universal support from the community. The conundrum that presents itself is if it’s not bothering anyone and no tax dollars were used to do it, is it worth fighting over?

And the answer to that is, it might be, because these laws were put in place to protect the minority from the majority, so if there’s anyone who disagrees with the Christian messages on the banner, they may be scared to speak up for fear of backlash since it seems like everyone else endorses it. That said, it could also be argued that if someone doesn’t like it, they can just roll their eyes and go about their day–but if everyone did that all the time, the majority would be, effectively, silencing the minority. And when you silence the minority, that’s how scary things like tyranny can go down.

The beauty of the separation of church and state is that you’re still free to head over to Bible study, Hebrew school, Islamic studies, or whatever else you want after the 3:15 bell to believe in what you want–and no one else has to pay for it or be subjected to it unless they choose to do so.

Do you think the cheerleading banners were a big deal? Do you think prayer in public schools should be allowed? Do you think God has a place in public schools? comments!

Zayn Malik was bullied over his religion! Not cool.

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Right. All you have to do is create a cheer incorporating Sally Hansen products into it. Create the cheer, upload the video and you could win! And to celebrate this super fun contest and cheerleading in general, we’ve put together a list of some of the funniest cheerleading “oops” moments. We love that these cheerleaders barely stop smiling. Can’t beat a cheer girl’s attitude!

Love the gigglefest this turns into.
 

Too much spirit can happen to good people. This is proof.
 

I blame that sweeper guy! Sabotage!
 

Why does no one in the video seem bothered by this? Am I the only one who cares about the out of control flying guy?
 

Oof. Falling without even leaving the ground – totally been there.
 

So, um, are they laughing at her? Or are they just concerned about her?
 

It’s pretty comforting to know that dudes have cheerleading “oops moments” too.
 

At least she can laugh at herself, right?!
 

Like I said, I love that all of these girls got right back up and kept going! If that isn’t inspiration, then I don’t know what is!

After you finish watching these videos, don’t forget to enter the contest. Sally Hansen wants to see what you’ve got!

This post was written in sponsorship with Sally Hansen.

Which was your favorite “oops moment”? Let us know in the comments!

Let's hear it for the gurls!

Some people bring good cheer by bringing over a pie or passing around hot apple cider. Others? They bring on good cheer by flying through the air, kicking their legs to the moon, and keeping us amped up as teams face off on the field—all while wearing not-so-warm outfits in the cold.

Yup, we’re talking about cheerleaders—some of the strongest, coolest, most ambitious gurls (and guys!) we know.

Cheerleading has gotten a bad rap from years back when gurls would just wear skimpy outfits and shake their butts on the sidelines, but these days—and for a long time now—cheerleading has morphed into a super demanding, amazingly athletic spectacle. In fact, we think it should be recognized as a true sport. As Torrence says in Bring it On (AKA one of the best movies of our time), ”[cheerleaders] are gymnasts too, except no beams, no bars, no vault.”

Oh, Coach Sylvester. You bring out the . . . best . . . in all of us.

Think about the insane physical tests Sue Sylvester puts her Cheerios through. Most of those are exaggerated, but it is true that serious competitive cheerleaders have to get up early for training, stay late at night for games (which are essentially just rehearsals for competitions), and have to keep their grades up at the same time so they can compete in—and hopefully win—major state and country competitions.

Whether you love cheer, too, or you’re not convinced that it’s that awesome, watch this video of this year’s Universal Cheerleaders Association champions. They’re beyond rad.

What do you think about cheerleading? Tell us in comments!
cheerleading

does this look easy to you?

Any gURL who has ever been a cheerleader knows that it’s a lot more work than just jumping up and down and screaming — which is why two groups are asking the National Collegiate Athletic Association to recognize cheerleading as a sport.

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The New York Times reports that USA Cheer and the National Collegiate Athletics and Tumbling Association argue that cheering requires strength, coordination and everything else that goes along with other sports like football and soccer. The goal is to get colleges to start recognizing cheerleaders as athletes in order to give students athletic scholarships.

“Guess what?” Says Valerie Hagedorn, the head cheerleading coach at Adams State College in Colorado, “We don’t throw balls, we throw people. And we catch them.”

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Are you a cheerleader? Do you think cheerleading is a real sport? Have you ever gotten hurt while cheering? Share your stories and thoughts below.

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