Ambassador Feature: Lily Major
Favorite Quote: “Be humble. Be hungry. And always be the hardest worker in the room.”
CHEERFIT AMBASSADOR FEATURE: LILY MAJOR
The CHEERFIT ambassador community is filled with leaders and motivators who all share a passion for fitness, love for cheering and drive to help inspire others.
Our ambassadors share with us their personal stories and obstacles they overcome along the way. We have an amazing community of athletes who fuel their passion and determination with the CHEERFIT lifestyle. Despite personal setbacks, they persevere and end up even stronger than when they started.
This week, we meet Lily, a competitive cheerleader who shares with us how being a CHEERFIT ambassador has helped build her confidence and what she does to motivate others! We are excited to share with you our Ambassador of the Week feature with Lily Major!
TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR JOURNEY AND WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE!
Last year, right before D2 Summit, I injured my hamstring on my left leg. It hurt so bad to do my one foot flexibility stunts (heel stretch/ bow and arrow), jump and tumble. I didn’t want to cause problems for my coaches or team, so I just dealt with the pain. At first I could still do my part, but the pain got unbearable so I had to tell my coach. She wasn’t mad at me and gave me some stretches to try and loosen it up. . . but when I didn’t feel any better after a few days, my coach told me to ask my mom to take me to the doctor.
My doctor prescribed physical therapy – I had appointments 2-3 times a week and exercises to do at home. I REALLY didn’t want to let down my teammates – after all, getting our bid to the D2 Summit was a big accomplishment and we were so excited to get there and compete! I took my physical therapy very seriously and I did my homework exercises so diligently, that I was healed enough to be able to compete with my team.
What I learned from this is that I need to listen to my body!
I may have made things worse by trying to do everything while it was hurting me. I learned to trust my coaches and my parents and tell them when my body needs help. I also learned that even though I’ve been doing this a long time, that there’s still a lot I don’t know.
– CHEERFIT Ambassador Lily Major
HOW DO YOU MOTIVATE OTHERS?
The more confident I’m feeling will effect my motivational style. Also, how well I know the person/people I’m looking to influence.
In the past I’ve heard that I’m a quiet leader. I don’t complain or talk – I just do exactly what is expected of me to the best of my ability every time. By doing that I seem to influence the people around me to do the same. Additionally as part of my quiet style, I might notice that someone is struggling and I try to make eye contact with them, to give them a nod of encouragement without saying anything at all.
Lately, since I’ve gotten the confidence of being a CHEERFIT ambassador, and I think I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone a little and tried to be a voice of motivation. I literally shout out words of encouragement during the last repetitions of conditioning- things like “still do your best”, “make the last one as good as the first” and “stay strong”.
During our cheer routine, I used to say an encouraging word or phrase as we jumped in for stunts or pyramid and we were already tired from jumps and tumbling to breathe and stay strong. I used to say it just to my group but now I shout it out for my whole team.
It feels really good to be able to say I’m a CHEERFIT ambassador! I like the changes it has brought out in me.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
I’ve won state and national championships for cheer. I earned the highest rating of 1 at solo and ensemble for my wind ensemble (clarinet and saxophone quartet). With my team I earned a bid to D2 Summit at our first bid competition of the season last year.
I get to be a CHEERFIT ambassador!!! 😉
. . .but my proudest accomplishment is overcoming a mental block. I learned my back handspring when I was only 5 years old. I could tumble anywhere – at the gym, in my living room, at school, my backyard – literally anywhere. Until one day I couldn’t anymore. I couldn’t tumble anywhere. I just couldn’t make myself do it. For 2 full years I just couldn’t make myself do it. Sometimes I couldn’t even make myself do it with a spot?!?! The kids who were just starting out were progressing and passing me and it really made me feel even worse about it all. The kids and coaches used to say “Lily, your tumbling is beautiful and perfect…you don’t need a spot” – which might have been meant to make me feel better, but it really only made me feel worse. I wanted to do it and I didn’t even understand why I couldn’t. I felt like I was disappointing everyone.
My coach tried everything she could think of to help me through it. We found Debbie Love’s advice for mental blocks and tried that. My mom even took me for hypnotherapy to help me learn techniques to help me through what I guess we determined was anxiety.
Anyway, after 2 full years I was able to get over my mental block and I’m back to making progress with my tumbling. I don’t know if it was one particular thing that we did or if it was everything we did.
One thing is certain – I appreciate the love and support of my mom through all of it. ❤
HOW HAS BEING AN AMBASSADOR HELPED YOU?
Being an ambassador has helped me feel confident and proud! Everyone has struggles. Sometimes you look around and think you are the only one struggling – but you’re not.You never know what someone else’s story is. When I sent my application to be a CHEERFIT ambassador, I didn’t feel confident that CHEERFIT would choose me, so I felt a little bit insecure. When I was chosen, it honestly gave me so much more confidence, made me proud of myself, and even more proud of the things I’ve overcome!
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT BEING A CHEERFIT AMBASSADOR?
Getting the opportunity to meet new people who love cheer and fitness just as much as I do!
FUN FACT: WHAT 3 THINGS ARE ALWAYS IN YOUR CHEER BAG?
Shoe deodorizer, headbands & cheer bows!
FAVORITE SONG TO JAM OUT TO DURING A SWEAT SESH:
Demi Levato “Confident”
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE EXERCISE?
Push ups!
Thank you so much for sharing your story Lily! We love to hear how our ambassadors motivate their community and how being a CHEERFIT ambassador brings out even more confidence! Keep on tumblin’ and stay #CHEERFITstrong mentally and physically in all you do – we are proud to have you in the CHEERFIT family!
Stay FIT <3,
your CHEERFIT team
cheerFIT is so much more than just a workout brand – we are a lifestyle, a community and an inspiration. We are a community who is strengthened through fitness – both mentally and physically. It is our mission to spread the awareness that cheerleaders need fitness. We are dedicated to building a community of strong, powerful individuals who are a true inspiration to their team and leaders in their community. Together we are disrupting the traditional methods of fitness training and revolutionizing the way people think about cheerleading and their fitness needs! Are you the next cheerFIT Ambassador? Apply today.
