My freshman year in high school was quite remarkable. I managed to go through an entire year without making anything at all out of it. Well, scholastically I did reasonably well. Socially? I might just as well not have existed. I failed to get into any sports team. I failed to excel in any other way. I failed to get even ONE date, and that was definitely not for want of trying. I had no real friends. I had a few acquaintances that socially were as remarkable as I but that was all.

At the end of that year the school had come to the realization that the cheerleader team couldn’t possibly be at all events where they were wanted. The decision was taken to create a JV cheerleading team. Cheerleading was an exclusively female thing in our school. However, there was nothing in the rules that stopped a boy being a cheerleader provided he followed the rules. The rules would be the same as for the senior team. Same conduct rules. Same dress code, including wearing the skirted cheerleading uniform on match days and a nice dress at required obligatory social events.

I may have been a bit deranged but I decided that this was my opportunity to stand out, and get close to cute and popular girls. Best case, even share a locker room with them! I mentioned it to Carl, the nearest thing I had to a friend, and he just looked at me and shook his head. Well, I wasn’t to be discouraged by that.

My big sister Karen and I have always been close. She was kind of my hero. Popular, successful and so on. She was already on the senior cheer team and I persuaded her to help me train all summer for the try-outs. She was reluctant at first since she understood that I really was interested in getting close to the girls for, well, not exactly nefarious purposes but … Finally she agreed since 1) she needed to practice herself and it was more fun to do it with me, 2) she thought I needed to get in form no matter the excuse, 3) she thought there was no chance I’d succeed,. As I said we liked each other. I didn’t say that my sister had a very high opinion of me. I probably didn’t fool our parents either as to my motivation but they were swayed by Karen (probably for the same reasons). To be honest I didn’t think I’d have a chance either but Karen was fun to be around and I DID need to get in form. Besides I figured I had nothing to lose. Even making a credible attempt to join the girls’ cheerleading team would make me noticed. As I said I probably was a bit out of my mind at that time but my freshman year had been absolutely WASTED!

I have to admit I became a bit obsessed by the training. It usually was Karen or Mum that stopped the training sessions. I carefully watched Karen’s every move and tried to copy them. Awkwardly at first but as the summer weeks passed I got better and better. I certainly did get in better form so my parents were happy. They had expected me to spend all summer locked in my room playing games. In mid-July Karen upped the ante. Apart from the usual sessions she had all these recordings of our school’s cheerleading team from last year as well as professional teams. I hadn’t realized that I would get a thorough theoretical grounding in cheerleading history, figures and moves, choreography and, perhaps most importantly, motivations. Karen gave a running commentary of recordings of what was happening and why. I became more and more fascinated by the finer points of the sport and art of cheerleading. I didn’t even protest when she made me wear the same type of tank leotard she used when we trained. I had to admit it was the most suitable clothing for the task. Besides that was what I’d have to wear at the try-outs. I DID refuse when she suggested “total feminine immersion”. No way I was going to wear skirts when I didn’t have to. We did hit the mall together sometimes and every single time she tried to get me into a skirt or a dress. I admit that once she found a dress that was really, really cute but I said no.

By the end of summer Karen had stopped having our training at two levels. Now I followed her program totally. I was pretty good at emulating her movements. No, I wasn’t near as good as she but I had a certain pride in what I had achieved. I was really looking forward to the try-out. Being noticed. Being together with cute girls at least for that moment. Perhaps get a date?

I was appalled the day of the try-outs. Carl had blabbed! He and some ten other boys were there for the try-outs. It was MY idea. They shouldn’t have stolen it. Now it was all ruined!

They started with the boys. Most of them were very awkward in the tight leotard. Good thing I was used to it. The first two were absolute disasters. No talent, no technique at all. I was offended. Next were Peter, Lucas and Carl from our little circle. They weren’t that bad. In fact, Lucas was actually good. He got the first applause. Of the rest only two others were above the clown level. In that context my effort really stood out. I got a standing ovation. I didn’t fool myself though. Being the best of that crowd wasn’t exactly an achievement. I was only waiting for the girl applicants to outshine me.

As it turned out I was wrong. There were NO girl applicants. Not a single one!

After a short break the results were announced. I, Lucas, Carl, Peter and the two non-clowns were selected. I was appointed captain.

The girls’ coach gave a speech.

- Young men, you have decided to make a mockery of the JV cheerleading team. You disgust me. Yes, we heard what you were up to and all girls decided to abstain and not to participate in this charade. You have now been selected to the team. Remember you all signed up to commit yourself to the team if selected. You also committed yourselves to follow ALL the rules cheerleaders have to follow. Welcome to the infamous All-boy Girls’ JV cheerleading team. Congratulations!

Things had really gone down the toilet. My grandiose idea, so stupidly stolen and botched by those dilettantes, had made us the laughingstock of the entire school. And we were stuck. We had signed all these papers. We had committed ourselves.

After about a minute’s silence when the new cheerleaders looked at each other with horrified faces the girls’ coached resumed

- I see you realize what you have got yourselves into. I hope that you also realize how stupid and insulting your actions have been. It’s too bad you destroyed the joy a JV cheer team would have brought to school but better nothing than a joke. We have decided to be lenient. You are hereby released from you commitment.

I looked at Lucas. He was devastated. Coach Wilson was wrong. We weren’t an all-boy girls’ cheerleading team. I realized that this would have been Lucy’s big break. Yes, Lucy. I believed I was the only other person in school who knew that she was a girl. A girl that obviously liked cheerleading. Carl and Peter didn’t look exactly unhappy but neither did they look relieved either.

- Excuse me coach. Before we wind things up, as captain of the JV cheerleading team I’d like to say some words.

A very surprised coach:

- Go ahead

- We may have tried out for all the wrong reasons but we DID make the team. Admittedly we wouldn’t in a fair competition but right now WE are the JV team. We could quit and go home. We could be quitters. We could deprive the school of the much needed JV team. I won’t pretend that we six make a great JV team today. To be honest right now we could very well be the worst in the state. However, we have put work into getting prepared. Some of us a lot of work.

Here I looked at Lucy/Lucas.

- I’ve come to love cheerleading. I hope I’m not the only one. You may have considered all this a joke but when I looked at you performing I saw POTENTIAL. Potential and spirit and LOTS of hard work will make us a great JV cheerleading team. Yes, at first we will be a joke. Yes, it will mean grueling practice. Despite all that, when I look at you I see before me the future best damned all-boy girls’ cheerleading team in the entire state.

It turned out that there was going to be a JV cheerleading team this year after all. And I was the captain. I looked at the glowingly happy Lucy. She’s rather pretty so maybe I wasn’t so wrong after all? As I was planning how to best approach her the school quarter-back came up to me

- Trevor, I owe you an apology. I was the one that, together with Coach Wilson, arranged to place you in this situation. I admit I was really pissed-off when I first heard what you guys were up to. I wanted to expose you as stupid jerks. I admit, I was wrong about you personally. I’m sorry.

He hesitated a bit, and blushed before continuing

- And hm er hrump when I saw you out there you were really good. No doubt you would have made the team no matter the competition. I suspect coach Wilson would have considered inviting you to the senior team if you hadn’t saved the JV team, YOUR team. What you did today impressed me in so many ways. Unless I’m completely wrong you did this partly for Lucy. It’s obvious you know. I don’t know how but I can see you do know and care. She’s my cousin. I appreciate what you did. I didn’t know she’d try out. Now I don’t have to have a bad conscience for spoiling it for her.

Great, talk about shooting yourself in the foot. If I just had kept my big mouth shut I could have …

- When I saw you out there I didn’t see a boy. You stunned me. I have never seen such feminine grace combined with strength.

Apparently I had emulated my sister more than I realized.

- Actually, not even when looking at your sister. Er, hrrmp would you consider going out with me tonight?

Looking at the big, handsome, embarrassed but quite obviously sincere boy I was struck by the fact that I had emulated my sister way more than I realized. Good thing my sister is not one to take no for an answer. Since I did have that cute dress in my closet I couldn’t claim that I had nothing to wear.