My alma mater, Meitoku High School, is a powerhouse in cheerleading that always ranks in the top three in competitions. They practiced rigorously every day, spending their days aiming for victory. Perhaps as a result of that, when I first saw the J. F. Oberlin University cheerleading club in high school, I was deeply impressed by the sight of the seniors enjoying their performances in such a wonderful atmosphere. I also entered J. F. Oberlin University out of a strong desire to cheer in a team like this. When I actually joined and participated in practice, I thought, "This is exactly what I was looking for!" I couldn't help but feel happy.

However, as practice progressed toward the May tournament, I started to wonder, "Is this really okay?" I was used to the high school's way of always practicing with relentless effort, so I think I felt a bit lacking compared to that. As a new member, I sometimes couldn't express my feelings well and even shed tears, but I didn't get annoyed because the seniors listened carefully to me. They helped me organize the reasons for my lack and the purpose of practice, and in the end, I was able to deliver a flawless performance in the competition. Trusting the other person and opening up my feelings led to bonds and the quality of my acting.

My second year was a disappointing one for me. In both the summer and winter competitions, we usually made it to the finals, but this time we failed to reach the finals in either. In the summer competition, two of the four towers fell when we were supposed to raise them. Our performance lacked the "beauty" that we had taken pride in, and we received a lower score than in previous years. Though stunned, we began preparing to make up for it in the winter competition, but perhaps our determination was too strong, as two of our members suffered injuries during practice that prevented them from competing. On the day of the competition, we managed to perform without any mistakes, but because we changed our routine to one with a lower difficulty level, we once again failed to reach the finals.

Some time after that competition ended, I was appointed club president by a vote of the team members. Determined to ensure we never again missed out on reaching the finals, we decided to restore the beauty of our performances during our time as a team. With that in mind, I worked to change the team's atmosphere so that each member could approach practice with initiative. I'm not the type of leader who aggressively pulls everyone along, but I make an effort to create an environment where everyone feels comfortable speaking up regardless of their role or grade level, and to provide many opportunities for the athletes to improve their skills together.

Cheerleading is a sport that teaches us the importance of trusting and caring for others. When someone is about to make a mistake, I try my best to make up for it. Conversely, when I'm not strong enough, others step up to support me. It is by acting with that awareness that a single technique or routine can be performed. There have been many times when we've been able to turn a risky situation that seemed like it would fail into a success because we trusted our teammates.

Furthermore, I believe that the compassion I learned through cheerleading is relevant to my field of study, social welfare. I want to use this experience to become someone who can listen attentively to people in need and connect them with appropriate welfare support in the future.