What It Means to Be a Champion in 10 Gifs

A champion excels at her sport and pushes herself to be her best in every facet of life, from cheerleading to school and everything in between. Being a champion requires skill combined with hard work and determination. That takes a special kind of person. Here are 10 descriptions of what it takes to be a champion: Nothing. Else. Matters. OK, you generally care about world peace and helping the less fortunate and even your homework, but while you’re in that gym, nothing else exists. (Source: memecenter.com) You work hard. Sure you have some natural talent, but champions aren’t born. They are made, and you are sure to squeeze every ounce out of your potential. (Source: refinery29.com) You are mentally tough. You go harder than should be humanly possible. Your body tells you to stop, your mind says keep going. (Source: buzzfeed.com) You are a champion in multiple ways. You can’t just turn off your desire to succeed and give your all. It carries over into school, work, family game night, you name it. (Source: tumblr.com) You take your position seriously. You know you are a role model for younger athletes, and you act accordingly. (Source: tumblr.com) You recognize that your success is a group effort. You are good, but it’s your parents, your coach, your teammates, and your friends who make you great. (Source: weheartit.com) You are competitive. On the outside, you are just your average cheerleader, but the second you step onto the floor for a competition, it’s win at all cost. (Source: tumblr.com) You expect a lot out of yourself. When you lose (which even champions do), it’s not the losing that bothers you so much as knowing you can do better. (Source: giphy.com) You give your all. Even when you know you could do better, you can rest easy knowing you tried your absolute hardest. Everything may not have come together on this particular day, but it wasn’t for lack of effort. (Source: tumblr.com) You don’t care about the trophies. Your mom displays them somewhere proudly, but for you, it’s all about the feeling. Knowing you’re the best and that your hard work paid off is worth all the time and effort it took to get there. (Source: crushable.com) How do you define being a champion?