Everyone knows of the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz; the character who undoubtedly lives up to his name. Throughout his adventure to the Emerald City, he demonstrated small acts of bravery that are bigger than they seem, such as picking fights with palace guards and venturing off alone, even when he is afraid. With that being said, what exactly does it mean to have courage beyond the context of a fictional character?

According to Merriam-Webster, courage is defined as “mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.” Anyone can show an act of fearlessness, from firemen to high school athletes, even a lion for that matter. Stepping outside a person’s comfort zone can be fairly difficult to do considering no one wants to be the one standing alone. However, Antioch Community High School holds a variety of students and athletes that take these risks of venturing off into the unknown.

Imagine this: a boy who lived and breathed football his entire childhood decides to take a year off and try a sport completely different. He ends up making the varsity team and is one of only two guys there. Cheering on the sidelines for the activity he loves the most; junior Justin Stevens is a varsity cheerleader for ACHS and represents what it takes to be courageous.

After playing the same sport for eight years, trying something new could be refreshing. With the encouragement from his football team, Stevens began attending open gym sessions that helped lead him to his decision of trying out for the cheerleading squad. During the open gyms is when everyone really got a taste of what the team was going to look like; everyone was trying to figure out their competition.

“[I felt uncomfortable] probably the first day during open gym. I’ve never even talked to most of those girls and I was just really nervous,” Stevens said. “A dude on the cheerleading team… I was nervous [about] what they would think of me.”

Being a cheerleader is an invitation for stereotyping, especially when talking about a male. Along with the typical assumption that all cheerleaders are stuck up and better than everyone else, male cheerleaders also have to deal with the connotation of being gay. Stevens has obtained homosexual comments throughout the first few weeks of partaking in the cheerleaders events.

“I guess it’s not that bad, [but I have been called] gay and [have] been told to stick to football or stick to wrestling,” Stevens said. “[Mostly] just teasing me.”

No matter the circumstance, anyone that is looking to try something new will often receive either discrimination from people who disapprove or reassurance from friends. After all, that person is putting themselves out there with the possibility of failure. The lack of courage should not be about the fear of gossip one might hear, and acts of courage should not be about the credibility attached to someone’s name. Having a real heart of a lion consists of trying to better a situation or a person’s life.

There are other athletes that have been in Stevens’ situation, but for other reasons. Maybe the parents of an athlete are forcing their child to change up their typical routine, or do not have the money to continue the sport. Maybe a physical trainer wishes that their client try a new sport to exercise different muscles. For sophomore Abigail McWilliams, an injury is what finalized the journey from cheerleader to field hockey player.

“Well for cheer, I have an injury on my shoulder, so I can’t really do any tumbling anymore,” McWilliams said. “I can’t really do any stunting without it hurting a lot, and it wasn’t really my thing anymore.”

Luckily, McWilliams had a backup plan. She is a big fan of hockey and has always wanted to try it. Sometimes the courage hidden within a person just needs a little push in order to crawl to the surface. Despite her admiration for hockey, there were still times coming into the sport that she did not know what to do.

“The first time I went, I had no idea what I was doing,” McWilliams said. “I wasn’t really able to do anything good. The first game I got a green card even though I didn’t know what was going on.”

Attached to any sport is either a performance or a game, which usually involves a crowd or audience with excited eyes anticipating the competition. Friends, family and even enemies sit down to watch a specific athlete. The amount of pressure that is placed upon an athlete during a competition is tremendous because they are looking for success, both for the team and for themselves. Mistakes made during game day, even with the help of preparation from hours of practice beforehand, forever exist within the mind of an athlete.

With the exception of Stevens and McWilliams.

A courageous athlete will take one for the team. They will put themselves in uncomfortable situations in order to make themselves grow, both as a person and as an athlete. They will not let an injury keep them from playing sports. They are open to trying new things, even if it means failing before they master a skill.

Throughout the first few weeks of the fall season, Stevens was still getting a taste of what it meant to be a cheerleader. Tumbling and randomly throwing backflips has always came naturally to him; however, stunting was a different story.

“The flipping and tumbling, I’ve been doing that awhile,” Stevens said. “But picking up on the stunting and jumping was hard.”

Friday nights are looked forward to because of football; watching the Sequoits fight to keep their record, and the fan section; Cardinal Crazies screaming chants as loud as possible to intimidate the other team and help provide school spirit. For Stevens, all he could think about was how he was going to be on the field but for a different reason. No more adrenaline rushes from the crowd cheering players on. It was time to be the voice that made the quarterback throw further and the running back run faster. Each athlete has their own position, their own job. Stevens’ role as a cheerleader does not include touching the football anymore and that was a struggle that really set in during the first home game of the 2017 season.

The importance of family and genuine friends throughout these times of trial and error in regards to a new sport is huge for success. Reassuring chants of encouragement can be the motivation someone might need in order to make themselves vulnerable, yet confident enough, to leave something that they love behind.

“Just don’t be afraid. If people are mean to you, they’re not your real friends,” Stevens said. “If they’re being mean, just don’t be around them. Try to find people around you to accept [you] for what you want to do, and like to be around you for who you are.”

The Cowardly Lion never truly has the confidence to think of himself anything other than a coward; however, his perspective changes after hearing the thoughts of the Wizard of Oz.

“You have plenty of courage, I am sure. All you need is confidence in yourself,” Oz said. “There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. True courage is in facing danger when you are afraid, and that kind of courage you have in plenty.”