Cheerleading has been a huge part of my life growing up and has influenced me in ways that are so profound, I didn’t even fully realize until recently. And I’ve seen it do so much for the lives of the athletes, coaches, and parents that I’ve worked with as well. It’s such a special sport. There is so much emotional investment in what we do, that it pains me when I hear the ignorant rants of people who have no investment in the sport try to rob our athletes and coaches of the joy cheerleading brings to so many.

“All That Counts” is my answer to all of the negativity we face as cheer athletes and coaches. It doesn’t matter what they think or say, it’s not our job to convince them or prove anything to them. How can you expect others to share your passion when they weren’t given your vision?

If it’s a sport to you, then THAT is all that counts. #allthatcountsvideo

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Written, performed, and edited by Coach Lain Lee

Featuring videos submitted from the following Instagram followers:

@sanrafaelcheer

@north_fork_cheer

@pwrcheerallstars

@ashlee.raee

@tumblegirl2807

A special thank you to all athletes and teams who submitted videos for this project.

All footage sourced for this video are copyright their original owners and are used for the purposes of education and creative inspiration under Creative Commons. All rights are reserved to their original owners.

“Bring It On” (property of Universal Pictures)

“Saturday Night Live” (property of NBC Universal)

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Fossil Ridge High School footage used with permission from @flipnamped_media. All rights reserved.

“Jag’s Cheer Road to UCA Nationals: IUPUI Vlog” © IUPUI (YouTube)

“A Day In My Life: Pep Fest and Getting Lit” © Sandy Diana Bang (Youtube)

“Life As a Male Cheerleader” © NTCNIU (YouTube)

“Is Cheerleading a Sport?” (© Fox 11 News)

“Boyfriend Tries Cheer” © Briana Delgado (Youtube)

“The Buzz: Cheerleading Is Not a Sport” © Fox Providence

“International Cheer Union 2018 Championship Highlights” © IntlCheerUnion (Youtube)

“Simonds High Debates: Is Cheerleading a Sport?” © Simonds Magazine (Youtube)

Music: Slow Epic Cinematic Rise by RedRootsMusic (audiojungle.net)