Last Cheer Competition of the Season: Kalahari Cheer America

Kaitlynn's final competitive cheer performance of the season was held in the Austin area of Round Rock at the fabulous Kalahari resort. When we learned that Connor had a rare weekend off from his baseball commitments, we were thrilled to be able to have Jeff and Connor join us for an unexpected little getaway with the family. We didn't know anything about this resort, but we quickly realized we were in for a fun weekend at a super cool place. As it turns out, the Kalahari resort is an expansive wonderland for families and kids. On top of the safari-themed décor with zebras galore, there were all kinds of awesome amenities including an onsite waterpark, arcade, bowling alley, escape room, shops, and several restaurants. I heard someone describe the Kalahari as "Vegas for kids" which seemed like a perfect description. Kaitlynn was immediately obsessed with the zebras everywhere she turned, and we had plenty of room in our family suite complete with zebra wall décor installed just for her, ha!

Jeff likes to give me a hard time for complaining about the days when Collin and Kevin had weekend-long swim meets with hours of waiting around for their events. Fast forward to these cheer weekends with Kaitlynn, where we spend hours of travel to long distance locations for a 3-minute performance on Saturday and one more on Sunday. The irony doesn't escape us, ha! On this particular occasion, we sure didn't mind all of the downtime in between the cheer performances. The kids were so excited to have a good amount of time to explore the resort all weekend. The arcade and waterpark were the clear favorites.

When it was time for Kaitlynn's team - the Bombers - to perform, we followed our usual routine of hair, makeup, and stretching. I can't stop myself from cringing when I see the stretches these girls do to get warmed up. Ouch, ha!

Finally, it was time to compete, and the girls did a great job on the Saturday performance. However, there were a few bobbles here and there that led to a less-than-perfect showing. Anyone in the world of competitive cheer understands that it's all about perfection. Any little misstep here or there can be a deduction, and all of the little deductions take away from the overall score. The Bombers decided to come back the next day in hopes of a better showing. 

In the meantime, Connor was surprised when he realized that one of his baseball buddies, Sam, was also nearby supporting another cheer sister. They were happy to meet up briefly as we waited for the Day 2 competition to get underway.

When it was time for the Bombers' Day 2 performance, we all huddled into the competition room and yelled our loudest to support the girls. The performance was underway, and we screamed our heads off for Kaitlynn and her teammates. I held my breath as their routine got off to a great start and continued to get better and better as the seconds ticked by. The girls were giving it their all on the floor!

After experiencing several of the in-person competitions throughout this first season of cheer for Kaitlynn and her team, I was now understanding what to look for and what made a "good" performance versus a "great" one. By the end of this showing, there was NO doubt in my mind that this particular performance was by far the BEST they had performed all season! WOW - they KILLED it on the floor! The tumbling, the jumps, the expressions, and the dancing were high energy, flawless, and exactly what they had been working so hard on all season long. The competition room was simply electric! It was so exciting -- all of the parents were jumping and yelling and some were even hugging as they felt so happy and proud of the girls for their amazing performance. 

We joined the girls outside for the awards ceremony, but we didn't even care that the Bombers entered Day 2 far behind the first place team. We were just so proud of them for ending the season with their all-time best performance and for all the hard work along the way!

The girls (and families) arrived at the outdoor awards ceremony exhausted but with big smiles. It was a great opportunity to take some team photos and wrap up the great season. We were so thankful for this group of girls and their awesome coaches, Coach Devin and Coach Ellisa (who was actually at home about to have her first baby).

Soon enough, it was time for the awards ceremony. This was actually the very first time we had been present for the awards, because all of the prior competitions had only offered virtual ceremonies due to the new Covid protocols. We had been told that awards were one of the best parts of cheer competitions, but we didn't have any expectations because we knew the girls had likely secured 2nd place - which we were so proud of!

We enjoyed the beautiful spring weather and watching the girls goof around, and then it was time for the awards to be called. When it was time to announce the 2nd place team's name, we all waited to hear "Woodlands Elite Bombers!" over the speaker so that we could congratulate our girls. But that wasn't the name that was called. It took a few moments to process what it meant - our Bombers hadn't achieved 2nd place after all. 

To our astonishment, they had actually WON their division - 1st place!! Oh my goodness, what excitement (and some tears of joy) ensued!!

Wow, what a moment for these Bombers! We honestly never imagined that they could win their division after their less-than-perfect showing on Saturday. But their performance on Sunday was SO great that it had put them on top for a come-from-behind win. Amazing! The smiles were never bigger as the team celebrated their huge accomplishment with lots of cheers, hugs, and photos. Way to go, Bombers - National Champions!!!

What a blessing that we were all able to be there and experience such a fun and memorable weekend with Kaitlynn and her Bombers squad. If she wasn't "hooked" on the world of competitive cheer before, well, she certainly was now! The same went for Jeff and me as well; we had gotten a taste of the full  cheer experience and boy, was it fun! 

Congratulations, Kaitlynn on a FANTASTIC first year of competitive cheer with your Woodlands Elite Bombers!

Junior High Cheer Tryouts

With Kaitlynn's growing love for tumbling and competition cheer, our plates have been overly full in the past year. We have really enjoyed watching her get stronger and more confident in her craft, and we've had several conversations about what might come next for her as she moved into junior high. As much as we admire Kaitlynn's desire to participate in EVERYTHING - tumbling, competition cheer, basketball, theater, volleyball, student council, and junior high cheer - she simply can't do it all. Or should I say, WE simply can't handle it all!! Poor Jeff has done the lion's share of the carpooling lately, and boy, does it get old fast!

As we approached the spring season of cheer and sports, Kaitlynn began expressing an interest in trying out for her school's junior high cheer squad. She wasn't fully certain about what to expect, but we encouraged her to give it a try. Ever the pragmatist, I also cautioned her that there was a lot of competition and that we needed to manage her expectations. She agreed that it would be a good experience for her to try out for the team, but she didn't want to get her hopes up. She had plenty of other options for activities if school cheer didn't pan out.

The first step for her junior high school cheer tryouts was to make sure she had an up-to-date medical evaluation, so off to the pediatrician we went. From there, we had to fill out about 237 online forms with signatures - everything from morality clauses to athletic participation waivers. Goodness, there sure is a lot of liability these days to make it as a cheerleader!

When the week of tryouts arrived, Kaitlynn participated in a daily tryout camp with the rest of the cheer candidates. They all stayed after school each day to learn various cheers, jumps, and and a dance routine to be performed in front of judges when the actual tryout arrived the following weekend. I was on the road for my final week of work travel, but Jeff was on duty for carpooling and extra cheer lessons that Kaitlynn had on tap for the hectic week. 

As it turned out, the first day of tryout camp was a super tough day for Kaitlynn. She ended up in tears several times due to the fast pace of the skills learned along with the natural pressure that the girls feel amidst the tryout process. Jeff and I did our best to lift her spirits and encourage her to stick with it, and thankfully, things improved throughout the week. Along with the normal chaos of both kids' sports and activities, Jeff managed to coach Kaitlynn each night after practice from home. From stretching to jumps and spiriting, Coach Dad was just what Kaitlynn needed to polish her skills and prepare for the big tryout.

On the day of the school cheer tryouts, I was back home and ready to support my girl on her big day. We were told to arrive at one of the local high schools and wait in the parking lot for the scheduled timeslot. Kaitlynn seemed pretty calm but I definitely think she was feeling some nerves about the process. She told me that she had low expectations about making the squad and that she would be OK either way. When the time arrived, she joined her group and went inside the gym for the short tryout. It consisted of a quick performance with a cheer, dance, and 2 jumps - all learned that week from the tryout camp. 

Before I knew it, Kaitlynn's tryout was over and she was back in the car with her tryout number labeled on her leg. She seemed happy and probably a bit relieved. I asked her 500 questions about the process and she told me that she felt good about her performance. Of course, we had no way of knowing her chances but we were just proud of her for pushing through the tough week and going outside of her comfort zone with the entire experience. 

A few hours later, the cheer team results were posted online. It took us a few moments to figure out the outcome using Kaitlynn's tryout number. We were waiting in line at a restaurant as we studied the list of numbers...

To our surprise and delight, we realized that we now had a junior high cheerleader in our midst! Kaitlynn didn't seem to know how to react right away, but a huge smile spread across her face as soon as the news began to settle in. She was so happy and excited! 

To be honest, Jeff may have been more excited than Kaitlynn. After all, this made 3 out of 3 of his kids' sports tryouts that he had been actively coaching them through in the past several months. Not a bad record for Coach Dad! We were so happy for Kaitlynn and proud of her hard work and success, and we are looking forward to a fun year of cheer ahead!

Jeff's Birthday

Jeff turned 58 on April 12th, and like everything in 2021, we had to sneak in a low-key celebration due to our hectic schedules of school, work, and kids' activities. First and foremost on Jeff's birthday to-do list was his annual fitness test: matching his age in consecutive push-ups! This is a test that seems to get exponentially harder each year. Kevin joined the kids and I as witnesses to watch him in the official event. Could he do it??

YES! He completed his annual birthday push-up challenge, although he would tell you that it sure wasn't easy! Don't you love how the photos show the rest of us sitting around lazily watching him struggle but eventually ace the challenge? Ha! Great job to our 58-year-old patriarch! 

After Jeff proved he's still "got it," we all headed to his recent favorite restaurant for a birthday lunch. N'Orleans is a local Cajun joint and Jeff is obsessed with their chicken fried chicken. This place is always his first choice when picking a spot to eat. Afterwards, we enjoyed some ice cream cake at home with a few quick pics. Happy birthday to Jeff!