February

In late February, we had a fun visit from Collin and Kevin at the same time. I'm so mad at myself that I didn't get a family picture of the 6 of us, because that is such a rare occasion! The kids enjoyed playing with Collin's new toy - a virtual reality headset - and we managed to sneak in a quick birthday meal in honor of Collin's and my February birthday.

I was also able to celebrate my birthday with Julie and Michelle at one of our girls' lunches. We enjoyed a yummy meal at one of my favorites, PF Changs, and the waiter surprised me with a cute and sparkling birthday treat at the table.

Kaitlynn had a friend, Olivia, over to visit late in the month when the temperatures were already warming. The pool, however, was still super cold but that didn't stop these girls from jumping in to cool off after their tumbling practice. They sure didn't last long, crazy girls!

And speaking of crazy girls, Kaitlynn continued her pizza-eating streak at Newks when we shared an impromptu shopping and lunch date one weekend. She sure does love the pizza and no clue where she puts it!

National Cheerleader Association Championship - Dallas

Kaitlynn and I were only back from Atlanta for 3 short days before we had to pack up and leave again for yet another cheer competition. But this was no ordinary competition - it was THE competition of the season - NCA.  With NCA being the biggest competition and the most teams competing from around the world, the cheer gyms work all season long in the hopes of claiming the championship at this flagship event. Kaitlynn and I made the 4-hour drive to Dallas and checked into our upgraded hotel suite full of anticipation for the experience ahead - our first NCA weekend together!

The next morning, Kaitlynn and I visited the competition halls early to get the lay of the land. We were thankful to have this time to explore and take photos before the massive crowds arrived later in the afternoon.

As the crowds grew and the time approached for Kaitlynn's team to prepare for their performance, Kaitlynn was excited to meet up with friends and enjoy the experience together. Before we knew it, it was time for their warmups and Day 1 performance. The girls were all smiles and excitement!

Unfortunately, the girls had some mishaps in their Day 1 performance. In fact, one of the flyers ended up falling and breaking the nose of another girl she landed on. They carried on with the routine, but we had points deducted leaving our Phantom team in last place for the day's competition. Oh well, it wasn't anything that couldn't be fixed with a yummy pizza dinner with friends!

The next morning, we were up early and hoping for a much improved Day 2 performance. Phantom came through and performed a fabulous routine, "hitting zero" for no deductions on the day. Out of the 15 teams competing in Kaitlynn's division, Team Phantom earned 14th place. Or as the Courtright family calls it: "penultimate" place, ha! After the tough Day 1 showing, Kaitlynn was just happy they weren't in dead last!

As our time at NCA came to an end, Kaitlynn and I were in agreement that this biggest competition of the year was quite the disappointment - both in our performance and in the actual event itself. It felt like a bit of a let down after the amazing experience at Cheersport in Atlanta, but we were still thankful that we'd had the opportunity to spend our first NCA together. Kaitlynn did a wonderful job on Team Phantom and proved yet again that she owns that competition stage every time she steps foot on it. While her cheer season with Phantom was rapidly coming to a close, we made sure to savor every moment with our amazing team and cheer community.

Crazy Pants

While Kaitlynn and I were in Atlanta for the Cheersport competition, we were offered the opportunity for Kaitlynn to participate in a photoshoot for one of the sponsoring companies called Crazy Pants. Crazy Pants is a clothing company that makes a collection of tumbling and gymnastics gear, which is popular in the cheer community. For the photoshoot, Kaitlynn brought her own zebra-themed (of course!) items to combine with a couple of new pieces from the Crazy Pants collection. I braided her hair and then she posed for some fun shots with a local photographer. Unfortunately the photos didn't turn out great due to an issue with the camera, but it was a fun experience for Kaitlynn to share with some of her teammates while in Atlanta.

Cheersport - Atlanta

Here we go again, another Phantom cheer competition! In the peak of Kaitlynn's cheer season, our next stop was none other than Atlanta for the huge annual Cheersport event. But first, it was time for Cheersport spirit gifts, probably our favorite of the season. Love those personalized, cozy blankets and makeup containers!

With our extended weekend trip to Atlanta, Kaitlynn was missing quite a few days of school at this point in the season. She didn't let that stop her hard work; she was completing assignments on the flight to make sure she didn't fall behind. When we finally arrived in Atlanta late at night, we were so excited to arrive at our hotel and see the beautiful suite where we would be staying. It was our favorite stay of the season by far!

The next morning, we were full of excitement to see the beautiful view of downtown Atlanta. It was super chilly outside, but that didn't stop our sense of adventure to hit the streets and explore the area and event venue. We were so excited to be a part of Cheersport for the first time and couldn't wait to see what it was all about. We set out on foot to explore the downtown area, walk to the convention center, check out the Cheersport venue, and find our meeting/performance location for the following day's competition. We had so much fun taking in the sights and gearing up for the big weekend ahead. By the time we arrived back at our hotel room after a full day of exploration, we were beyond exhausted! I stepped away for a few minutes and found Kaitlynn passed out in the bed. What a day! 

The next morning, we were up super early to arrive at the convention center for Team Phantom's performance. We were all dragging a little from the 6:30 a.m. meet time, but it didn't take long for the girls to get warmed up and excited for the competition. This was the team's biggest competition of the year so far, and there was a buzz in the air from the excitement. Kaitlynn and I were blown away by the venue, the Georgia World Congress Center, and the professionalism of the event. As massive as the complex was, it was easy to navigate and incredibly organized in the performance arenas. When it was time to see Phantom perform, the families and spectators cheered loudly to see our girls in action. 

I'm no cheer expert and I still have a lot to learn, but after Phantom's Day 1 performance, I was convinced that it was their greatest performance of the season. Looking back, I still believe this is true, because the girls brought the energy and hit zero like they'd never done before. It was so exciting to see them turn out such a spectacular performance! Afterwards, we were so proud of these athletes and there were smiles all around!

Still riding high from their great showing, we then had the remainder of the day to continue our fun in downtown Atlanta. We enjoyed some great food, shopping, and even some cheer-lebrity spotting at some of the local cheer pop-up shops. This was a completely new experience for us, and Kaitlynn and I had so much fun figuring it all out together. There were tens of thousands of cheer athletes and family members that had descended upon downtown Atlanta, but we soaked in our time together and had a blast despite the insane lines and crowds.

By evening, we made it back to our hotel for an early bedtime before our early performance the following morning. The coaches led the girls in pep talks and the photo-taking never stopped as these cheerleaders prepped for their final show. And oh, what a show it was! These girls nailed their routine, hitting zero for the 2nd day in a row and really wow-ing from the big stage. Their energy shined through in the professional photos we received a few days later. Team Phantom did such a great job!

Unfortunately, the competition was fierce and Phantom didn't place at the event. The girls were disappointed in their low scores, but the families all felt so proud of their hard work and zero-deduction performances on both days. With another full day ahead in downtown Atlanta before returning home, Kaitlynn and I shook off our disappointment and continued our fun weekend together by soaking in more of the full cheer experience. We watched hours worth of team competitions, supported fellow cheer friends when they took the stage, marveled at the skills of the higher level teams, explored more of downtown Atlanta, enjoyed lunch and milkshakes with some fellow teammates, and even introduced some of the other Moms to our new favorite pastime, Wordle. It was another amazing day with my girl, soaking in this crazy world of cheer and enjoying every second of it together. 

Cheersport Atlanta would turn out to be our favorite trip of the entire competition season, and we will always cherish the wonderful memories we made together. LOVE this cheerleader of ours and SO PROUD of her hard work!