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.
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