UCA Cheer Camp

Kaitlynn's summer was barely underway before she began her busiest week yet - UCA Cheer Camp, which is a full week of junior high cheerleading camp where they meet with all the squads across the district to begin their preparations for the cheer season ahead. It's a super intense week but Kaitlynn was all smiles for the fun ahead, including the insane amount of cool cheer and spirit gear they all get - with each item personalized with her school and name. 

To be honest, the personalized gear is probably Kaitlynn's favorite part of cheering altogether. Well, that plus the fun dinners together each night in between camp and extra practices. Each day of the week, the girls had a different outfit and they always looked the part of a unified squad. On the 2nd day of camp, the girls donned their pink shirts and headed out for one of their long practice days - kicking off the activities at 8:00 a.m. and working until the late hours of the night. 

The next day they were back at it at 8:00 a.m. for another 13-hour day, ending at the gym after 9:00 p.m. Kaitlynn got a ride home with a friend and told me that most of the girls ended up in tears by the end of the night. That's the nature of the sport... cheerleaders come with a lot of drama, I mean, passion! Ha!

By Day 4 of cheer camp, the girls were beyond exhausted. They had been pushed to their physical limits all week and were still trying to come together as a new squad with lots of unique and strong personalities. They just had to get through one more day of camp before they could show off their new skills later that night.

And finally, the time had come for the Parent Showcase. All the junior high squads in the district gave a performance to families and friends showing off a choreographed dance and cheer, and it was such a fun and festive atmosphere to kick off the new cheer season ahead. For her part, Kaitlynn did great and the squad rocked their performance. We were so excited and hopeful for a super fun year of school cheer ahead!