When my oral surgeon sent me home after my infected tooth extraction, he said, "You're going to be really mad at me for a few days," which was his prediction for the post-surgical pain I'd be in. But to my surprise, I bounced back almost immediately. With the weeks-long, excruciating tooth pain completely gone, I felt SO much better! But more than that, I was beyond grateful to be well enough to travel for Kaitlynn's big cheer competition weekend in Indianapolis. Jamfest Super Nationals, here we come!
Kaitlynn's cheer team travels to 2 big competitions each regular season, and this was the first one that her Nighthawks would be competing against tough teams from around the country. It was our first time to attend this particular competition in Indianapolis, and we were excited to arrive early for some extra time to get the lay of the land (and fit in a little homework). We stayed at a nice Marriott north of the city, and we were treated to a fancy executive breakfast before we headed downtown to check out the area near the convention center and competition venue. Sporting our matching Nighthawks sweatshirts, we explored the malls near our hotel and downtown, visited the nearby pop-up shops for our favorite cheer gear, and enjoyed a leisurely lunch before the massive cheer crowds arrived at the end of the day.
That night, I waited in one of the longest lines ever (ugh!) to secure my tickets to attend the performances over the weekend. We mapped out our plans for warm-ups and our competition arena the following day, and we were all set for a relaxing night back at our hotel. Up early the next morning, it was Day 1 of competition, but we had all day to hang out due to our late performance time. We met up with friends, enjoyed some food, and the girls let off some steam in their usual pre-competition manner, ha!
Later in the day, it was finally time for the Nighthawks to meet for warm-ups. After a quick photoshoot, they were all smiles and ready for a fun night. The cheer parents were up past their bedtime but excited to see our girls do their thing on stage in their late performance. After shaking off all the nerves and fueled by a bigger and louder than anticipated crowd, the Nighthawks performed beautifully! They hit a zero on their Aladdin-inspired routine and the coaches were so happy with the outcome. Later that night as we were crawling into bed, we learned they had earned their highest score all season! We were so happy for the girls and couldn't wait to see what Day 2 had in store!
We had a great time supporting our fellow Woodlands Elite teams and watching them compete throughout the day, but admittedly it was tough to wait around for another late night performance. The Nighthawks weren't scheduled to perform until 9:30 pm, which is super late for a Day 2 timeslot. We were convinced that we'd be the only division left for the night without any fellow teammates to cheer on our girls. Kaitlynn later told me that their team was prepared to perform for an empty arena, but when they finally hit the stage, we were ALL shocked at the support shown in the parent pit and extended stage area. It was packed, buzzing with energy, and louder than ever!
Whether it was the amazing crowd or the Nighthawks usual Day 2 surge of competitive energy, those girls hit the stage and performed the best routine of their season! From the first second to the last, they were high-energy, all smiles, and showing off like never before. Even the coaches were beyond impressed - moved to tears, in fact - over the incredible performance of this team! Wow!
When the Nighthawks came off the stage, the entire team and all the families were shaking with excitement, hugging with happy tears, and exclaiming their joy over what we'd just experienced. If I hadn't already been bitten by the cheer bug, this was the moment that would've done me in! The excitement was palpable and we were all overjoyed for these hard-working girls. What a thrill to have witnessed such an incredible performance! As if we weren't excited enough already, several of the parents later heard through the grapevine that the team's Day 2 performance score had exceed everyone's expectations. Would it be enough to secure the win?
As we all waited in anticipation at the awards ceremony, it was soon confirmed what we had all anxiously hoped - Nighthawks had INDEED rocked Day 2 with an unprecedented score of 99.2! And sure enough, they had outperformed their competition to take home the title of Jamfest Super National Champion in the U16 Level 2 division. Wow, way to go, Nighthawks!
The night of celebration was such a blur of hugs, tears, and excitement. We took countless photos and celebrated with the entire team for hours, not arriving back at our hotel until 1:30 in the morning - with our flight home leaving in just a few hours. We later learned that the Nighthawks' overall performance at Jamfest scored in the Top 3 teams of all 850+ teams present at the competition. Wow! What a weekend - one that Kaitlynn and I will never forget!
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