The last weekend of February was by far the most anticipated cheer competition of Kaitlynn's season with the Nighthawks. For most teams, it is considered the ultimate showdown in competitive cheer, where teams from around the world arrive in Dallas to compete for the prestigious title of NCA (National Cheerleaders Association) National Champion. In years past, Kaitlynn's teams have competed at this event but had never come anywhere close to earning a win. In fact, last year's Phantom team placed 14 out of 15 teams in their division - which just goes to show how competitive this event truly is!
With the team's great success at recent competitions, Kaitlynn's Nighthawks team was feeling optimistic and hopeful about their chances in their division, but you just never know what to expect from weekend to weekend and team to team. Kaitlynn and I made the drive up to Dallas and tried to manage our expectations, just wanting to spend some quality time together and enjoy some great cheer performances from the well-known and big name teams in the world of cheer.
We arrived in downtown Dallas late on a Thursday night, and we were able to spend the next day on Friday exploring the event venue and checking out the activities and pop-up shops that were in town for NCA. It turned out to be SUCH a fun day of shopping and exploring together with excitement in the air for all-things-NCA. And to make it even more special, we ended up unexpectedly walking into a local pop-up shop that was hosting a meet and greet session with "cheer-lebrity" Gabi Butler from the Netflix series "Cheer"! After watching Gabi perform her signature partner stunts, she took a selfie with Kaitlynn, which was such a fun surprise for both of us!
We were on cloud 9 from our fun morning and afternoon together, but soon enough it was time to head to the convention center and prepare for warmups for the late night Nighthawks performance. Another fun surprise was the Chick-fil-A meals being offered inside the arena, which was quite the improvement from last year's NCA offerings. Kaitlynn and I were able to enjoy watching some great teams and also had time to wander around the convention halls and hand out the custom-decorated clips we had made together for the occasion. The clips are a fun and great tradition in the world of cheer, where cheerleaders decorate clothespins to clip onto other girls' backpacks in a show of support and encouragement for each other. We had so much fun decorating these AND sharing them with fellow cheerleaders at NCA!
Another fun NCA tradition is to get team photos at the huge staircase in the convention center, which is fully decorated with the iconic NCA logo each year. Teams wait in line for hours to snap these pics, and our Nighthawks looked fierce and ready to compete when it was their turn. The anticipation was building for Day 1 of competition, and these girls were READY!
The hour of the day was late, but that didn't matter, because our Nighthawks took the stage for an incredible zero-deduction routine on Day 1! Their competition was tough and they ended the day in 2nd place, but they were so proud of themselves for the great performance and knew the win was within reach. We went to bed that night feeling excited, and also looking forward to the next day ahead.
On Saturday, the Nighthawks had the day off so Kaitlynn and I were planning to spend the entire day watching the top teams in the league and cheering on fellow teammates and friends. We got up super early and walked from our hotel to the arena, where we were some of the first people to be let inside. Some of the biggest names in the industry were performing that morning, and we managed to get EXCELLENT seats inside the arena to watch all the action. By the time the competition started, the arena was packed! Even the seats far above and behind the stage were filled, and soon enough the arena staff wasn't letting any additional spectators inside because the building was at capacity. The feeling in the arena was electric and we settled in for an awesome morning of performances. It was so much fun!
After watching hours of performances - which DID NOT disappoint! - Kaitlynn and I gave up our coveted arena seats to go meet her Nighthawks team for a fun lunch. Then, we met up with friends back in the convention hall to cheer on our fellow Woodlands Elite teams. By the time 1pm rolled around, Kaitlynn and I were ready to brave the arena crowd again and managed to find another section of great seats, which was no small accomplishment in that packed space. We settled in for another few hours of performances and were even able to join up with some friends to watch together. It wasn't long before the arena was at capacity yet again due to the popularity of the teams performing. This was our first year experiencing the chaos of NCA inside the arena, and we felt so lucky to have gotten great seats to enjoy some of the best competitive cheerleading we'd ever seen. Wow, it was spectacular! To close out the night, we went out with our favorite cheer friends, Ashley and Madi, to celebrate the day together over some great pizza. By the end of the day, we were exhausted but on such a high from all the FUN!
The next morning was Sunday, and it was officially Day 2 for the Nighthawks competition. We had another early start with all the hair and makeup to be performance-ready. We arrived at the competition halls and had enough time to meet up with friends, take more pics with cheer-lebrities, and even cheer on friends from the parent pit.
When it was finally time for the Nighthawks to get ready for their performance, nerves and emotions were high for everyone, especially us parents! But the girls were excited and ready to hit that stage and prove to the world that they could take home the title of NCA National Champion. As the Nighthawks were warming up, I stayed in the hall and watched all the teams in their division compete, one by one. The world of cheer can be a bit tough as a spectator, because you never want to see a team struggle or fall in their performance, But on the other hand, your heart tends to jump a little when a strong competitor doesn't "hit" their routine, because in many cases your own team may then earn an advantage. Despite some of the teams' Day 2 stumbles, it was still up to the Nighthawks to perform a zero-deduction routine to have any shot at the championship.
When it was time for the Nighthawks to take the stage, my heart was racing and my mouth went completely dry. All of us parents were a wreck with our nerves, but in the end, our girls OWNED that stage! Wow! They hit their routine with great energy and performed flawlessly for the judges in the hall. The crowd went wild with celebration! It was SO exciting to see them do their thing and then exit the stage knowing they had done their very best at the biggest competition of the season. And now it was up to the judges to see if their performance had been enough.
Hours later at the awards ceremony, the girls were huddled on the stage and waited patiently for their U16 Level 2 division winners to be called. When the announcer reached the 2nd place team, we all went crazy in the audience, because our Nighthawks were the only team left. That's right, the Nighthawks were crowed FIRST PLACE division winners and NCA National Champions!!! The girls were crying, the coaches were crying, and the parents were crying - all from sheer joy and excitement at this amazing accomplishment by our beloved team! It's an honor not many cheer athletes can achieve in their careers, and it was the most euphoric feeling for these girls to experience. For the next 2 hours, the girls were celebrated in the Champions Circle with their banners, championship gear, and the coveted NCA National Champion jacket. We took countless photos and soaked in the experience, which was everything and more than we could've imagined!
Our drive home from Dallas was filled with continued excitement as the word spread about the success of Kaitlynn's Nighthawks. We excitedly shared the news with family and friends, and we talked nonstop about our favorite parts of NCA weekend which culminated in the big win. We were on such a high from the NCA experience, and I wept with joy when I realized the core memories that Kaitlynn and I had made together that weekend. What a weekend for which I will be forever thankful - one of the most special times we'd ever shared together!
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