Jamfest in Indy

During the second weekend in January, Kaitlynn and I took off for one of our favorite cheer competitions - Jamfest Super Nationals in Indianapolis, Indiana. Jeff was originally scheduled to join us, but he had a last minute change of plans when our beloved Houston Texans were hosting the Cleveland Browns in Houston for the Wildcard round of the playoffs. (Go Texans!!) Kaitlynn and I were so excited to reach Indy, because we had such fond memories of this competition from the year prior when her Nighthawks scored a 99.2 to win the title and a paid bid in 2023. She was hoping for a repeat, this time with her new Nighthawks teammates, Allison, Maddie, and Kayla. 

As typical in January, it was a super cold weekend in Indy and we froze every time we walked outside. The girls had a blast at Day 1 of competition, which was scheduled late at night before a cold front was blowing in. After competing, the team met up at a local restaurant within walking distance to have dinner together and hang out. But by the time we walked over, we were at the start of the winter blast blowing through downtown and we all felt like we were walking through a blizzard to get to the restaurant. After dinner, walking back to the hotel was even worse. We laughed and laughed at how crazy it was to felt caught up in the snowy, icy streets of downtown Indy without proper winter attire - poor Kaitlynn was in her cheer uniform with just a light blanket!

The next day, there was a white coating of snow and ice on everything! It was a COLD day but we were warm inside and excited for Day 2 of the competition. In the end, the Nighthawks performed great but not enough to secure the national title. Regardless of the outcome, we always have so.much.fun at these competitions. The fun travel and memories with friends are just so special, and we appreciate every moment we have together in this crazy sport of hers. 

During each competition, professional photographers take countless photos of the teams and athletes and the parents come together to purchase the team package so that we can download individual pics of our girls. I downloaded the photos below where Kaitlynn's stunt group, team, and individual shots were highlighted. So fun to see her doing what she loves!