It's been a minute

So it's been a minute, ok more than a minute. More like 4 years since my last post. These last few years have been a roller coaster of events for my now not so little cheerleader. The pandemic, a house move and a new school have all played their part in the struggles she has had, but once again cheerleading has rescued her.

After doing her BGU coaching course last year (bought for her birthday present in an attempt to remind her of the love she has for the sport, and that she was still more than capable) I half coaxed half duped her into doing a "trial class" at the local village hall. To her utter shock and amazement over 40 children turned up and loved her! Almost 12 months later and she has more than 60 little cheerleaders of her own to pass her wisdom on to in her own unique, funny, crazy way. As a mother I am beyond proud of all she has achieved over this last year, and to watch her coach is a new high in my parenting journey. She has 7 classes a week, teaches an after school club, and is constantly planning choreo, booking performances and choosing costumes! She adores each and every student, and teaching them is like oxygen for her.

Enter her childhood cheerleading team...the one who embossed her adoration and dedication for cheerleading upon her heart. With top tier coaches and athletes this team has had her love from the age of 4.

So, to be invited to join them for their pom and jazz teams in Allstar Worlds 2025 was a dream come true, and naturally was accepted.

There is nothing like your heart team, where everything just gels, the routines are immaculate and each athlete encourages the next like it was their sister.

On a personal note I have watched a lot of these now young adults grow up. They are all so talented, so passionate and it makes me ecstatic that I have been able to watch them grow throughout the years, not only in stature but through their training and successes. They really are an extraordinary group of girls, each blazing their own paths though life with a ferocity that can only come from the heart of a true cheerleader.

The joy it has given me to see my once shy little girl, who so lacked confidence find her self belief through these coaches and the girls she dances with is immeasurable. Over the years she has been uplifted in spirit (and body) by these athletes.

All the team sleepovers, sharing makeup at competitions (Ruby Woo, if you know, you know) tearing round hotel corridors at stupid o'clock laughing with each other, spa days, shopping trips, birthday parties, Christmas shows (my personal favourite) bow making, they were always together! Not just these amazing girls, but their coaches too, so happy to join in with every part of these kids lives, because they weren't just a team, they were and forever will be a family, which still shows now they are all grown.

Of course that is what she hopes to do with her own team, all the fun, the love, the laughs and the legacy will live on through her in her athletes and the opportunities she creates for them.

So now we are finally heading off to Worlds, the archetype of every cheerleaders career, and I cannot wait to see my daughter on that stage. I wonder if she knows, that next to her will be the 4 year old little girl who could only dream of the successes, accolades and joys that cheerleading has brought her throughout the years... I wonder if she knows how excited I am to finally see her on that stage....I wonder if she knows that we all knew she would make it one day...I wonder if she knows...

WOW you're motivated!!!

So, we're in the midst of all this craziness, and even as adults it is still virtually impossible to wrap our heads around it. I have been cooking, cleaning and disinfecting for days and days. I have hands so sore from all the constant washing and anti-bac that you could skin them and make a handbag to rival any crocodile skin!

My homeschooling skills have been tested on my littlest version of me, and all the while, in the background, silently buzzing round doing her own thing is my rather amazing 14 year old....

Her life is usually super busy, school (of course), school cheer, school dance team, Duke of Edinburgh, gymnastics twice weekly, and not 1 but 2 amazing cheer teams that she adores, adding up to 7 1/2 hours training per week.

I watched her going about her business yesterday, and it occurred to me that she is the one most harshly affected by this in our household, yet she seems to be managing the best.

Her life has gone from rounds trips of 9 hours for cheer classes to NOTHING. Just nothing. And she STILL isn't complaining. Having to be chased out of the fridge every 5 minutes, yes, still not making her bed in the mornings, yes, but everything else, she is just dealing with it.

Each morning she is getting up, dressed and ready to do her school work with no fuss. She is starting the day with her biggest fan (little sister), breakfast, kids yoga in the garden.

She does her school work, takes herself into the garden and does a workout set for that day from her beloved Panache, while laughing at her shadow (little sister) trying to copy her.

Lunch, more school work, another workout, and chill with the tag along (little sister) either watching Disney + or jumping in the hot tub.

After a while when she can't take the staying still any more, and has another round of exercise in the garden ( blissfully managing to lose the twittering, copying, demanding, small person for this one).

The thing is, she is doing all of this without anyone needing to nag her! Three to 4 workouts a day, school work, looking after her little sister, all done with her own self motivation. Anyone who is the proud owner of a teenager knows that this is not usually the case and they often take quite a lot of nagging to get them though a regular day! She is like the calm in the storm, not causing a fuss, no moaning, just doing it!

I am convinced this is because she needs the exercise to keep her sane. There is a drive inside her that only comes from doing a demanding, very disciplined sport like cheerleading your whole life.

Exercise and workouts, dancing, jumping, tumbling and just keeping moving is actually stopping her from going mad. When she needs that extra push or bit of support, she facetimes her EVO bestie, and they stretch together! She is sooooooo self motivated!

I have long known that being involved in cheer gives children a great many life skills, working as part of a team, pushing on when you think you cant, understanding other peoples feelings and supporting others, falling flat on your face and getting up to carry on....there are countless attributes to the cheer life, and I would always encourage any parent to let their child express themselves through a sport (especially cheer coz you know....it's the best!)

But this is one I didn't see coming, it is so built into her, so intrinsic and in her blood that in this time of crisis she turns to what she knows. Cheer balances her, it is familiar and stress relieving for her brain and her body. Then I got to wondering, does she realise that she is doing it? Does she know that she is coping better than probably 90% of the people in the UK with all this? Probably not consciously, and maybe that is for the best.

All I can say is THANK YOU CHEER, for grounding, for teaching us to go on even when we have nowhere to go, for creating athletes with the strength of mind that they can weather any storm, fight through any crisis, and create rainbows where there is rain.

Are your cheer children coping ok with the lockdown, we would love to hear any funny stories, tips etc you might have, just comment below!

All Hail Cheer Camp!!!

It’s here! Three days of skills, routines, games, friends and FUN. Safe to say my little cheerleader is beyond excited, as lolling on the sofa for hours on end gets rather tedious and she is certainly ready for an action packed few days.

What hit me this morning was the excitement I felt for my daughter about the upcoming few days. Being that she is going in to her 10th year of cheerleading, cheer camp is a long-standing summer tradition in our home. Still every year there is a buzz of anticipation, that can only be likened to Christmas eve, where you don’t know what is going to happen, but you know its going to be AMAZING!

It’s a nostalgic feeling for me as a parent, and today watching all the little ones run, dance and skip into the doors for their first ever experience of camp, it got me thinking about all the times I have watched my daughters eyes shine with excitement as I took her in and waved her off to the smiling coaches.

The routine has changed as she has gotten older and doesn’t need me to hold her hand and take her in. This morning, as she jumped out of the car without time for me to even say goodbye, I rolled down the window and shouted “have fun” I was replied with a cheeky smile and “always”. Silly me, of course she’s going to have fun, its cheer camp!

Maybe all cheer camps are the same, maybe they’re not, I couldn’t be sure as our experience as a cheer family is limited to the team we love and a couple of others over the years. Our squad has fantastic staff, who are second to none, and we are blessed to have guest coaches with the highest accolades to their names. Our cheerleaders have had amazing opportunities over the years because of camp to perform in front of massive audiences, try new things, and discover untapped talents.

Perhaps the best thing is that everyone is there, no matter if you attend one recreational class a week, or are in 4 of our competition teams, or even if you’ve never done cheer before and just want to have a go! Everyone is there together getting the same training, the same experience. Bonds are formed at cheer camp that will grow throughout the rest of the season, and that’s why it’s the most fun time of the year for a cheerleader, so happy Cheer Camp Week!

*we would love to know what your favourite part of cheer camp is, and why you love it as a parent or an athlete!