When Cadence was 3 yrs old, she was shy. But not the normal 3 yr old shy. Completely debilitating. She would freeze if you spoke to her – she wouldn’t
make eye contact. She would walk away,
as though you weren’t there. Her dr
suggested we put her in a group sport., where she’d perform in front of people.
I found a great gymnastics center and she LOVED it. It took a few months for her to talk to the
coaches and make eye contact. But
finally, she felt comfortable with them.
And even more, she loved doing the activities. For 6 mos she was the happiest kid ever. And it really did help. She was still really anxious about talking to
people, but it was better.
Then summer came to an end and we were told of
a schedule change & price increase.
Ugh.
I couldn’t work with the schedule change,
unfortunately. BUT, in its place, I
found a tiny level cheer team. I
enrolled her and she’s been a cheerleader since.
She again went back to not speaking very often,
except with people she was friends with.
But at her first competition…she ate up the attention! I was shocked. I was sooo worried she’d go out on the mats,
in front of 100’s of people and freeze while her teammates performed…but she
was on it. She loved it! I am fairly certain I cried at her first
competition!
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| 1st year cheering - tiny |
As the years have gone by, she’s been on a few
teams. She started w/CSE for 2 yrs…but
the coach/owner ‘retired’ to take care of her kids and so ended a decade of a
great team and coaches.
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| 2nd year cheering - tiny |
She started on a the team that ‘inherited’ CSE,
but I wasn’t a fan of their head coach. Luckily,
two of her old coaches started their own team.
She moved there for 2 years. But
again, all good things must come to an end and SEA ended so both coaches could
pursue their studies.
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| 3rd year cheering - mini |
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| 4th yr cheering - mini |
As every season ended, I would ask her if she
was sure she wanted to do it another season, b/c once she was signed up, there
was no backing out. And every year she
said yes.
After SEA, I found Titans. Honestly, the price & minimal amount of
competitions is what caught my eye. They
were a good team…but their coach left A LOT to be desired. I have now learned,
we were very spoiled with our previous coaching experiences. What we had w/CSE & SEA is not normal,
unfortunately. When TCE season ended
(THEY WERE NATIONAL CHAMPS!!), Cadence finally said no, she did not want to
cheer the following season. I was
shocked and a tiny bit disappointed.
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| 5th year - youth L1 |
As a mom, who sat through HOURS of practices, I
was very lucky to be surrounded by AMAZING moms. While she was with CSE, I made quite a few
friends, who I am still friends with today.
Titans was a lot different than CSE & SEA, the families all stayed
to themselves and they didn’t speak to other families. It was weird for me, having come from such a
warm, friendly team.
After a season off, Cadence begged me to find a
team. Again, I looked for one that was
inexpensive (I use the term loosely, as all-star cheer is CRAZY expensive) and
found COCG. Two of my friends brought
their daughters and it felt good to watch Cadence do her thing. And Bryleigh was able to join in on their
tiny team! She was ecstatic. It was a hard year. Being off a year was hard for Cadence. It was a lot of adjustment. Also, being with a coach that she didn’t
know, again, was hard. She missed
Morgan, Chelsea & Stacey. These were
the coaches that made her love the sport.
She got through her year as a ‘ruby’ (Youth L1) and considered not
joining for the most current season.
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| Cadence's 6th yr - youth L1 & Bry's 1st yr - tiny |
But
she was excited to go with her friend again and joined. This has been a heard season for her. She’s now cheering on a L2 team. She spends 30 mins an evening practicing
facials, or BWO or arm movements. She
holds cans of veggies in the air to build up strength since she’s a base. The very beginning of the season she wanted to quit - but I don't believe in starting something and dropping out before you finish. Her coach was tough, and I told
her it’s b/c it’s a tough level. I have
to reassure her that her coach believes in her and likes her and that she
should not let what some of her teammates have said to her, affect her (way
easier said than done!)…but in July, she decided she was going to prove her
teammates wrong. She may not be the best
– but she is probably the most dedicated.
She tells me all the time she just wants to be able to tell them suck
it. I am proud of her
determination.
She was sad to see her friend leave a few
months into the season (so was I) but happy to have her cousin join! She said at least she has one person she can
trust and knows likes her. It makes me
sad she thinks this, but proud b/c she’s not letting it stop her from doing a
sport she loves.
Bryleigh has wanted to cheer as long as she’s
been able to walk. She loved following
her sister around cheering with her and stunting. Last year, her first year, as a tiny, she was
on a duo team. They always looked so
freaking adorable out there performing in front of everyone. This year she is on the ‘sapphires’ youth
L1. She is excited to have been put as a
flyer. She works very hard, too.
Two weeks ago they had their team pictures –
omgosh – they all looked amazing.
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| Bry & her teammate trying to stay warm waiting for pics on a chilly Nov afternoon |
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| Bry's 2nd yr cheering - mini L1 & Cadence's 7th yr cheering - youth L2 |
And yesterday was their first competition of the season! They didn’t place as well as they had hoped – but they did so much better than their showcase in Oct. It was obvious the amount of work all the girls have put into their routines! We were all very proud of them.
They have another competition in a few
weeks. I can only imagine how much
better they will look. I don’t know if
this will be Cai’s last year or not…she’s endured a lot this season,
emotionally, but even if it is, her hard work has made me so proud!
Cheers!
