336Teal
Cheer Parent
- May 7, 2012
- 385
- 1,041
A little tardy to the party, but from the perspective of a Lady Elite alumni I think this a great thing. Since SE & CE have been around so much longer than LE, it was a natural assumption that that was the "JV" team. Do I think that LE was treated any different from SE or CE? At times, but not really & I don't think intentionally.. We had a different head coach so things obviously weren't always the same. LE is only 3 years old.. From its first year, to last year, to this past season, the team has gotten consistently better. I am so proud that I got to be part of 2 of those years & now seeing the name that we've made for ourselves be brought over to CLT. Did we ever feel like the "JV" team at times? Absolutely, but the funny thing is it's from social media, fans, those crazy insta accounts, & the occasional crazy cheer mom. I am THRILLED to see that CSP & SSM are taking action & trying to even the playing field or at least the level of respect/recognition. It makes me incredibly happy that they heard some of us out & are making the necessary changes to make every athlete/team feel equally important.
Although they are young, LoT is stacked with talent! They may seem little, which they are, but their talent is huge. I haven't known all of them that long but they are some of the sweetest kids & I've been so excited to see them age onto worlds teams to showcase their skills! People should really look at this team as a new team without judgements. This is NOT Lady Elite. I've seen twitter accounts saying oh who cares it's the same people/skills as LE from last year & it absolutely is not.. Of 30 OF US last year there are 7 PEOPLE on LoT. 7. Of 30.. That isn't a lot & on top of that, 1 is my old flyer who isn't even flying so she's almost a new person too lol. Some of us aged out, some of us are on different teams (SE/CE/IOC), some of us are solely cheering at CEA locations closer to home (Salem/LKN), & some of us simply aren't cheering to focus on school. So for those asking why not just call it LE, well, because it isn't lol it's almost brand new! Naming them LoT brings new attention to a new team & it makes sense to me. I know that from the outside it may seem ridiculous or unnecessary, but being an athlete at the gym, I think it's a great thing. There will always be people who do not like CEA, but CSP has a method to her madness. Always.
I've been preparing myself all season to age out & move on from cheer but what do you know I'm back lol.. (or did I never leave?) I am thrilled to be on IOC with not only Missy as team mom, but the other alumni & yes the crossovers because it will be such a FUN team! There's a bunch of aged out alumni on there, crossovers who want to have fun, & even coaches! I am thrilled with the smaller commitment as I enter my junior year of college, but that I still get to cheer. The one thing I will absolutely miss from being on a senior worlds team is the combined Wednesday night practices.. I LOVED practicing with SE/CE sometimes even JE, YE, or Coex! Somehow in the middle of almost 100 people in our small gym with 1 floor is this love & crazy energy. When you're the team on the floor you get extra energy & confidence from the audience right in front of the mat who are some of your best friends. When you're the team in front, your job is to get the team on the floor through whatever they have to do, while quickly chugging water, & thanking God you get a moment to breathe! Some of the kids on SE/CE have become my best friends & without seeing them so often, it probably wouldn't be like that. I apologize for the novel, but just another POV from a CEA athlete/LE alumni!
♥ Wise beyond your years Hannah!
