just_kay_today
Cheer Parent
- Dec 14, 2009
- 1,230
- 2,527
It will surprise some people, but I will say a definite "YES!" I say surprise for reasons that I will not mention here, however, through God, Allstar cheer and her experiences at CEA, has helped to shape who my daughter has become!
It has not been easy for me to afford this sport as a single parent. But, I'm still young and healthy. I can still max out my retirement savings, thank God! Sometimes, my hours working in the medical field, meant that I would come home from a 24 hour shift, sleep for 4 hours and then take her to practice (or board a plane, or go to a private, or drive to wherever). I have worked sometimes 36 and 48 hr shifts (before they banded 48's as dangerous) to make the money! But, I would not trade that time in the car together for anything. All that time together, meant that I was the predominant influence in her life...not boys, not wacky sex crazed, fashion obsessed girlfriends. Her cheer friends, in my opinion, are slightly more sophisticated and polished than her school friends. They study and manage their time, in the same way that she does. I love that she spent so much time with them. I loved many of the parents in the gym, and how kind and nurturing they were to her. Many of them are doing a great job raising their kids, and I am glad that my CP got to grow up with them.
In my mind, cheerleading and the gym was always a classroom, where my daughter learned about life, and about different kinds of people. She watched people rise and fall. She learned to work hard and overcome fear. She learned to handle defeat gracefully, but most of all, she learned by watching Courtney, to bet on her own horse! To trust God, take her future into her own hands, disregard what the critics say, and follow the "still, small voice."
After being on SE in 2012, she decided to leave the gym to work on her studies. She was being recruited for academic scholarships by great universities. Many people thought she (we) was/were being foolish and that she was snubbing SE. But, during that time, she taught herself computer code (she wants to be a software engineer), she took seven of the hardest classes in school, and maintained a 5.4 gpa.
She's back this year, and because she spent the entire year on the sofa studying, did not make SE. She also suffered a knee injury and had to have surgery. But, because, as the Bible says; "ALL things work for the good of those who love God and serve according to his purposes." One of her favorite coaches, (team Sarah!!!) asked her to fill in on her Worlds team, stunting only ( she has not been cleared to tumble). She was honored! We came back because after eight years, Cheer Extreme Allstars is her/our home! Everyone she loves is there! Kids she helped to teach to fly when they were on YE are now on JE and SE! She wants to say goodbye before leaving for college. @mstealtoyou is there. Her SE sisters are there, too!
About the uniforms and glitter. I don't know what will happen with Allstar cheer. Life is circular. It has ebbs and flows. I believe this trend will die down, just as it is swelling right now. Parenting is a verb. You have to instill in your children a strong sense of who they are and why they are at their gym. You have to be willing to speak up, if you feel something is detrimental to your kid. I don't know what else to tell you.
I believe we have won more than we lost doing allstar cheer. My CP told me that she has had a better cheer career than most kids who are more obviously talented than she! She's won almost every major championship at least once and has friends all over the World! She said that she has been coached by the most brilliant coach she has ever seen; and participated in co-creating some of the most innovative stunts ever witnessed in Allstar cheer! Her knee was a casualty, and eventually, from all the lifting, her back will be (she's complained about it for years), too. But, all in all, we have been blessed!
It has not been easy for me to afford this sport as a single parent. But, I'm still young and healthy. I can still max out my retirement savings, thank God! Sometimes, my hours working in the medical field, meant that I would come home from a 24 hour shift, sleep for 4 hours and then take her to practice (or board a plane, or go to a private, or drive to wherever). I have worked sometimes 36 and 48 hr shifts (before they banded 48's as dangerous) to make the money! But, I would not trade that time in the car together for anything. All that time together, meant that I was the predominant influence in her life...not boys, not wacky sex crazed, fashion obsessed girlfriends. Her cheer friends, in my opinion, are slightly more sophisticated and polished than her school friends. They study and manage their time, in the same way that she does. I love that she spent so much time with them. I loved many of the parents in the gym, and how kind and nurturing they were to her. Many of them are doing a great job raising their kids, and I am glad that my CP got to grow up with them.
In my mind, cheerleading and the gym was always a classroom, where my daughter learned about life, and about different kinds of people. She watched people rise and fall. She learned to work hard and overcome fear. She learned to handle defeat gracefully, but most of all, she learned by watching Courtney, to bet on her own horse! To trust God, take her future into her own hands, disregard what the critics say, and follow the "still, small voice."
After being on SE in 2012, she decided to leave the gym to work on her studies. She was being recruited for academic scholarships by great universities. Many people thought she (we) was/were being foolish and that she was snubbing SE. But, during that time, she taught herself computer code (she wants to be a software engineer), she took seven of the hardest classes in school, and maintained a 5.4 gpa.
She's back this year, and because she spent the entire year on the sofa studying, did not make SE. She also suffered a knee injury and had to have surgery. But, because, as the Bible says; "ALL things work for the good of those who love God and serve according to his purposes." One of her favorite coaches, (team Sarah!!!) asked her to fill in on her Worlds team, stunting only ( she has not been cleared to tumble). She was honored! We came back because after eight years, Cheer Extreme Allstars is her/our home! Everyone she loves is there! Kids she helped to teach to fly when they were on YE are now on JE and SE! She wants to say goodbye before leaving for college. @mstealtoyou is there. Her SE sisters are there, too!
About the uniforms and glitter. I don't know what will happen with Allstar cheer. Life is circular. It has ebbs and flows. I believe this trend will die down, just as it is swelling right now. Parenting is a verb. You have to instill in your children a strong sense of who they are and why they are at their gym. You have to be willing to speak up, if you feel something is detrimental to your kid. I don't know what else to tell you.
I believe we have won more than we lost doing allstar cheer. My CP told me that she has had a better cheer career than most kids who are more obviously talented than she! She's won almost every major championship at least once and has friends all over the World! She said that she has been coached by the most brilliant coach she has ever seen; and participated in co-creating some of the most innovative stunts ever witnessed in Allstar cheer! Her knee was a casualty, and eventually, from all the lifting, her back will be (she's complained about it for years), too. But, all in all, we have been blessed!
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