Ready - Set - CHEER!

This year I am an assistant Coach for my youngest daughter's Cheerleading Squad.  I'm super excited about it, and I think it is going to be a lot of fun.  A lot of hard work....... but fun, too.

This is Emily's 3rd year cheering.  Last year her Cheer Squad won 1st Place in the Cheer Competition.  I'm really hoping we can do it again this year.

This will be my first year to be on the sidelines with her, a part of the action, instead of watching from the stands behind my camera.  Emily is really excited about me coaching, and has already said she wants me to do it again next year.  Let's hope she still feels that way at the end of the season. :-)

Emily has come a long way since her first days of cheering.....

Last year she practiced and practiced on her cartwheels.  She taught herself how to do one, and it seemed for a while that was all she did.  Cartwheel after cartwheel, indoors and outdoors.... but all the practicing paid off, and by the end of the year she was able to perform one in her competition routine which thrilled her.

This summer I put her in a tumbling class, then later switched her to a gymnastics class.  She has now perfected her cartwheels, can do a round off, a handstand, a handstand into a forward roll, and can do the splits.  There is a right split, a left split, and a side split.  She is VERY close on all three, but can only make it all the way down on the left or right split. (I can't remember which it is).   I am hoping she will be able to do a backhand spring by the time competition rolls around this year.

Everyday she practices all her gymnastics moves.... not because I make her, but because she LOVES it!

I'm so glad that this year I can play an active role in something she loves so much.  I have probably watched 10,000 cartwheels, round offs, splits, and handstands so far.  She wants me to watch every single one she does.  I am sure I will watch 100,00 more before the season is over.   - But I love it!

I love seeing the pride on her face when she has accomplished something new.

This year the girls are older, so will have more independence and less help when competition rolls around.  This means they are going to have to work harder.  We are also going to bring in more complicated cheers, and less of the simple "beginner" cheers.  Emily and I spent over an hour coming up with motions to a chant, and I think she plans on showing it tonight to the other girls during practice.

I look forward to spending many more hours with Emily doing something with her that we both love...