First competition

Wow, it's been a long time since I blogged!

Well, we won the first competition.  No biggie: we were the only parent team entered.  Still, we did OK (You can see the video here)

I couldn't believe how much I was shaking, though.  The nerves were really bad.  I was worried that I might actually drop a flyer I was so bad, but I made it through.

Next competition is in three days, and again they've changed a whole lot of the routine.  I'm pretty confident I know the steps and the timing, we'll see.  And there are 2 other parents teams registered, so this will actually be a competition!

10 days...

... until the first competition.  We did three full run-throughs tonight, with music, and it's looking like we're not going to totally suck, so that's good.

I was away last week from practice (silly job!), and they changed a fair bit of the routine for me, because someone else has quit and so other places needed to be filled.  I think I've got it, but I wish it would stay the same two weeks in a row!  (They promised not to change it again before the competition.)

One more practice...

ready to go...

well, no, we're not.  But we know the entire routine that we'll use at the first competition in three weeks.  And it looks like I can do it all, so that's good....  

It's been a rough week at work, and having this release is great!  

At the beginning of the year, each of us were asked to name three goals we wanted to get by the first competition.  I said a solid double base, a dive roll and a round off (fairly modest goals, I admit, but I knew it was only a couple of months away...).  Tonight I got my round off, I think my double base will be solid enough by next week and my forward roll is solid enough that I'm ready to try the dive roll soon, too.  yay me!

Did it!

So I did the stunt holding the flyer on my own, and I can do it!  Yay me!

Unfortunately, our flyer was away this week, so I didn't get to try the double base tonight.  But we did do a two-base-group stunt, the other groups' flyer falls into our cradle, then we pop her back up to their double base, and I did that OK.  So I think there's hope for me.

I'm having a blast, this is so much fun.  Our first competition is november 8th, although the coach suspects that we'll be the only parents' team there.  So next week we'll learn the spoken cheer portion, and that will be it for that competition and we'll add more later.  

Ultimate pride, the best you'll see!  Excellence, perfection, UCC... Stray Cats!

Not easy!

I was asked to base for the first time tonight. I did OK, t great, but my wrists just weren't supporting the weight as we lifted.  I mostly just need more practice, I think...

I've also been asked to be a base for a stunt, I lie on the ground and put my hands together over my chest, elbows locked, and another woman steps into my hands with one foot.  There's someone behind her to help her balance, but basically I have to hold her for about 14 seconds.  The catch is that she wasn't there tonight, so I was just going through the motions and I'm worried that I won't actually be able to do it.  I'm going to try with my daughter tomorrow and see... if I can't hold up a 70 lb child, there's no way I can do an adult!

Learning the routine

First "real" practice of the season last night.  We learned the first 32 counts of the routine, and it took over an hour, and we still haven't done the whole thing together with the stunt lift.

But it was fun!

Signed up, and paid

So I guess it's going to happen.  I've actually started to mention it to people.  For a while it felt like a dirty little secret, don't tell anyone or they might laugh at me.  The responses have been interesting.  My mom talked about how glad she was, that she always felt that when I was younger I'd chosen to do quiet things (piano lessons) rather than the more physical or social things (my sisters were in figure skating and dance).  A friend mentioned what good exercise it must be: you do flexibility, cardio and strength all in one.

I still haven't mentioned it to any members of my church, though.  Something odd about the pastor as cheerleader, especially when I'm a woman under 40 and fairly new to my parish and still trying to reassure them that I know what I'm doing and can be taken seriously.  As far as the sport may have come, as a sport, I'm not sure it's yet overcome the bimbo stereotype!

he promised

not to give me a hard time about cheerleading if I don't give him a hard time about his sailboat racing.

Fair enough.

"Cheermommy"

That's what my daughter called me last night.  Made me smile.

Sign-ups is in a couple of weeks.  I'm excited, but a little nervous, and also (perpetually) worried about the money.  But I think that it will be worth it....

Do you think you'll like cheerleading?

My daughter asked me that the other day.  I almost laughed; I've wanted to do this so much, it seemed absurd.  But as we talked about it, she was concerned that I be prepared that it is a lot of work, even though it is fun.

We practiced cartwheels two days ago, but we're on a family vacation and with traveling everyday, I'm finding it really hard to get the exercise.  That, and my spouse keeps feeding me really good food (You deserve it! You're on vacation!), I think I'm going to get home in a couple of weeks having actually gained weight.  Oh, well.  Having attended my first practice, and seen who else is on the team, I'm less concerned about it.  I mean, yes I want to work at this and get good at it, but five extra pounds isn't going to keep me form being a team member, so if I wait until I get back home to really pick up the exercise, it isn't going to kill me...

My Daughter Thinks I'm a Cheerleader!

OK, so we're on vacation and go to ride a restored antique carousel in Port Dalhousie/St. Catharine's, ON.  One of the operators has a national cheerleading competition T-shirt over the back of her bike.  And my daughter turns to me and says: That means that there are three cheerleaders here: her, and you and me!

First practice

Well, I did it.  I went to my first practice.  Everyone was great, welcoming me, telling me their names, showing me the ropes.  The regular coach wasn't there, he's on vacation, and I told folks I couldn't be back until the fall because my family vacation starts next week.  

There were some women there who were in REALLY good shape.  But there were others who were just in average shape, and so I fit in OK there.   Some of the team were working on back handsprings (WOW), but others were like me, struggling to stand up after a forward roll and to keep the legs straight for a cartwheel and round-off.  Everyone had lots of encouragement for everyone else, and although it was a little intimidating trying to do this in front of the parents who were there to watch their kids practice in the other half of the gym, I pretty much just shut them out and concentrated on what I was doing.  In time, I guess I'll have to do it in front of lots of other people, at competitions, so I guess I'd better get used to an audience.  The idea of a cheeleader without people to cheer is a little ludicrous.

And I finally told my husband that I thought I'd like to do this.  He did laugh.  But he didn't object or anything, and to be fair, I laugh at his model train hobby sometimes, so I really can't complain.

The cute little skirts

My daughter watched a video of the parent team last week.

"But you don't get to wear the little skirts!" she complained.

And I thought to myself, Thank God!

Really, my thighs at 16 would have been trouble in those things.  My thighs at almost-37... forget it!  I'm good with the yoga pants or capris or whatever, thank you!

Still, I know what she's saying.  There's something almost iconic about those cute little skirts.  Can you really be a cheerleader without them?

progress report

Went to the gym three times this week.  Intended 5, but between work and then hosting a dinner party last night, didn't make it.  Still, three times in a week is pretty good, right?

Was at the gym with my daughter this morning.  They did a couple of pyramids, it was awesome!  Made me want to do it, too.  And on the way home, she talked about maybe taking a tumbling class in the fall, and asked if I could take it with her if I'm on the parent team.  I don't know the answer, it'll depend on the timing, but it would be fun to do this with her.

Still planning to go to the parent class Tuesday night.  Looking forward to it, and nervous about it, too.  But I do know (at least to see) two others who are on it, their kids on on the same team as mine.  That should help....

Darn!

As much as I was nervous about going to parent cheer class on Tuesday night, now I'm annoyed that I can't.  My spouse has to work, so I'm on child care duty.  Now, I love my daughter and all, but I guess as I was actually looking forward to it.  

Maybe I'll try next Tuesday.

Or, as Yoda said, do or do not.  There is no "try."

Signing up...

Through the summer, the cheer gym offers parent cheer classes on Tuesday nights from 7:30 to 9.  I haven't gone yet.  

First, I had assumed that one had to sign up for the whole summer (like the kids had to), and since I'm going to be away with the family on vacation for four weeks, plus my occasion Tuesday night work commitment, it just didn't seem like the right time.

Second, I didn't want to tell my husband where I'd be going.  I still think he'd laugh at me.

Third, I'm a chicken.  

But I called tonight and apparently I can go next Tuesday night to a "trial" class for $10.  (They do the same thing for kids who are just getting into the sport.)  It's perfect timing because my husband and daughter are away for the week getting some daddy-daughter time.

So I'm going to go.  GULP.  Talk about making it real.

Did a weight training class tonight, really pushed myself to see what weight I could lift, feels good but am I going to be sore in the morning!!!

Not as good as I thought....

Did a step cardio class this morning for the first time in ages.  Boy, am I ever out of shape!  I'd been doing cardio training on eliptical machines and stationary bikes, but I obviously wasn't pushing myself hard enough, because this just about killed me.  At one point I was having to do the workout off the step, just doing the actions on the floor.  Yikes!

The reason I'm pushing myself so hard is that if they let me join the team at all, I figure that with missing a practice a month I'm going to need to be able to just jump in a participate at a pretty high level of ability the times 'm able to be there.  So, more classes are definitely called for!

After the step class, I took advantage of having the day off work and did a round of weight training and then a good 20 minutes of stretching; I know that flexibility is going to be important, too.  I got a new iPod last week, which made these a lot more fun, and I ended up feeling better about myself and my general fitness level than I had at the end of the class, so that's good, I guess....

Telling the first person

Well, I told my daughter this morning that I am "thinking about" joining the parent team at her cheer gym.  She was so excited (after a moment of concern that our two teams might be competing against one another! LOL! 37 yr olds versus 7 year olds!  I wonder who'd win!!!).  I had to warn her that I might not be able to do it, with my work schedule.  But now that I've told her, not doing it for any other reason would be a real disappointment to her, and I hate doing that.  So I guess that this is another step to making it real.

Worked out yesterday (weights) and today (cardio).  I really like this new health club I'm at; the old one was dark and felt dingey and not really a pleasant place to be; this one is much brighter, more natural light.  There are an awful lot of extremely fit people, though.... a bit intimidating....

Two steps forward, one step back...

OK, so I went and worked out Friday, had a great workout.  Yesterday wasn't too bad, ate reasonably well, eschewed the muffins on offer at the morning meeting I attended.  Probably just having been at the cheer gym with my daughter yesterday morning helped.

Today I went to the zoo with my daughter, and although we did some walking, it wasn't as much as I'd anticipated when I bought each of us an ice cream bar about 30 minutes before the sky turned (almost literally) black and the heavens opened up.  Somehow, I don't think that the sprint to the car (where I'd left the umbrella) burned off all those calories.

Sigh.

I decided that something else I need to work at is my posture; I wear a G-cup bra, and I'm always hunching my shoulders over.  Not sure if that's a physical thing or a psychological thing (trying to hide what I'm carrying!), but either way, no cheerleader I've ever seen has anything but perfect posture (at least not when in uniform).  Might as well start working on it.  And hey, might help with my perpetually sore upper back in the process.....

Getting started

They say that we're more likely to follow up on our commitments when we make them in writing, and if we tell others about them.  But I'm still afraid that people in my life will laugh at me for this one, so being anonymous will be a good thing, I think.

I want to be a cheerleader.

I thought I'd given this up twenty years ago when I was cut at cheer tryouts in high school.  It was just one of those things that I simply wasn't meant to do.

But now my daughter is 8, and cheering at a cheer gym that has a parent's team.  And now I have the chance to look at doing this again.

I've always loved the sport; the athleticism, the grace, the excitement, the teamwork.  

But I'm  20 pounds overweight, not very strong, and work at least once a month on the nights the team practices.

Still, I'm going to give it a shot.  

So today, I'm off to the gym (the regular one, not the cheer one) to begin trying to get into shape for this.

Here's a video of the team I'm hoping to join in action, 2007 nationals.