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Debbie (my wife) and I make a strong attempt to keep our kids involved in some sort of athletic endeavor throughout the year. Kristi was a cheerleader throughout her high-school year; Kelsey is in cross-country, track, volleyball, and equestrian stuff; Rocky in an elite-level soccer team and martial arts; Robin in competition cheerleading; and Tommy in (American) football and martial arts. Overall, a busy family. We also encourage our kids to go out and play outside whenever we can, and overall they have stayed involved and active - and Debbie and I can't be more proud of each of them.
But this weekend was special - no, VERY special - for our youngest daughter, Robin (whom we affectionally call "Mouse"); but before I get to the reason for our unbridled pride, let me describe the the gym a bit first.
Mouse is a member of an "all-star" cheerleading team at a great gym called "Cheer and Dance Atlanta". The teams from this gym are known as "all-star" because you have to try out for the team each year, and based on your tryout they place you on one of the teams based on age and skill level - if there is a slot available. The name of the competition teams from this gym is the "Atlanta Jayhawks". This gym is VERY successful at turning out extremely talented competitive cheer and (hip-hop) dance teams. They have been so successful that there are trophies everywhere in the gym - in windows, shelves all over the place, and so on; in fact, there are so many trophies that the ones not in storage are only from 2006 and sooner! Debbie, Mouse, and I were very excited when she made one of the teams - she was placed on the "Youth Level 2" (YL2) team (Youth is the age range designation, and Level 2 is the skill level designation).
Mouse and her team begin the season by competing (usually twice a month) at various regional events. There are quite a few cheerleading/dance organizations in which they compete - JamFest, National Cheer Association/National Dance Association, Cheersport, and so on. In most organizations you have to "place" (e.g. first, second, or third) in a regional event to be invited to the "championship" event towards the end of the season. We're nearing the end of the season now, so the Jayhawks are now participating in the various championship events - the most recent being Cheersport.
Cheersport is one of the largest cheer/dance organizations in the country, and their national championship is huge. This championship was held this past weekend in Atlanta at our huge convention facility (Georgia World Congress Center, or GWCC for short), and it was truly massive. There were approximately 1,000 teams - take a look at the back of Mouse's shirt that lists all of the teams, and you'll get some idea of the enormity of this competition:
There were 14 teams at the same level as Mouse's team, so there was a decent amount of competition, but not insurmountable. If the girls performed their very best, they would stand a very good chance of placing third or above - if they performed at their very best.
Mouse's team was ready-to-go early Saturday morning. Each gym is given one rather large room that acts as a "green room" for the team (green room is a showbusiness term referring to the room where talk show guests wait until they're called out to the stage), and we arrived early enough to show support to the other teams from our gym. Overall the other teams did very well, and Mouse's team did great - in fact, her team was in first place by the end of the first day, but by the scantest of margins - only 4 points. There was a reason for some cautious optimism, but her team has been bitten by this before - there have been a couple of other events were Mouse's team was in first, only to wind up second after the end of her event. So the girls were a bit excited, but they knew that they needed to perform as well, or better, the next day.
The next day Mouse's team performed a bit later in the day, so there was a bit more time for the nerves to get the best of them - but these girls are special. When they performed during Day 2, the parents and coaches thought their performance was good, if not better, than Day 1's performance. So now we were all left to wait, and see how well the other competing teams performed.
We met at the appointed time in the "Awards Auditorium" to see where the YL2 Atlanta Jayhawks would wind up. They begun by listing each place, and the team that wound up there - so this means that we had to go through 12 places to get to numbers two and one! After each place was listed, we collectively went "whew!" Slowly, yet surely, we go down to second place - and our team's name was NOT called, meaning the Atlanta Jayhawks (Youth Level 2) team is the NATIONAL CHAMPION!!
WOW!!
We (the parents) were screaming, crying, jumping up and down, and generally losing our minds because the team of our little girls are the BEST team in the NATION!!
Our daughters were kept behind-stage to have pictures made by Cheerfest, and they were given a) a "ginormous" (my daughter's description) trophy that was easily 3.5 feet (1 meter) tall along with a banner, one each for the team, b) a gold medal that each child received, and c) a jacket that had, in huge letters, "Cheersport National Champions" across the back - one for each child. After receiving these gifts and having the team picture made, the girls ran out from the back and into our waiting arms - screaming and jumping the entire way. It was so amazingly awesome that we were able to share this moment with them, and that they were the best team in the country - it was simply a priceless time in all of our lives.
So, I had to share this joyous occasion with all of you, because (to be quite honest) we're still not completely calmed down from this weekend. Debbie and I, along with her siblings, are so proud and excited for the team in general, and Mouse in particular. She still hasn't stopped smiling (nor has she taken off the jacket, except for showers 
), and I don't blame her.
So, please forgive me this indulgence so that I may brag to whomever will listen about my sweet daughter Robin - our "Mouse" - and how she is a National Champion in a sport she so dearly loves.
I love you, Mouse - and I could not be more proud of you.
Rock
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