My cheerleaders won the State Championship!

Next major happening!?

Wilson Cheeleading took home another first place trophy! Our girls worked hard all year and it paid off. I love when that happens. Obviously it is great to have the life lesson that things don’t always turn out the way you want, but an even better/ more fun, life lesson is when kids experience hard work paying off! Man, I really love to win! 

It was a ton of fun to watch these ladies live up to their potential, hit a great routine and take home the trophy they deserved! It was my last season coaching and a great way to end an awesome 5-year run.

Disney people are crazy.

Want some joy?

Okay, here’s your joy in the form of Nationals and Disneyland pictures. The girls did great btw. Made it to finals and took home 5th place!

We love trophies! 

I didn't quite make the pose. Too scary! 

Oops. Sorry for blocking your face chick behind me. But not really. We look awesome. 

I promise I'm not a creep... those wigs were just too weird! Had to take a picture.

BTMR (Big Thunder Mountain Railroad) It is my favorite ride and deserves a nickname as it should also be everyone else’s favorite. Yes, I am going to should on you right here. If Pirates is your favorite you have some serious problems that I can’t even tackle. Anyway, BTMR was closed! I feel like anytime a major ride is closed they should be discounting your Disney pass. Seriously! WTF is wrong with them?

We were devastated.

Let’s all agree that Space Mountain is the best ride, BUT since it isn't cheesy Disney enough BTMR takes the number one spot as a cheesy and fast rollercoaster. It also gets bumped up a bit because people have died on it. Every time you ride, you are basically living on the edge. How bad ass of you! Kudos.

One last thing about Disneyland. There is something about Disney that makes people completely lose their minds. They all of a sudden buy crap with Mickey on it that they wouldn't be caught dead in any other time. Don’t you worry, I am not one of those people. I have not purchased a Mickey t-shirt, nor will I in my lifetime. Unless I end up with a kid someday who loves Disney… Then I will consider buying Mickey stuff for it. When I say "it" right there I mean the kid. I did have a Tigger jacket when I was 9… Come on Joanne! Why did you let me have that? Gross. But really, what is it about Disneyland that makes people buy all that crappy stuff? Maybe they put something in the water? That would also answer the question of why the water tastes like dirt.

So long Mickey Snow White. Until we meet again!

Hey Mickey!

Oh, Mickey, you're so fine. You're so fine you blow my mind. Hey, Mickey!
CLICK HERE (and fast forward to 0:38).

Guess what!? I AM GOING TO DISNEYLAND THIS WEEKEND!!!! Cheerleading Nationals have snuck up on me. It is going to be great! Wait, you don’t think that taking a bunch of high school cheerleaders to California sounds fun? Then you are probably a normal person. I realize that I am unhinged, but a weekend in the happiest place on earth is just what I need. Plus I love cheerleading. And spending all afternoon watching competitive cheerleading sounds look a good day to me! Here is my post from the trip last year.

Looking forward to recreating this. I need to remember to pack that shirt! 

On another note, how do you all feel about Google Reader leaving us? How do the rest of you track your favorite blogs? I really don’t like bloglovin. Soooo now I am in the market for a new RSS reader that will work for a desktop and my mobile device easily.

I will be honest by telling you that I have an unhealthy attachment to my Google Reader. That being said, what are we going to do come July 1st!? Let's be real, if Google thinks we are going to favorite sites and visit them every day, they have lost their bloody minds!  Let me know what you guys are doing. I have read a couple articles about some options, but I’m not sold on anything yet.

Have a great weekend everyone!

"Second place? Hell, yeah!"

This is a quote from Bring It On. I completely understand if you have no idea what I am talking about. Be forewarned, this is another post about cheerleading.

I just got back from USA Nationals in Anaheim, CA. We (the 5 coaches) took our squad of teenagers down to compete in the high school cheerleading nationals. Let me tell you now, it was a very exciting trip! Not only did we get to watch our kids compete at a very high level, but we got to play in Disneyland!

As coaches, we have a fun relationship and dynamic. I could go to all of them about anything and they would listen and judge me way less than a normal friend! Haha. Really, they probably wouldn't judge at all. Plus, these women are packed full of awesome advice. They are all so different too. It is like having every perspective you could possibly need right at your finger tips! We always joke about how as a coaching staff we equal one perfect coach. And you know what? It is true!

Space Mountain t-shirts. Does it get much cooler?

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad! 

Now for some updates on the competition:
Background: Wilson cheer has been traveling to USA Nationals semi-regularly since 2004 and hasn't placed above 5th.

This year our cheerleaders competed in the hardest division we have ever been in… the small division. This division is comprised of teams who pick their 12 best. Some of these teams may have programs of 20 kids and they choose to pull their absolute best in order to dominate the competition. We prepared our kids for this reality before we went, reminding them that this year’s division would be full of squads with concentrated talent. Our goal was to make finals.

Our girls hit a perfect routine in preliminaries. There were no regrets. They all recognized that if they didn’t make finals with their best, then they were okay with that. Not only did our girls make finals, our squad would be going into finals sitting in second place!!! We were flabbergasted!

Finals day was just as flawless. They girls performed their little hearts out and were going to be happy with whatever place they got, accepting that it was the exact placement they deserved. We were hoping to just to make it into the top three, knowing that many of the teams from prelims had cleaned up their routines for finals.

Feeling great after their performance! 

I love this picture from the announcement of awards. I can feel the nerves. 

As they announced the placements our girls grasped hands in anticipation. 5th place… 4th place… (still no Wilson? We placed in the top 3!! We were stoked.)  3rd place… (Cue the tears. Top 2!?) 2nd place… Wilson High School!!! It was an amazing feeling. What a testament to the hard work our girls had put in all year.

This makes me tear up! 

Our senior captains. We sure will miss them! 

I love that this is going to be a life lesson that all of these kids can take with them. They worked hard, they did their best and they came out on top. It was incredible!

Cheerleading State Champions 2012.

Katie and I finish praying as the announcer begins, “Wilson, you may take the mat.”

Okay, our girls have had this routine for six months. They were hitting their stunts all week. Things were cleaned up and motions were sharp. I knew they would have their best performance yet. It was time for them to hit their State Championship routine.

As coaches, there is nothing longer than the 2 minutes and 30 seconds that decides whether or not the kids you have encouraged, pumped up, coached and invested in are going to come out of this day feeling defeated or triumphant. Five coaches, who do not want the responsibility of managing disappointment, and a squad of teenage girls, with insurmountable nerves, prepare and anticipate the outcome of a measly two and a half minutes.

As the music swells so does the anxiety. Our girls attack the mat with energy and determination. I am suddenly filled with pride because I get to be on the coaching staff of this remarkable team.

Watching each section, teeny bits of relief pass as they move from one stunt sequence to the next. Then it comes time for the last one. All of the anxiety comes back for the next 10 seconds. The mind begins to race, “Will they hit this final pyramid? They haven’t hit it at a competition yet this season. But the change we made this week has taken this pyramid to a whole other level of solid. They are unstoppable!”

They hit it! The next part is a blur. There is nothing more exciting than seeing kids that you care about have their best performance of the year, the performance of the day, and for the senior’s, one of those life moments they will never forget. (Hopefully the underclassmen get to have another… but you never know!)

They will never forget that moment for the rest of their lives. Tears, excitement, hugs. Everyone was over the moon. They had worked so incredibly hard for that outcome and they deserved it! Wilson was going to take home the first place trophy.

This is the moment our girls knew they had won! Priceless faces.

I posted a video of the performance below. For a better version: Click Here and go to 1:36

I know I have been the worst blogger ever, but I am back!

You’re so pretty and popular.

So I totally suck and have not been on top of the blog game this week. BUT I am a busy lady. Last weekend San Francisco, this weekend wedding in central Oregon. Yes folks, I will be walking down the aisle… Sadly, I am not the bride. Had you going for a minute though! Right? Not even a little? Whatevs.  I am a bridesmaid this weekend. Very exciting!

For great info and photos on the trip to San Francisco, please refer to the blog of my lovely BFF Anne.

Is this the laziest way to make a blog post ever? Just link to somebody else’s? Ha! Disclaimer: I did not actually run the half-marathon. I cheered them on.

Proof that I am a really great cheerleader. (Ignore how huge I look in this photo)

Sign reads: You're so pretty and popular!!

I know you can't tell from the picture, but the sign is covered in gold glitter. Just had to let you know since it was clearly the best part! I promise to be a better blogger in the near future. 

Go team! Fight fight! Gee, I hope I look alright.

I am a cheerleading coach and this week we start up again. I am sort of ready for this season and sort of not. It is just a big time commitment and I was enjoying my summer. The hardest thing I have been working on this summer (besides actual work) is my tan.

My friends would say that I am obnoxiously upbeat sometimes. Fortunately, they have gotten really good at ignoring it like my family does. I LOVE cheerleading. I love the energy, I love to tumble and I love to dance. Mostly I love my kids and the coaching staff. (Wow, so much love... I may vomit) Anywho, we have so much fun together! The girls respect us and work hard. The coaches have a great dynamic. We are friends, we aren’t afraid to say what we think, we have a lot of fun together and most importantly… we love to win! Wilson has been placing top 3 in state for the past 8 years. We are slightly struggling in our program, but apparently it is a school wide issue. People just can’t afford to get their kids involved in sports. They can’t fork over the “pay to play.” (a sports fee to the school). And with cheer we pay for competitions, gear, travel etc. These families present us with a hefty amount of their hard earned cash! I mean, we do go to Disneyland for nationals after all… isn’t it worth it? Maybe/ maybe not. What is more important… saving for college or high school cheerleading?... I say it’s a toss up.

I attribute this problem to the damned economy. What the heck!? Why hasn’t this been figured out yet? I’m no politician, but we have been talking about/ dealing with this crappy economy for a number of years now. These politicians really should have taken problem solving at George Smith Elementary. Those word problems were tricky! It definitely would have prepped them for this one.

Example:            

If the stock market crashes on a regular basis, if Barack has negative 14 trillion dollars and his land is in debt, if Boehner has a spray tan and an idea and if TSA likes to feel people up. How long does it take Barack and Boehner to wash the car?

It obviously takes more than 3 years. My poor Daddy works in finance. I swear his blood pressure has gone up more in the past 3 years than in his entire life (Don't worry folks, he is healthy). It’s like he was elected president! I mean that he has had a hard few years in the same amount of time as a president would… not that he has actually been elected president. I know I look a lot like Obama, but he isn’t my dad. Sorry to confuse.

How lucky was I that the economy took its stellar dive the year I graduated from college? So lucky! It only took me 9 months to find a job. I was so bored, I probably should have just had a baby. BUT, at least the job I have now is the perfect job hand picked for me by God. I am deadly serious about that one. I work for the best non-profit. I am passionate about what I do and look forward to work. This is rare and I feel blessed! Okay, enough mushy stuff. 

This post started about cheerleading and turned into a post about God. Sounds about right to me!

5^th place at the 2011 USA nationals

Rah Rah Goooooo Team! (Insert high-kick here)