Adrenaline Cheer [Katy, TX}

I often find myself getting so busy I tend to neglect my blog.  The new year is right around the corner, and I want to make an extra effort to sit back, relax and share with you some of the many events that keep my life exciting.  Whether this be my two year old daughter, Kamryn, filling the house with smoke from melting markers in the toaster (true story) or Kenna, my six year old scoring a 100 on every single spelling test so far in the first grade.  These are bits of my life and "My Inspiration!"

Of course I will still post client blogs, but this tiny section of my blog is going to be devoted to getting a little more personal.  So if you don't already follow my blog make sure you jump aboard because I typically do not experience many dull moments!  :)

I could not think of a better person to brag about than my six year old daughter.  She has always been a very active child and really takes after her daddy when it comes to being a "natural athlete." A year ago she decided she wanted to try out tumbling.  It did not take long, and we knew this was for her.  She loved going to class and excelled rather quickly for her age.  After one short year, her coach informed my husband and me that he was taking a coaching position at a more competitive based gym.  He had been a competitive cheer coach for many years prior and was going to be one of the main coaches at a new gym opening in the area.

The day I informed Kenna that "Coach JJ" would no longer be at her current gym was the day I realized just how much one individual could influence a child in such a short amount of time.  She absolutely adored her coach and worked so hard to make him proud! It crushed her to hear he was no longer going to be her coach.  She begged to follow him and venture over to the new gym.  The commute was a bit more than I planned, but I saw the importance of stability for a child her age and after some thought decided we would give it a try.

It did not take long for Kenna to show interest in cheer. This was a HUGE commitment on all of us, and I wanted to make sure she understood and grasped that.  As a parent, I explained when you join a team you are part of a link, and the team cannot function if it has a missing link.  This meant if she made the decision to be a part of the team quitting was not an option.  I know this may sound harsh for a six year old, but I know life does not just let you quit when things get hard and she needed to learn this right from the start.  We sat down and explained just how much time and dedication she was going to have to put in if she was serious about being on a team.  Not only was it going to be a commitment for her;  it was a commitment for the entire family!

Well of course she was adamant she could handle it and assured us she would give 110% for her new team.  Just as I had anticipated she quickly realized this was not just tumbling which came natural to her but rather much more.  She was the youngest on the team and had no clue about keeping on count or staying in sync with the other girls.  Everything was NEW to her and extremely frustrating!  Did the word "quit" ever come up, of course, remember we are dealing with a fresh six year old.  Was quitting an option-- no and she knew that because she had made a choice that not just effected her but 11 other girls, she calls her "teammates!" Children are very smart and she understood this was not going to come easy, but she was not going to give up.  I watched this group of girls every week for several months and the progression came bit by bit.  By the time the first competition arrived they were ready and I remember looking Kenna in the eyes and telling her "win or lose you should be so proud of yourself because you stuck by your teammates and together you all helped one another get where you are right now!"  That day I watched a brand new team of twelve girls walk out on a competitive gym floor most of them for the very first time, and hold their own against more experienced teams.

It is exciting to say the girls have had two competitions so far and took home second place at both as well as best overall pyramid at the last competition, but realistically I would have been just as proud had they come in last.  To me it is not always about winning or losing but what you learn from the experience.

A huge thank you to to everyone that has supported Kenna and her team.  This includes but does not limit her family, coaches, friends and sponsors that have made it possible for her to be a part of this AMAZING team!!! GO ADRENALINE TEAM POWER!!!!

Sorry for the bad phone video didn't realize I should have turned my phone horizontal, but hopefully you can still see.  This was the first time K landed four in a row!!!  Now onto to back tucks!