Cheer Mom Day 5: Evaluations

We decided on gym #3. After much angst analysis, it felt like the best fit.  It is large so they have teams at every level – including beginning ones. That means that #alb07 won’t be pushed to be on a team above her abilities just to fill a spot. 

Today is evaluation day. It seems most all-star cheer gyms accept everyone – it’s just a matter of level. So A’s gym doesn’t have “try-outs”, they have evaluations. They will evaluate every girl on her ability to find the best fit team for her. To me, this seems to take some of the pressure off because it feels a bit more like placement instead of in vs. out. 

Eval. Day has been busy. Here’s the schedule of the day:

·         9:00 – First Holy Communion preparation retreat for #pdb08

·         9:30 – Cheer parent meeting

·         10:00 – Cheer evaluations

·         12:00 – Evaluations & retreat finish

·         3:00 – Superhero Gymnastics Olympics for #jlb10

Whew – It hasn’t even been a week and I’m exhausted. 

Before getting to the gym we had to get hair curled and into a high ponytail, makeup on (special request by the cheerleader) and outfit on. Now this seems like it should be easy but I am quickly learning that so much of all-star cheerleading is scripted – including practice wear.  I have spent more money than I care to admit at the sporting goods store this week buying Nike Pro compression shorts, sports bras, and no-show socks. As I mentioned this gym is pretty restrictive in what you wear for practice.  That means black shorts, a team practice sports bra, and a practice bow. 

There was a time when I remember dropping lots of $$ on athletic gear for myself and Mr. Brown. That was in the days when we had the time and energy to be at the gym, or on the slopes, or on our bikes regularly. Now we rush from practice to practice in too-many seasons old clothes with our kids in fantastic gear. New normal, I suppose. 

I spent the entire 2 hours of evaluations just hanging around at the gym. I chatted with a few parents but most seemed to already have a friend or two there with them. I figure if I’m going to be spending so much time here I need to get to know some parents so I have people to talk to and carpool with and just generally commiserate with. Finally at about 11, I spotted my parent-friend target. She was standing alone focused on her phone. I stood strategically nearby on my phone for a good 10 minutes until there was finally an opening – a chance to comment on the warm weather we were standing in. And suddenly we were talking.  She was nice, works full-time (yay, I’m not alone!), lives near us, and has TWO daughters in their first year cheering. I knew I would like her once I spotted her Kate Spade with a MONOGRAM! Seriously, I did not know that was an option. Apparently in Las Vegas they can make anything happen. (Note to self – add monogrammed designer handbag to personal wish list!)

As it turned out, our girls were both in the last group to finish. And at the end her daughter (who just turned 9) had made friends with mine while they waited. Kismet!

The result…. Level 1 Limited. 

She is a little bummed to be on Limited but I’m sort of thrilled because it’s a little less expensive and they only practice days 2 days per week instead of 3. Since it’s her first year I think it’s a great place to start. 

Next up… the evaluations continue with twice a week practices for April and May. 

Cheer Mom Day 1: Welcome to My New Career

Today I start my new career as a cheer mom. Today we are choosing my daughter’s first all-star cheer gym.  

This is really more like my 5^th career. I already wear many hats – mom, manager (the one career that pays me), gymnastics mom to my sons, and troop cookie mom. So adding another part-time job of practices and competitions feels a little dauntingutterly overwhelming. But #alb07 has been begging for months to become a cheerleader and now’s as good a time as any to start. 

So here I sit, waiting at her beginner tumbling class trying to sort out the details of the options available to her. We are lucky enough to live in a major metropolitan area which means lots of choices.  It also means there are LOTS of choices.  It’s like trying to choose from the menu at the Cheesecake Factory – everything sounds fantastic but there are so many choices and you don’t know if you’ll like what you get until you’ve committed to your order. 

My brain racked with questions… Big or small? Laid back or very structured? Do they all show their midriffs? Am I the kind of mom who’s okay with a bare midriff on my 9 year old or do I think that’s too much? What if she has 4pm practices, I have to be at work until 4pm? Is an out of order toilet in the bathroom a sign of disrepair in the gym? Why would that gym let girls stunt on pavement without mats during a parade – Do they take safety seriously? She’s not a great tumbler – do we need to sign her up for privates? And are privates better with the cheer coach or the gymnastics coach? Is it overkill that one gym has specific practice uniforms and bows or does that create a feeling of unity and discipline? Is it strange that one gym’s uniforms have a cartoonish character on them or is that just fun for the kids? Do I choose convenience of the gym next to our sons’ gymnastics gym or am I willing to drive 20 minutes between gyms? In the end is there any real difference for my daughter’s experience?

Here are the options we are considering:

Gym 1:

·         Size – small-ish

·         History – 3^rd year locally but established elsewhere

·         On the plus side – nice facility, small atmosphere might be great for #alb07, very convenient, 1 team at Summit this year, friendly staff and owner

·         In the minus column – stunting on pavement (terrifies me!), not great at answering phones/returning calls

·         #alb07’s take – she likes the facility “because they have a foam pit”

Gym 2

·         Size – medium

·         History – 9 years 

·         On the plus side – popular training place for high schools, many winning teams

·         In the minus column – least convenient, poor customer service (no one is ever at the front desk), minor disrepair in the facility (not the equipment that I can tell, but makes me wonder)

·         #alb07’s take – taking beginning cheer & tumbling classes here and likes the coaches, mostly seems ambivalent

Gym 3

·   Size – biggest in the state

·         History – 15 years 

·         On the plus side – highly competitive, 16 Summit teams this year, very well organized

·         In the minus column – maybe a little toointense for our first year

·         #alb07’s take – attended an open gym and didn’t like it – said everyone seemed very experienced (which they were since these are current cheerleaders at the end of the competition year). She’s worried they’ll push her too hard.

Which will we choose? I’m still not sure but we should know by bedtime tonight. 

Overheard... Decomp

Conversation on tonight's car ride home...

Allison: Mommy, Do ants like water?

Me: Probably but not too much. Just a few little droplets. 

A: If there are big drops they would die. 

Me: Probably

A: Do ants go to heaven when they die?

Me: I'm not really sure

A: what happens to your skin when you die?

Me: Well your spirit goes to heaven to live with God. And you body, well... it decomposes. 

A: What's "decomposes"?

Me: Well, um....

Mr. Brown:  <insert bizarre explanation about powders lemonade dissolving>

Me: It just kind of turns to dust. But it's okay, it doesn't hurt because you are already in Heaven. 

A: I'm going to ask God to let me live to be 190!

Well okay then......

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Holiday Concerts

This week the kids had their holiday performances at school.  With 3 kids in the same school that means overlap for mom & dad.  Luckily the school knows that many people have multiple kids in the school so they do the toddler activities a little earlier than the other kids.  That meant we all went to Jonathan's performance and then Mr. Brown and I split up for the other two.

The Toddler Room sang just one song - about all you can get out of 2 year olds!  But they were darn cute doing it!

Jonathan had no interest in actually performing so he just watched from the sidelines.  Yep - that's him over on the left.  He's getting so big and yet still quite the peanut compared to his peers.

I spent most of my time in Allison's room so I got the most pictures of that.  She got to introduce a Kwanzaa song that they sang.

I did manage to sneak into Peter's class for a song as well.

All in all they had a great time.

And I made some wreaths for 2 of the classes to display their cards from all the parents & kids that went with the Christmas bonuses people donated.  The crayon wreaths were a HUGE hit.  Just some cardboard wreath forms, 2 boxes of 64 crayons each and lots of hot glue!

E-I-E-I-O

Overheard on the way home from school...

P: ooh... McDonald's
A: you know in the old days there was no McDonald's. McDonald's was a farm.
P: I don't like farms because you have to have animals.