It has only been just short of two years since my beautiful daughter Lexi decided competitive cheerleading was her passion. The only thing I new about competitive cheerleading was from what I had seem in the Bring It On movie. In high school I was a cheerleader and we stood proudly on the sidelines cheering on our football team. The only reason most of us were on the team was to miss school, hang out with cute boys and to attend the parties. I soon found out what my daughter had signed up for was the polar opposite of what my cheer experience was.
Lexi did her research and picked a club in Edmonton and prepared for tryouts. She made a junior level 2 team and started to train really hard. By Christmas she became a crossover on the senior 2 team which meant we would go to Disneyworld for a competition. Cheer for these girls and boys is a lifestyle and commitment, not just for them but for their entire family. I was nervous, I am a shy person whom suffers from anxiety, how was I going to adjust to this new lifestyle. I had seen those shows about pageant and cheer moms. Let's be honest they make the moms appear to be somewhere between the devil and complete mental cases! I am happy to report that those shows are totally WRONG! (Well for the most part)
With Lexi on two teams I started spending a lot of time at the gym. Before I knew it I was making a bunch of new and wonderful friends. Lexi was loving cheer and now I was too. Our trip to Disneyworld was wonderful my sister from Philadelphia came and Lexi and I made lifelong friends from the cheer club that week. The first season ended with her senior 2 team being undefeated in Canada.
As quick as the season ended tryouts for our current season came. Lexi wanted to make a senior 3 or senior 4.2 team this year. We figured that most of her previous senior team would end up back together again. When team lists were posted much to both of our surprise Lexi had made the senior level 4 team. I knew she had worked extremely hard and had progressed quite rapidly, this was a well deserved accomplishment. We were both excited and nervous it was a great opportunity for Lexi but since none of her friends made the same team it was bittersweet.
We arrived at cheer to start this season and as Lexi went off with her team I found myself nervous and alone. I had been warned that this team's moms were a tight knit group and it was hard to get into it. After a few practices and exchanging some pleasant "hellos" I noticed that these ladies went for a walk during the practice so I mustard up my confidence and asked if I could join them. Guess what, they welcomed me with open arms and they were not like some snobby elite high school clique. These ladies are some of the smartest, most generous, compassionate and funniest people I have ever had the pleasure to meet!
I have realized as Lexi was following her passion of cheer, it had forced me out of my shell. It brought me out of my house and it had breathed new life into me. As cheer taught my daughter teamwork, discipline, commitment and hard work; cheer had also helped me become the outgoing person I always knew was inside me but was to shy to share with others. I have to say I am one of those crazy, over excited Mums that goes totally wild when my daughters team steps on the mat to perform. There is something about the energy the team gives off as they have their 2:30 minutes on
the mat to impress and shine. I can honestly say I love cheer! Cheer has become a huge part of our lives and sometimes the family has to make sacrifices because of it. (And not everyone is always happy about it.) But I look forward to taking Lexi to practice it really is one of the most fun parts of my week. I love it because I get to go and spend time with these awesome ladies and it's nice just being myself.
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