Fame Update: Twister Jam

Some badass Fame Monsters after their big win!

This weekend was a big one for the ladies of Fame, as they had their first REAL competition. We did a performance at the KC Spirit Spectacular in the gym a few weeks ago, but this was the first time they did their routine for a crowd and real judges.

Since it was our first real competition, it was also our first time in the practice room as a team. We've told them that the practice room is where competitions are won. It's all about encouraging each other, lifting your teammates up to their highest points and intimidating the crap out of everybody else. They did a pretty good job of staying focused and had a solid practice.

Our performance was less than awesome. They hit mostly everything with a few tumbling touchdowns, but then they got to the pyramid. One of my flyers started to fall so she tried to grab on to one of the other flyers for support, thus dragging the entire thing to the floor. I'm not kidding we dropped 6 of 7 stunts to the ground. For those who don't know all-star cheerleading, at a big competition, that would be the difference between 1st and about 20th. We were horrified.

We got off the floor and the girls were all crying. We were harsh on them. We told them to wipe the tears off of their faces because they did that to themselves. It was a silly mistake that could've been prevented had they had their heads screwed on right and had they been focusing. There was nobody to blame but themselves! We told them they wouldn't be winning first place, and they were to show sportsmanship and clap for whoever won their division, because they beat them fair and square.

Then came time for awards. We had 4 teams in our division. Zonko and I were ready for a 4th or 3rd place win. The announcer kept announcing other teams that were not us until we realized they had won 1st place. Their technique and execution scores in all categories other than the pyramid were so high that even though they dropped the entire pyramid they were still able to win first place. They were SO EXCITED, and Zonko and I were a little bit dumbfounded. If their technique is that good now, think of how much better they're going to get as the season continues!

We still had practice on Sunday. A first place win doesn't guarantee you a day off when you drop major stunts! Some of the girls didn't understand why we had to practice. "We got first! Why are we here?" they said. After we explained to them, a lot of them came together and worked really hard all practice to continue to refine their skills and make each other better. I doubt they're ever going to drop an entire pyramid ever again.

I can't wait to keep going with these kids. They all have such bright spirits and are so eager and excited to work hard and put great skills on the floor. Here's hoping we can keep getting better and continue to pull out first place wins! It's really cool to watch them all interact with them, and be able to be the one who teaches them about teamwork and mental strength when preparing for competitions. This year I am constantly finding myself looking back to my days on Junior 3 and how much I learned from my coaches. I still look back on those days with the fondest memories, and hope some days these little chicks will too. I just love them so much, and am so excited to keep going!