So proud we hit zero at Nationals, even though we didn’t get the result we wanted.
He said
Well, the one competition that was on our radar for some time, the Canadian National Championships arrived this weekend. Leading up to this, the girls and the coaches had been doing a lot of hard work to get their performance honed and ready to compete on the Nationals stage. From the practices I had seen, right up to this week, they were definitely as ready as they had been for any competition this season. There had been a lot of changes and adversity to their program this year but for the last month solid the girls have worked very hard and were in the best spot they have been all year.
The competitions for the most part always come down to the day one and the day two performance. The first day is worth thirty percent of their score and day two is worth seventy percent. To win at the National Championships it’s important to have great performances both days. Friday at noon was their first performance and suffice it to say there was a lot of nervous kids as well as their parents. When their time came, they managed give their best performance of the season and they even managed to hit zero which means there were no deductions or errors. The kids were elated as were the parents! We knew it was going to put them in a good spot for day two and give them a chance to medal. And, most of all, they knew they were capable of it.
Day two rolled around with a much earlier start in the for-all-the-marbles performance. They started very strong again, like they did the day before but in one of the stunt groups that Emelia is part of, for whatever reason the flyer came down. Emelia and the bases were not able to save the flyer from falling and that became what we knew would make it difficult for them to medal. The rest of the routine was not as clean or crisp as the day before, but there no other mistakes that we could see. The disappointment came a couple hours later in the awards ceremony when Allegiance found out they placed 5th out of the 8 teams there.
It was not the news they wanted, but the one thing I will say, and I know all the parents agree that we are so proud of how they picked up and ended the routine as though the fall never happened. It must have been deflating yet they powered through! It was a quiet ride home as Emelia sifted through the emotions and disappointment from the weekend. The one shining thing through the entire weekend for Emelia was having her friend Emma through the weekend. She came down and stayed with us Thursday night and they got ready together, and then on Friday night they stayed together with Emma’s parents and got ready together again. The two together are so good for each other’s nerves and she is a godsend for my endless what does that mean? Cheer questions.
She said
Another cheer competition is in the books! It has been a very challenging year for Emelia and her team. They pushed the absolute limit of their level in stunting and worked so hard to make the routine work. Even after all the falls and disappointments of the season the kids never gave up. This group of girls worked harder than I have ever seen a team work. Some of the girls were pushing through pain, illness and would not stop training. We were so proud of their dedication and support for their team.
The week leading into Nationals was a bit of a gong show, we found out the night before that the hotel for some reason had cancelled our reservation without telling us. We found out by fluke and had to spend hours trying to last minute scramble to ensure we even had a bed to sleep in the night before the competition. Thankfully the hard working hotel booking company for the competition got on it right away and by the morning we were due to leave we finally had confirmation we had a room to stay in. What a mess!
Thursday after work and both Emelia and Emma were done rugby practice we were finally on our way to Niagara Falls. The girls chatted the whole way down and kept each other calm. We arrived at the hotel, got settled in and quickly Emelia and Emma were off to explore all over the hotel and nearby shops. The girls ended up going for a swim while John and I figured out supper and then we all hung out and tried to get to bed at a somewhat decent hour. After getting Emelia’s curlers to sleep in the whole groups crashed pretty hard.
The next morning with the girls still sleeping and John and I up early we headed to the infinity pool area to have a nice relaxing soak in the hot tub. It was a perfect start to a crazy and busy weekend. By the time we came back to the room the girls were getting up and we started to get everyone ready. John went off for a ride while the girls got all cheered up! Emma and Emelia cranked their pre-cheer hype music and they were ready for the day.
After the year this team has had they were nervous and excited to get to the venue to meet up with their teammates. The girls were all nervous but the energy was high. But for me the biggest surprise we got to give Emelia was the last minute news that my sister was going to drive all the way down from her place to see Emelia perform! Aunt Charlie must have been the good luck they needed because the girls killed it! They have never ever performed like that before, they were insanely high energy, clean and for the first time this season hit zero!!!! The whole parent fan zone area was going insane, there were a sea of happy tears and screams from the whole crowd. The girls nailed it!!!
With very happy kids in tow we made our way back to the hotel and the girls de-cheered and adventured around for a bit while we waited for the rest of the cheer families to be ready to do some tourist stuff. By the time we all connected later afternoon we didn’t have much time, the girls were hot and tired and had big plans for the night. Back in February John and I took Emma and Emelia to see the worlds teams at Ontarios. So from that moment on the girls wanted to go to see the World’s Face-Off championship at Nationals. So with all the mess of the last year and being seperated from the rest of the team we had planned to travel with we were happy that Emelia and Emma could still go to this event. The girls had an absolute blast.
While the girls were there John and I went out for dinner and then made our way back to the hotel to meet up and have some drinks with Emma’s parents. We had an amazing time. Emelia was invited to stay with Emma’s family for that night so they could get ready together.
Now were are on to day two, the girls had an ungodly early arrival time but they came in excited to take on day two. We found out through out the day that the girls after day one were sitting in second. But with an insanely tight scoring sheet for the top teams the only way to stay there was to hit zero again. They girls started out strong and then about ¾ of the way through Emelia’s stunt group fell. The girls pulled themselves up and didn’t miss a beat in the routine and kept their cheer faces on and energy up. But sadly with all the top teams hitting zero on day two this one fall meant they fell from second to fifth. Emelia held it together one the floor to the very end, the second she got off the floor the tears fell and hard. She and her stunt group were devastated. Emma was there again with lots of hugs and reassurances. Emelia went around to each of her stunt mates to make sure they were good and give them huge hugs. Once the girls met up with their parents and everyone gave the hugs. Emelia needed some fresh air. She and Emma walked around for about 5 minutes. Collected their thoughts and then came back in to watch the rest of the teams runs.
I am beyond proud how they handled this who weekend. Through disappointment she checked on her friends to make sure they were ok, she brushed away the tears and supported her team. It hasn’t been an easy year. There have been hurt hearts but a lot of growth. Emelia as a person has come out of this season more sure of herself, more true to her heart and how she wants to be valued in the world. We are so proud of you boo! I know it hasnt been easy, sport isn’t always easy but you have learned so much about how capable you are, how to see your own value and to settle for nothing less!