This weekend I got to take the stage with my team to show off some of our level up stunts!

He said

Weird that we’re already at the showcase weekend which is one of the events that comes around each season that signifies the closeout of another season. Usually, all that is left after this is (usually) Canadian All-Star Nationals and then the season is done. But with Worlds this year too, there is two, very important competitions left on the calendar, and then the season is done. Emelia has waffled back and forth as to whether this is really the last, but even though there was a brief day or two last week where she said she just might she do one more, she in the last week is pretty resigned to this is it. So, we will savour every single moment and take it all in. And, who knows, there is still the possibility of Western Cheer…

Initially with the showcase was the same day of a gravel club ride for LCC and this event is the least important on the Cheer calendar as its a showcase more for the family members who don’t get the chance to see them at Cheer competitions, so we didn’t get a ticket for me. With Danielle going I knew I could hear about how it went, but Emelia by no stretch felt this one was we could not miss. So, the plan always was, I would do the club ride and Danielle & Emelia would tell me all about the Showcase. And then, as it came closer and the weather turned much colder, I decided the ride out thirty kilometres into the county in feels like -12º was not a smart choice so I opted for a ride much later in the day. The kicker was I could have actually gone and watched the showcase, but I didn’t have a ticket. The bigger kicker is, that Danielle said without a ticket I still probably could have watched as they weren’t iron clad about checking the tickets. At any rate, it went off well, and Emelia had a good time.

Today, was the other bike day that I was looking forward too, which was a second club ride—this one a joint group event with LCW out a Sharon Creek Conservation Area. BRIDGE Bike Works a Toronto-based bike manufacturer that makes carbon bikes entirely in-house in the city – which is unheard of in the industry – was hosting a demo day where you could try their bikes out. So, I rode the 30 km out from our house to the location, got to test ride the bike which was an absolute blast, and then I rode the 30 km back to the house. The weather today, while still a bit brisk, was much better and actually perfect for it. While I can’t convince Danielle that I need yet another bike, I know exactly the one I would get if we suddenly had $15,000 that we needed to spend!

This week will be more of making sure we have everything booked, thought of and planned out for the trip to Florida in a few weeks. And it will also be getting our taxes ready as well as Mom’s final income tax filing all sorted, as the estate is almost closed to be wrapped up as well. Will all that stuff out of the way, we will soon move our focus to getting ready to open the trailer up for the season!!

She said

I just got back from Emelia’s cheer practice and a few of the moms I have become friends with over the last few years were all talking about how fast this year has gone. It honestly has flown by, it feels like yesterday that Emelia’s cheer season was starting and they were off to their first competition. And we are now already at the closing of the season, we are only 3 weeks from Nationals and less than a month from Worlds. The girls have worked so hard this whole season and have against all odds made a team of mainly level 3 athletes into a fully level 6 team! Are they clean and perfect, no but they are really close and feel that if they can put on two solid runs a Nationals they could even medal, something that we never thought was possible early in the season!

I think part of the reason that this year has flown by is that this is also Emelia’s first year in university. It is crazy for me to think that she is coming into her last week and half of her first year classes before moving into her final exams. This year has gone by so incredibly fast, it honestly feels like yesterday that she and Bri were going into O-week and now they are a month away from being done their final exams and their first year!

Yesterday for Emelia the big event was her year end Showcase. This is the big year end event that her gym switched recently to be a few weeks ahead of Nationals, it allowed teams to put in some serious level up skills in routines and showcase it on a stage with a crowd in front of them. For most of the athletes and parents it also allows us the one time a year you can see every single team at the gym perform their routine. It was lots of fun and Emelia’s team did quite well only really having one major issue which is impressive since they have only had a few practices with some major upgrades to their routine. The day was long for me, mainly because part of this event and having a child on a World’s team is having to be part of a lot of fundraiser. One of the other moms and I took the lead on this fundraiser which was selling flowers to the atlhetes at showcase. It meant a ton of work before the event and then being at the venue really early to assemble all the flower bouquets and prep for pick up and sale. It was a great group of moms who helped out over the day and it was another great way to get involved and raise some money for the costs of World’s.

Next week we will start focusing on prep for World’s, start making lists of what we still need to take care of, what we need to order or buy before we need to head off to Florida to see Emelia live her dream!