I'm so tired

First, I have to do a shout out to my Sis Dana. Happy Birthday!!!! I had to call Mom the other day to confirm which day was your b-day and which was Dad's. The only one I remembered for sure was Mitzi's (March 3rd) Guess you know where my priorities are! Love you!!!!!!

What do you get when you combine a weekend of cheer competition, a 4 hour drive each way and the spring-forward time change? A really grumpy Mom! I have to apologize to my family. Sorry guys!!! (I wasn't that bad, but I was incredibly tired)

This competition was very different than any we had been to before. I didn't really know what to expect. When we checked in the first day we saw that the stage was set up in a big convention hall, with dining chairs lined up for the audience. (Seriously, the kind of cushioned metal chair that is used at large dinner functions) It was very small. And expensive. We ponied up the 100k to get in the door (OK slight exageration, but we had 3 adults, 2 teens and a child, at $25 per day... and they only accepted cash) Levi wanted a snack so we went and got an apple. $1.50 for an apple. Highway robbery!

The teams we competed against we had never seen before. (I alwasy saw WE because it is a group effort between the athletes and the parents) We had no idea what to expect. Our girls had to go early in the morning because one girl had something else to go to that afternoon, so we got to go out of order. This usually hurts a team in the scoring, since there is nothing to compare to and the judges are fresh. The girls absolutely nailed it. One tiny error with a touchdown in a tumbling pass, but otherwise it was awesome!

Later that day the other teams in our category went. The first team looked beatable, but were really very good too. The second was also really good, maybe a bit better. Then the next team came out and they were jaw-dropping, gasp for air, PERFECT. I'm sure my mouth was hanging open. I had goose-bumps. This was by far the best looking team we had seen all year. Not that our girls aren't good. But this team was going to be really hard to beat.

The next day we learned we were 0.1 point behind them. Incredibly! Just a tenth of a point!!! The girls were kind of down, though. They had seen the other team and were intimidated by them. The morning was spent raising moral, building up energy and getting them fired up. Again we had to go out of order for one girl, competing much earlier in the day than the rest of the teams. They took the floor and I screamed so loud I think I ruptured something. The music started and they exploded with energy. They jumped, they flipped, they danced, they tumbled and when it was done there had only been one tiny error any of us had seen. This was absolutely their best 2 days of competition ever.

And then we waited. We couldn't leave until after the awards, even though it was hours away. We had to check out of the hotel room so there was no place for Chris and Levi to hang out and the noise in the convention center (even with earplugs) was way too loud for Levi. He and Chris played outside most of the afternoon (great weather).

Then it was time for the other teams in our group to perform. First team up: awesome. Next team up: awesome. Last team up: the ones in 1st place by 1/10th of a pt. - Flawless. Perfection. Our girls began talking about a 3rd or 4th place finish. They weren't terribly upset about it, they accepted that some teams just might be better than they are. They have had a fantastic year with 5 1st place finishes and 1 2nd place finish. They earned a National title at a huge competition. It was all good.

The awards went quickly. Soon they began calling out the teams in reverse order for our category. Fourth place - not us. Third place - not us. Second place - US! The girls had pulled off a 2nd place finish against the toughest competition they had ever faced. We learned later that the scores were only fractions apart. We were all so happy.

We were waiting outside for the girls to be released to the parents when I saw one of the worst examples of 'poor loser' I have ever seen. A mom from our own gym came storming out, with her 10 year old daughter running along behind crying. The mom was screaming at her. Yelling something like 'You are in such trouble!' The girl was crying and saying, 'What are you trying to do? Rub my face in it? The other team was just better'. They stopped briefly during this exchange and then the mom wheeled around and took off practically running, the little girl began to run to keep up, and the mom left their 2 year old son just standing there. Another mom yelled at her that she had forgotten her son, she slowed briefly and he bagan to follow and then she just kept going. Unfortuantely, I just stood there like an idiot and didn't say anything. I was in shock! Did that just happen? This is the same mother that at an earlier competiton when her daughter's team got 2nd place she punished her. That is ABUSE! I am going to go talk to the coaches at the gym. I don't know if they can do anythign, or if they have already tried, but this has to stop. My heart breaks for that little girl. Her mother is a monster.

So people, there you have it. One team of girls pleased as punch they took 2nd place. One Mom furious that they took 2nd place. And who is the grown-up????

I will post pics tonight.

Katie - I am so proud of you. You not only work hard and always give your best, but you have a great sense of what is important in life. You are so beautiful on the inside. Thank you for being my daughter.