I have been a cheerleading coach for 16 years. I have been a parent for six years. Now those two worlds are colliding. I have twin 6-year-old boys and one of them, it turns out, LOVES cheerleading (the other one is a Ninja). A year ago both boys performed as cheerleaders for the first time with Basketball Cheer Squad and that was awesome. But Mr. Derek definitely enjoys the sport more than his twin, so he has continued and is now the youngest member of our competition team too.
I was concerned, at first, about having my son be on the competition team. Practices are later on Tuesday nights (his bedtime is 8pm, we practice until 8:45pm). He is the youngest and smallest on the team so he is the main flyer (coach's kid...center of the pyramid). But when I asked the other kids on the team if they thought he should compete with us, it was a unanimous yes. He's tight, he's easy to throw around (for the most part), and he has a back handspring, so I really couldn't say no. And, as I pointed out to the rest of the kids, he will only be this cute for so long, so we might as well take advantage while we can.
Last weekend we competed at our first comp of the season and Derek's first-ever competition of (what I hope will be) a long cheerleading career. He did great, the team did awesome, and the crowd reaction was UNBELIEVABLE. Turns out they're not used to seeing a 6-year-old boy doing back handsprings and flying in a typical cheer routine. The crowd was so loud the team could hardly hear their music. It was INCREDIBLE.
And now I am not only #proudcoach, but #proudmama as well. And I've found it's way more fun to live vicariously through your child when they actually enjoy what you're forcing them to do! Love it!