T Town or Bust
So my {step}daughter is huge into the cheerleading. And the type she does is different than for like youth football/youth cheerleaders, no she’s on a traveling cheer team. This year they’ve had competitions in St. Charles, MO, and Tulsa, OK so far. Then they still have 4 more throughout the season.
Saturday they headed to a one day in Tulsa. Hubs and I made plans to trek down there to watch them.
Unfortunately I don’t know much about or understand I guess much about this cheerleading business. Prior to being around my {step}daughter, I knew there was youth cheer & junior high/high school and obviously pro, but other than that, that was it.
I guess I also saw the movie Bring it On but figured it was, just a movie. Wow, little did I know!?!?
Anyway we try to make it to some of her competitions every year. Usually we make it to Tulsa & Branson but this year when they head to Branson we’ll be headed to Texas to deliver a horse, so we definitely made it a point to hit up Tulsa.
I’m assuming Jam Fest must be the ones who sponsor all of them, because I see this banner at every competition we’ve been to… but then again, I don’t know and you know what assuming gets you…
We just picked a side to sit on. The first time we went to watch her in Tulsa was awful! We were way up in the nose bleed and you couldn’t get anywhere close so no telephoto lens, no photos! This Tulsa trip though, we were right there in front of the stage.
Turns out she started right in the middle. And of course they bounce around from this side to that so really it doesn’t matter totally which side you go to.
And they’re off!
A few of them jumped from a standing position to this position. Dang it just hurt my knees to watch that…. must be glad they’re young, but they might regret that IMO someday!
Do you see her? She’s in the very back kind of back by the green hand.
She told me what the mascots name was, but I forgot… woops! Speaking of that, I have a straw in the Mascots shape in the glovebox of my car I have to remember to take in the house.
When I first started watching her she was always at the top of the pyramid (I dunno what they’re really called… I’m improvising), but now she’s usually on the bottom helping up someone else…
She’s holding the girl here on the left’s left foot.
I must not know much about this though, can someone please enlighten me as to why they make some of the weirdest faces? I would think huge smiles, but that’s so not what they do… and I don’t understand. If you know why they make the weird faces, open mouth and almost like kissy fish faces, please someone tell me!
Check out some of the other ones I’ve been to (Branson Feb 2010, Branson Nov 2010, November 2011)
And seriously, if you know what’s up with the faces, please tell me!
I don't know anything about cheerleading, either.
Maybe they're just hoping no one drops them?
Have a great day!
Oh, to be young again. It's kind of fun to get wrapped up in their interests. But really time consuming and demanding. Good luck.
Don't know much about cheerleading. Growing up in a small town means the only cheerleaders we have are the ones who cheer for the games.
My best friend used to coach competition cheer and apparently the funny faces are for “personality” type points I think. It shows off their spunk or something? I think the faces are ridiculous myself. Hahaha
Looks like TBug is really good!! I demand video next time. 😉
It's called “Facials” in cheerleading. Apparently they are judged on them too as well as their routine! My daughter is 13 and has cheered since Elem. School. I love going to watch her. I just wish they had a traveling team around here that she could join.
no nothing ! but what an incredible workout for these kids. I agree watch the knees. I know from personal experience with ballet , it may look pretty but…
Um, you lost me at cheer….
I can't recall any of that type of competition in Iowa. But then again, I haven't got a clue.
I might have been one of those people growing up that made fun of cheerleaders, and how they thought they were athletes as well. Now if all cheerleaders are intense and do big stunts, that's different. The ones from my middle/high school….not so much. 🙂
My daughter did cheer for a few years but got out of it once she really took off in soccer – I think it is great that she is involved in something fun like that!
~Becca
My niece does this and travels to competitions all over the place, they usually mostly have smiles, with the occasional “sexy” look if it fits the song. It really is a whole other world
You were in TULSA? That's my town, YO! I had some friends at that cheerleading thing. Cheer comps are fun to watch on tv because you can see everything but I'm not sure how fun it would be from the nosebleed section!
Next time you're here, let me know!
Thanks for linking up! xoxo
one of my friends have 2 daughters in cheer and this last weekend was their last meet in T-Town. It is expensive an sport!!!
I love watching cheerleading!
She used to be a flyer, now she's a base. I only know that because Peanut cheered for a short period of time and wanted nothing more than to be thrown in the air like a rag doll and hold the title of flyer. Boy am I glad she changed to softball!
Thanks for linking up with us, we appreciate it!
Some of those moves…yes OUCH on the knees. And yeah, I am lost on the facial expressions too. But then the gymnasts are told not to smile until after it is all over right? What do I know. haha.
I'm so not coordinated enough to be a cheerleader!