"Moments that Matter"
It's 11:39 PM. The girls are in bed and they are all exhausted. Our mission has officially been accomplished for day #1.
We arrived in Sandwich around 10:30. 3 of our rooms were ready upon arrival so we had an opportunity to unload the bus and get settled before lunch and the start of our UCA Camp. We grabbed a buffet lunch at the local Pizza Hut, camp started at 1:oo PM, and we were throwing stunts in the air by 1:30. There are approximately 8 teams here with a wide range of skill and ability levels. The facilities are great (this hotel was recently built), the camp staff is outstanding (as always), and the food has been great so far! (pasta, salad, bread sticks, brownies, lemonade.... who would complain about that dinner spread?)
We arrived in Sandwich around 10:30. 3 of our rooms were ready upon arrival so we had an opportunity to unload the bus and get settled before lunch and the start of our UCA Camp. We grabbed a buffet lunch at the local Pizza Hut, camp started at 1:oo PM, and we were throwing stunts in the air by 1:30. There are approximately 8 teams here with a wide range of skill and ability levels. The facilities are great (this hotel was recently built), the camp staff is outstanding (as always), and the food has been great so far! (pasta, salad, bread sticks, brownies, lemonade.... who would complain about that dinner spread?)
The girls have already learned at least 8 new stunts and stunt transitions and they have learned an entirely new dance routine. Tomorrow's schedule is jam packed with 8 AM - 8 PM of cheerleading!
Lindsay and Katie Long get a quick set of instructions from our camp instructor and big brother, Richard.
Tayrn, Libby, Chloe, & Shelbie throw a perfect Extension-bump down!
Taylor, Taylor, Miranda & Victoria work on a new stunt transition: Elevator, Cradle, to a back-walkover dismount. A really COOL new visual :)
We even exercised our brains with a quick numbers game. Taylor G competes against another camper in a new game that required quick thinking and sharp math skills!
Kailyn & Katie W. listen closely to a new set of stunt instructions.
Destinee on her way down from a clean, controlled extension! (That face is pure excitement, not fear!!) Grace is backspotting with Katie & Kristin basing.
We wrapped up our day with a team discussion that centered around our theme for the week: "Moments that Matter."
At the end of the day, I left the girls with this final thought:
"Have you ever experienced a time in your life (a weekend, a day, or an hour) where you thought,
“WOW! This is what REALLY matters. THIS is what life is ABOUT”?
How can YOU have MORE of those moments, those hours, those days going forward? What can you do to propel your life even more in the direction you want it to go?
How can you make your life about moments that matter?
Those MOMENTS don’t “just happen.” They aren’t a result of luck but rather a result of choice, hard work, determination, challenges, & leadership."
I pulled the Juniors & Seniors aside and asked them to talk amongst themselves to come up with some positive words to share with the team along with some awards/recognition for the underclassmen. The girls asked to nominate one underclassmen that deserved a "leadership" award for the day, one "hard worker" of the day, and to also tell a story about a "Moment that Mattered."
The upperclassmen recognized the following underclassmen for the following titles:
LEADERSHIP: Megan M; Shelbie gave a quick speech that highlighted Megan's strengths, her enthusiasm, hard work, and "lead by example" work ethic. She has shown consistent hard work in the practice room, the weight/conditioning room, and throughout our short time at camp!
HARD WORKER: Katie Long; Tayrn reminded everyone that when she was young, she used to be just as shy as Katie. She knows what it is like to not always want to be in the spotlight. Katie is deserving of this daily title for her actions at home and away at camp. She is always working hard to better herself and her teammates.
At the end of the day, I left the girls with this final thought:
"Have you ever experienced a time in your life (a weekend, a day, or an hour) where you thought,
“WOW! This is what REALLY matters. THIS is what life is ABOUT”?
How can YOU have MORE of those moments, those hours, those days going forward? What can you do to propel your life even more in the direction you want it to go?
How can you make your life about moments that matter?
Those MOMENTS don’t “just happen.” They aren’t a result of luck but rather a result of choice, hard work, determination, challenges, & leadership."
I pulled the Juniors & Seniors aside and asked them to talk amongst themselves to come up with some positive words to share with the team along with some awards/recognition for the underclassmen. The girls asked to nominate one underclassmen that deserved a "leadership" award for the day, one "hard worker" of the day, and to also tell a story about a "Moment that Mattered."
The upperclassmen recognized the following underclassmen for the following titles:
LEADERSHIP: Megan M; Shelbie gave a quick speech that highlighted Megan's strengths, her enthusiasm, hard work, and "lead by example" work ethic. She has shown consistent hard work in the practice room, the weight/conditioning room, and throughout our short time at camp!
HARD WORKER: Katie Long; Tayrn reminded everyone that when she was young, she used to be just as shy as Katie. She knows what it is like to not always want to be in the spotlight. Katie is deserving of this daily title for her actions at home and away at camp. She is always working hard to better herself and her teammates.
Taylor M. gave our speech about "Moments that Matter." Sammi was given the "Moment that Mattered" award for the day for overcoming her apprehension towards extended stunts and cradle dismounts. Sammi used today as an opportunity to conquer her fears, to try something new, and to allow herself to succeed for the good of her team. Sammi's accomplishment would not have been possible without her teammates help, encouragement, guidance, and strength. We have four full stunt groups this year and in order to be successful as a team, we need all four stunt groups to succeed. Sammi stepped up today and completed the necessary task without letting her fears get in the way. She put her team above herself and overcame one of her biggest fears. For our team and especially for Sammi, that was a "Moment that Mattered."
A chat with our UCA big brother, Richard. (A cheerleader from UK)
SHOUT OUTS:
Kailyn M for improving greatly in the area of stunting today!!
Grace Brent and Libby Walls (the two team dancing machines) for learning & perfecting the extreme dance routine in NO TIME!!
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!
SHOUT OUTS:
Kailyn M for improving greatly in the area of stunting today!!
Grace Brent and Libby Walls (the two team dancing machines) for learning & perfecting the extreme dance routine in NO TIME!!
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!