Well, just like that, it’s come and gone; my first season as an all-star cheer coach is officially a wrap.I had really high expectations for what it would be like to finally be a coach- after all, it’s something I dreamed of for over 10 years before it became a reality. Somehow, though, the past 6 months have far exceeded it all. It’s not just the success of the teams, either. It's not the trophies and medals, the "big moments" of the season that stand out or matter the most to me.
Not at all
.Rather, it’s the little moments in between when girls learn to work together, to put others first, to be proud of their own hard work. It's the moment when an athlete gets a skill she has been working towards for MONTHS (and when her teammates are even more proud and excited for her success than she is). It's girls overcoming injuries, illnesses, and all kinds of adversity, and doing it all with a smile on their face, for the benefit of their teammates. It's girls stepping up last minute, without a second of hesitation, to help with teams that suddenly need an extra person. It's the first-time cheerleader who, on her first nationals trip, is overheard saying to her teammate "this is the best day of my life!" It's the way that the older girls eagerly cheer on the younger ones, completely taking them under their wing and giving new meaning to the words "cheer sister". It's the moment when girls set aside all differences, rumors, drama, and doubt, and trade it in for pure love and admiration for each other. It's the moment when you realize that not only have strangers become teammates, but they've become best friends too. It's the moment the shyest cheerleader of the bunch finally comes out of her shell, because she feels so at home with her teammates and coaches. It's the quiet moments backstage, giving private one-on-one pep-talks to remind the girls of their capabilities. It's the moment in warm-ups when you overhear bases reminding their flyer "you got this. no doubts". It's the team huddles where there is NOTHING but positivity and good energy being spread. It's the moment when, completely unprovoked and without their coaches, the team gathers to say a prayer; thanking God for one another and the experiences they have shared this year. It's the moment a cheerleader runs off the stage to hug you and with tears in her eyes says "thank you for believing in me". It's the moment when, as a coach, you realize you just may be as influential and important to these girls as your coaches were (and still are) to you.
At the end of the day, teaching life lessons is so much more important to me than teaching tumbling, stunts, and jumps. If I do anything as a coach I hope it is to equip these incredible girls to be self-assured, optimistic, encouraging, loving, compassionate, selfless, understanding, and overall well-rounded humans. And if that's all I do? Mission accomplished.So, yes, hanging all these first place banners in the gym will feel good. But realizing these girls are far more mature, confident, considerate, and courageous than they were when I met them? That feels even better.I will likely always remember this season full of so many special firsts. My first teams. My first cheerleaders. My first amazingly supportive parents and families who were kind enough to trust me to pave the way for their precious daughters. My first 1st place finish. My first time to choreograph a section of a routine. My first HIT ZERO. My first trip to nationals. My first co-coaches who were brave enough to take a chance on this inexperienced coach (for which I am forever grateful).
Above all, I am a coach that is SO proud of her girls. But no, it's not because they won. It's because of who they became, together, as a family.