It seems at this point you know more people with COVID than without it. Obviously that’s an exaggeration, but with Omicron spreading quickly, cheer gyms weren’t immune to the virus after coming back from a holiday break surely spent at multiple social gatherings.
But the Golden State Spirit Association held their national championship here in Bakersfield and American Cheer was determined to take the stage.
Usually coming off of the holiday break means getting the athletes back in cheer shape and preparing them for the event. This time it was spent calling replacement athletes to fill in, teaching those athletes their new parts, and hoping we didn’t have to do it again the next day (spoiler alert, we did).
This was a rough week heading into one of our favorite events of the season. But keeping in mind some of the core values we teach at American, we knew that we had to remain positive, believe in ourselves, and control the things that we could control and not stress about the things in which we couldn’t.
It would have been easier to drop out of the event, and many teams and entire programs did exactly that, but we’re proud to say that all ten of our American Cheer teams took the mat this weekend with their chin held high. Not every routine was perfect, but we hope the athletes learned about adaptability, and resilience.
Though the week certainly had its challenges, J-Red and Sr Black both received bids to the Summit National Championship in Orlando, Florida, and Jr Blue won the Judges Choice award for Stunt Technique and Execution, not to mention all of our American Cheer teams won their respective divisions. Everyone should be very proud of these athletes. Next stop, Palm Springs for the most popular event on the west coast, Spirit Sports!
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