Cheer Tryouts & stressed out Mom!

[wdwmom0f3]

So our girls try out next week to be a middle school cheerleader. We have been in the gym for weeks & weeks learning and profecting our jumps, back handsprings and all of that. We got it, I think. lol But with all of this going on, I am also trying to plan a Disney Trip for sometime around Christmas. If she makes it we will have to work around it. How do you do it? How do you plan anything? We went to the meeting tonight and it looks like it is going to be a year around thing, which is great, except I LOVE DISNEY WORLD! They even said that we will have a game during fall break, so that's out. They said that the girls can not miss, at all. So, I am stressed out hoping that she makes it because she has worked SO very hard. I am also stressed out that if she does make it, there goes Disney. Oh my goodness, I really need some nerve pills.

 

[Minnie824]

My DD is 5 and in competitive cheer. It is definitely year round. We don't have as many events, I'm sure, as your girls will at that age, but I suggest, just going on vacation. Do they get in trouble if they miss one game? There's only so much you can do planning, and to me, spending time with your family on vacation is more important than them missing an event or two.

 

[Rora]

Okay, well you should definitely take it one step at a time!! First let's see if your DDs make the squad. If they do, then we'll figure out a way to get your butt to Disney World!! If they don't, then we'll offer some kind words for your daughters and help plan the Disney trip!

I know you feel overwhelmed but just breathe!!

Hang in there Mom!

 

[Sleepy]

If the try outs are a success, you just have to wait until the schedule comes out and then plan accordingly. This is what we have to do with my son's year round dancing schedule. We managed to slip in a couple weeks vacation at the end of August last year. You will find time. The problem is you will go on vacation when they say it is ok....not when it is most convenient for you.

 

[golfgal]

I know this is a southern thing. We don't even have middle school cheerleaders around here . Good luck with the tryouts. I can't imaging putting that much time and effort into a middle school try out but I know cheering is a big deal in the south.

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

Okay, maybe it's me but this is middle school cheerleading and not entrance exams for college. If the squad doesn't allow her to miss any games whatsoever, my DD wouldn't be participating.
That being said, I don't plan vacations for the family in June because I know DD's dance recital will be then. But not to be able to plan something year round just seems a little crazy to me.

Good luck to your DD.

 

[golfgal]

Okay, maybe it's me but this is middle school cheerleading and not entrance exams for college. If the squad doesn't allow her to miss any games whatsoever, my DD wouldn't be participating.
That being said, I don't plan vacations for the family in June because I know DD's dance recital will be then. But not to be able to plan something year round just seems a little crazy to me.

Good luck to your DD.

I agree, I think it is really ridiculous to require anyone to commit to a year round activity and not allow them to ever miss-especially if they have to be at events during school breaks.

 

[goofy4tink]

Our town lets anyone who wants to cheer on the cheer squad in middle school...no tryouts at all. But, if you want to cheer for the PopWarner group, you have to tryout. Makes much more sense to me, but that wasn't the question.
If your dd's get on the squad, I guess you're just going to have to wait until you get a schedule. I truly think that any organization that asks for that kind of a committment, from a middle schooler is nuts. No family time? No vacation time? Not much room for anything else. My dd wouldn't do something that called for that committment. At the moment she is involved in the high school musical...thank heaven it is over this weekend...it has been nasty trying to plan anything as a family for the past month. I can't imagine dealing with that for the entire year.

 

[mom2travel]

Take a deep breath and relax. I cannot imagine anyone thinking any child's activity is that important that they go 52 weeks a year! Perhaps the person who said it to you is trying to scare people away; or, alternatively, simply trying to emphasize the commitment that is involved (while exaggerating).

And I have a DD who is a competitive gymnast. Yes they train year-round, but 100% attendance is not required - and she works out at a gym that regularly places top 3 almost all of the girls. Her gym does have an attendance requirement for each girl to satisfy in order to compete at the meets, but it is not 100%.
And DS plays tennis for a top school in our state - even his HS varsity tennis coach is giving the whole team the week of spring break off, in the middle of the season. She says they all need it by then. Which I agree with - you don't want the kids to get burnt out - they need to keep it fun and need a break to keep focused for the end of season and championships.

As to how to plan anything... I have had this conversation with DH and other gymnastics parents. Basically we plan around the kids' schedules, which are both year round. We try to limit summer travel to no more than a week as currently those are the months leading up to DD's competitive season and she prefers to not miss too much practice. Once DD's meet schedule comes out we can see which weekends they are, and whether or not we will need to travel the night before. I can also look up DS' tennis tournaments to see which weekends during summer & fall he will be playing. It doesn't allow much spontaneity but at least we still get family time together, and the kids get some down time.

 

[wdwmom0f3]

Thank you for all of the advice. I have had a headache for three days straight, and I know it's because all of this. I think the moms are more stressed than our girls at our gym. See, I am a planner by nature and this not knowing what is going to happen is KILLING me. There are 42 girls trying out and only 22 spots. Eleven of those will most likely go to the cheerleaders moving up to the 8th grade so that leaves 11 spots open. It's going to be tough, because most of the girls are REALLY good, DD included in that group.

With all of this, and it looks like DH will be working in Baltimore all summer long, other DD has her first prom coming up, we are redoing some things around the house, my son is doing awful in math and with other things that are going on too, I am totally stressed! I seem to snap real quick at the kids, and I need to chill out and just plan a Disney vacation or something and forget it all.

 

[czycropper]

I feel your pain. I have two DDs in the in-town comp cheer team (our middle school doesn't have a cheer team we just have an in-town team and a Pop-Warner team).

My soon-to-be 7th grader is guaranteed a spot since she's been in the Comp. Team since 3rd grade but my soon-to-be 5th grader has to try out and there are 45 girls trying out for 26 spots . She doesn't have her back handspring so she's worried.

I'm a planner as well (I plan vacations months & months in advance) and I've learned to work around their competitions - they have the first week of Nov. off from school (yes, we live in NJ ) and since their competitions are on the weekends we just plan to do something during the weekdays.

This year we're going to Universal for WWoHP and we're leaving on Sat. after they cheer at a football game and coming back on Friday before practice for a competition on Sat.

My eldest has also been asked to be in an All-Star team and they give their schedules out a few months prior to the competition starting so I'm just going to work around those competitions which are in the winter/beginning of Spring.

Don't stress....deep breaths.....Good luck to your DD