When TV hits too close

I just finished watching the first season of CHEER on Netflix. I avoided it initially because when it first aired It was right when I was retiring from coaching. I was so emotional I literally packed up my stuff and walked away.

I knew of Navarro Cheer from coaching and building my high school program around the successful collegiate programs. I wanted my kids prepared if they decided to pursue cheer at the next level, and they were. I wanted so much to coach at the next level but knew that wouldn’t be an option.

I know so many of my friends watched and wanted to talk about it but I just couldn’t. I wasn’t ready to go down that road. After a few years and getting back on the horse so to speak I was ready to give it a shot. It was just as emotional as I thought it would be. Coaching youth is so much more than skills and drills. I have said that for 20 years. We get a glimpse into the lives of our kids that we wouldn’t otherwise. We come to know how incredibly courageous and strong these kids are and learn just what they go through. We do our best to guide them during our short part of their journey and hope that they take with them so much more than just how to participate in a sport. It’s gut-wrenching watching kids choose paths that will make things more difficult and just as emotional to watch them succeed. Every one of the hundreds of kids I coached touched my heart. There is not a day that goes by that something in my life doesn’t remind if of at least one of them. They made me who I am today and I am grateful for them. Watching this show brought so much of that back. So many of the good times and a bunch of the bad. Being the structure and 2nd mom for so many was a blessing in so many ways. I have loved that calling and am glad I have a second chance.

A few comments on the show though.

First off, every single catch in cheer doesn’t sound like that. It’s a sound byte people! Yes, it hurts, but if your flyers sound like that every single time, your technique is wrong. The Navarro team has good technique and the catch isn’t louder than the clap. I rolled my eyes every time!

While I like Gabi Butler and appreciate the amazing athlete she is, I despise her parents. They are portrayed as being more of her business managers and owners. They treat her like a cash cow and I fear she has suffered because of it. It’s childhood actor foreshadowing and Brittany issues waiting to happen.

It was hard to watch season one knowing how the scandal unfolds with Jerry. There was so much hype and so much positivity from him in the show, but he turns out to be nothing like we thought. It’s tough to watch going in.

I love Monica. I relate to her on so many levels and appreciate what she has done with that program. She turns water into wine every year with new kids at a Junior College. It’s tremendous what she can do. I wish I could’ve had that opportunity at the college level. I am pretty proud of what I was able to do at Sparks though! That will always be some of the proudest moments of my life.

Thank you.

Thanks to those who supported me then and now. Thanks to those athletes who let me be part of their journey. I hope I’m still in your head helping you stay on track. Thanks to those who knew my heart and continue to push me daily to be who they know I can be and help me see it too.

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Get my clipboard!

This may come as a surprise to some of you and for those who really know me… I would hope no shock at all…

I have agreed to be an assistant coach for the Astoria High School Cheerleaders.

I know, I know, but here’s the thing. You know I love it and you know I will offer up help and mentoring to anyone willing to listen. Our school's cheer program is rebuilding this year with a fantastic new coach who loves listening to an old lady jabber on about the sport she’s dedicated so much of her life to… It feels great to be able to be in the gym again and offer up my knowledge to a whole new group of students and friends willing to listen. I missed it friends, too much to admit.

Side note… it’s harder to perform skills and drills after 40.

Oh! For those of you putting money on it… 973 days or 2 1/2 years is how long it took.

Today we closed a chapter.

Today we closed a chapter. In some respects, it was a very short chapter, but for the last 15 months it is has been the longest chapter of our lives. It has been wrought with uncertainty and confusion. We didn’t always know where the correct information was coming from (still don’t), and we were just trying to survive the day-to-day of it all. We saw so many events, celebrations, vacations, and opportunities vanish overnight. We have witnessed horrible indiscretions, terrible acts of violence, riots, the collapse of our physical and mental well-being. However, in the midst of it, many of us found family. A newfound love in a hobby, craft, heritage, and personal journey. 

Let’s be honest though, it was hard. Very hard. 

There have been many tears and meltdowns but there have also been beautiful connections made with family and friends along with a new appreciation for the freedom to move about our community, our state, our country, and our world. 

For many, we never stopped working and providing services. For even more, we watched with dread the loss of work, support systems, business, and even life. These experiences all define a moment of our lives and will continue to shape our future. 

Today I was able to close a two-year-long chapter. My transition to the Pacific Northwest finally feels real. I am surrounded by geographical beauty in the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean which are walking distance from my home. More importantly, I am surrounded by an amazing tribe of people who respect and share in my joys, my heartache, my struggle, and my success. They are strangers who became friends and often feel like family. They love me, Doug, and Jillian and have accepted us as a part of their world. 

My Someday is here. It’s real and it’s everything I hoped it would be. But we are not done. We are not out of this. We are also not alone. 

Thank you to my tribe. Thank you for your patience, guidance, and character-building honesty. Thank you for loving my child as your own and not judging me when I step outside just to smell the rain and the coastal air. 

Have a restful summer friends. Find your balance and live, love, and recharge. 💕⚓️🪴🌊✨