Let's Hear it For My Daughter, The Cheerleader

This is my 13 year old daughter, Molly. Yes, I said thirteen. She just started the eighth grade a couple of weeks ago. Never in my wildest dreams, did I ever think that I would be the mother of a cheerleader some day. When I was that age, it never even crossed my mind. That was for the popular girls. Anyway, when Molly came home last spring asking if she could try out for the cheer leading squad, I gave her my permission, but didn't really expect (or want) her to make the team. She'd never done anything like this before, and there were so many girls trying out.

She went to the practices and did her try-out, and came home with the wonderful news that she had made the JV football AND the JV Boys Basketball cheer leading squads! OK, now what? Would she actually stick with the rigorous practice schedule all summer? Would we find the money to cover the cost of her uniform, shoes, and the program itself? We did, (with a little help from a friend), and she held up her end of the bargain and practiced hard all summer, only missing a couple of times because of camping with the family, etc. She's worked hard, and become quite good at it.

Because of Molly's size, (5' 11"), she has the important job of lifting the "flyer" up and the responsibility of catching her when she comes back down during their stunts. She takes her job quite seriously, and has even gained quite a bit of muscle in her arms doing it, much to her surprise. While she was practicing all summer, of course, my grandson CJ was around to watch and listen to her. I'm pretty sure he has most of her cheers memorized as well.

Here is a picture of them: CJ, (who just started kindergarten and can't spell his own first name yet), now knows how to spell the words, V-I-C-T-O-R-Y, P-R-I-N-C-E-T-O-N and R-O-W-D-Y, too.

I'm very proud of Molly for the commitment she's made to being a cheerleader the past few months. She seems to really enjoy it, and it's good exercise for her too. I'm also hoping it will be a positive incentive for her to keep her grades up this year, and in the future. She needs to maintain a certain GPA to be able to stay on the team. In the past, she has struggled with getting assignments in, so I'm really hoping and praying this will be the motivation she needs.