Summer is my favorite time of year, and my family shares that same feeling. For me, summer is about being outside in the sun, spending time at the beach, and late night ice cream. However, like all good things, this season must come to an end. With this chapter closing out for the year, it means that the next season is right around the corner. Welcome to cheer season.
Cheer season starts with team placements, choreography, and what seems like endless practices. All of this is in preparation for our athletes to perform and compete in front of hundreds, and possibly thousands of fans, under the lights, and to the tune of some of the most intense music montages available.
You can view this time as busy and hectic, but I prefer to look at it through the lens of opportunity. What lies ahead, is a series of opportunities to create new memories, travel to new places, and make new friends along the way. Some of our greatest friends were made at a cheer gym, so this season is a good excuse to reconnect and have fun.
While we have a few months before the competitions kick off, I like to start preparing now. This ensures that we can remove much of the stress and also allows me to be more supportive to my wife and daughter while we are in the throes of competitions. Regardless if you are a new or seasoned cheer dad, a checklist is a good way to ensure you have at least the basics covered. So let’s look at what we can cover so that you are ready for this seasons excitement.
BEFORE THE COMPETITION
Lodging
Lodging is something that I start booking now. As a matter of fact, I have already booked all of our lodging for the rest of this calendar year. I like to sit down with my wife and look at the competition calendar, and start booking hotels. Rates will only increase as you get closer to the competition weekend, and your risk of not getting a room close to the venue is also higher. NCA in Dallas is a great example of this. Rates will easily double within a few weeks of NCA weekend, and that is if you still find a room. That’s what happens when you party with tens of thousands of your closest friends. It is also highly likely that you can cancel a reservation with no penalty, so your risk is very low. Booking something close to the event can make your life a little easier. You might have the option to rest in your room, and having easy access to your things can be very handy. It also makes no difference if you prefer rent houses or some other form of lodging, so start looking and booking early.
One more thing to think about, is the loyalty programs that are offered by pretty much every hotel chain out there. We have been a loyal Marriott family for about 20 years. Between my work, our family trips, and cheer competitions, we average about 75-80 nights per year. If you have not already, find a chain you like and join their program. It is highly likely that you will be paying for your last few competitions or even a weekend getaway, with points.
Traveling
Without a doubt, you will have a need to drive or fly to any competition your gym attends. The vast majority of these trips are managed on the highway. I recommend buddying up with another family, and hitting the road together. You’ll save gas money, have more opportunities to share the driving, and it’s a great way to bond further with teammates and families. Some people like to pack drinks and snacks for the road, but I prefer to use the stops to refuel the tank and my belly. If your kid(s) are anything Iike ours, there will ample opportunities for bathroom breaks.
One thing we like to do when traveling by car, is rent a vehicle. We can get something that will fit our size needs, and it keeps us from racking up miles on our personal vehicles. This can get super pricey, so it’s not for everyone. We are able to use my employer program which offers great personal use rates, and that makes it feasible for us.
Traveling by air is similar to my comments on lodging. I would book early and capture the best rate possible. If needed, you should be able to change your flight with no penalties. Airlines also run promotional specials throughout the year, and this can make the trip much more reasonable. For example, Southwest runs $49 one way tickets multiple times per year. During this sale, trips start at $49 and you can find destination costs for your departing airport. Orlando (MCO) is almost always on this list, and generally one of the lower fares available. One tip I would recommend if you fly Southwest (and don’t have status), is to pay a little extra for the early bird check in. Southwest seating is first come, first serve and being early in the boarding order should ensure that you and your party will have the opportunity to sit together.
Attire
This is something that most cheer dads may not be concerned with, but maybe they should. It shows how much you support your kids when you show up wearing their team colors, or even a fun outfit. You don’t have to go all out, but you will want to make sure that you are wearing something that allows you to stay comfortable for 12 hours in a stadium seat. I recommend sneakers, as you will do a good amount of walking, and comfortable clothing that breathes. While this is the foundation of CHEER DADS, it’s important that you find attire that fits your personality and makes you comfortable. Think about this before the season starts, and it will ensure you are ready to go and can focus on helping the rest of your family.
PTO
Cheer season can exhaust a few things, and one of those could be your paid time off (PTO) bank. Look at the schedule and see if any competitions will require you to take any time off. Most will not, but some may. Especially as you get closer to the championship competitions, such as Worlds, Summit and All Star World (ASW). I would estimate that I take 5-7 days off per year, due to cheer competitions, and most of this is spent in Orlando. We like to book an extra day or two with some of the competitions, so that we can have time to enjoy the area. For example, our daughter competed with two teams at ASW, and both teams made it to day 2. This means that we were busy with practice or competitions for every day we were there. Throw in the other teams from our gym that we wanted to support, and the top-tier teams performing in the arena, and there is literally no time for anything else. If you want an extra day for Disney or Universal Studios, book your PTO accordingly.
General Advice
There are other ways to make sure the weekend is fun, memorable, and as smooth as possible. One of these is to make sure you allow plenty of time between events. This includes leaving plenty of time to make the trip, ensuring you won’t miss your flight, and even making sure the competition mornings/days are built so that there is enough time to eat, get ready, get to the venue, and even park. I would add 30-60 minutes to whatever schedule seems like it would work. This will take a ton of potential stress off mom and child.
You should also embed yourself in the team culture a bit, and learn some of the traditions. A good example of this is the team chant. This is generally a very simple, short series of words used in a specific beat. When your teams hit the mat, you want to be yelling this chant along with other parents and gym teammates. If you played sports in high school (or beyond), imagine the feeling you had when you walked on the field and the crowd was going nuts. It’s exactly the same effect. If your gym doesn’t have a chant, and you really want to get involved, make one up! This just might cement you in the cheer dad hall of fame.
THE DAY OF THE COMPETITION
Competition day(s) can be a lot for new cheer parents, and there are a few things I’ve learned over the years that allow myself and our family to be comfortable and ready to cheer on our teams.
Food and Hydration
As I’ve mentioned, cheer days can be very long and it’s easy to become dehydrated very quickly. I like to load up on water early in the morning, then mix it up with coffee until noon, and more water in the afternoon. Food intake is not as important for the parents, but it is important to make sure you are eating enough to sustain you throughout the day. It’s also important to ensure that your athlete is fed appropriately, as nerves and excitement can have them forgetting to eat.
The problem with this, is that the food and drinks at the events can be very expensive. One “hack” that most cheer parents are aware of, is the utility of the athlete’s backpack. While most venues prohibit outside food and drink for the parents, the cheerleaders backpacks are generally not stripped of outside food. I use a specific pocket in our daughter’s pack to store beef jerky, a protein bar, and something to drink. You will end up sporting the backpack anyway, so you’ll have easy access once inside the event center.
What to Bring
As you know by now, you could be spending a considerable amount of time within the walls of the venue. This makes it important to have the right provisions readily available for a long day.
One of those things, is cash. Prior to 2020, almost everything at these events was cash only. This included parking, food, and even the swag in the pop-up shops. While many things now have a card option, I still recommend bringing cash. One more tip regarding the shop swag, is to purchase early if you can. Four and five foot tall girls can annihilate a shop of sweatshirts and bows faster than ants on a spilled snow cone. If you wait too long, you may be left looking at racks of hangers and misfit bows.
You should have your phone on you, as pretty much all of America does. But make sure it is fully charged the morning of a competition. I also like to put mine on “low power” mode, as I can still use it fully, and it keeps my battery from draining so fast. Along with your phone, I recommend a good portable charger. While you can get cheap chargers, they will likely only have a capacity of 3k or 5k mAh. This will charge your phone, but will do so at a snails pace. I have a 20k mAh charger, and can charge multiple devices at once, with enough power to do this multiple times.
One more thing about your phone (as cameras are not typically allowed), is about taking photos and videos. My wife and I do not record our daughter on stage. Instead, we prefer to actively watch her and her team. We prefer to enjoy the moment live and not through a half-inch lens. Many will disagree with this, and I completely understand. While most times we won’t record anything at all, we will sometimes work with a gym family from another team, and record each other’s kids. This way we can get some cool media, and also stay present. It’s a great way to help another family.
I also like to bring a good pair of noise cancelling earbuds. In a very loud environment, the noise cancellation function makes it easier to have face-to-face conversations. You will also have a good amount of downtime, and you’ll appreciate them when a good game comes on and you have a 2 hour break. They can also be used to avoid conversations with anyone that you want. This works on a plane as well, in case you sit next to a chatty Cathy and all you want to do is sleep.
I will cap this off with a list of smaller items that are good to keep handy, or in your daughter’s backpack. There is a very good chance that momma will have these items at the helm, but you can be her knight in shining armor by thinking ahead. My short list would include ibuprofen or acetaminophen, safety pins, hand sanitizer, and even a pair of (no-show) socks. Someone will have a headache, or get kicked in a pyramid. Someone will need to have their uniform adjusted for a routine. The whole day will have you feeling like you need to constantly wash your hands. And someone will lose a sock, or socks.
By no means is this list comprehensive, and your list will likely be a little different. Hopefully this will get you in that preparation mode and open your mind up to what you might need to make the weekend and the event, as relaxing as possible and truly memorable.
