Just Call Me Sue...

    Sylvester that is…. Okay.. So maybe I’m not that crazy, and I’m not out to get the glee club.. I happen to love them.. But I am a cheer coach.

    I told myself months ago I would do a post about being a coach, because this is after all a blog about my transition from being a college grad to being an actual adult, because I still feel like I’m playing dress up with mommy’s scarves and pretending I’m in the real world.

Somewhere in the back of my mind during my Jr and Sr year of college I had a feeling I would be a coach. I love sports and I love being a leader/mentor.. I  just never thought it would be of this kind. I grew up an athlete. I played baseball/softball and soccer for most of my young life, played volleyball and became 100% devoted to it, playing it for 8 years, 6 of which I played year round as the only sport that I would play. I thought that Jr. High or High school volleyball was what I would be coaching. Most definantly I was going to be teaching plays, 6/2 or 5/1 rotations, red and black defenses.. How to make 6 girls 1 unit on 900sq feet. All about it… yet somehow I ended up here, at Wellesley High school with 16 girls, big red bows, and pompoms. Wait? What? Britteny?? The biggest tomboy with a cheer squad?

Stephanie and I, the duo of Left and Right side attackers.

   Yea.. I was a cheerleader once… in 7^th grade.. For two weeks… and I quit to join the soccer team… oops?

   Okay so you guys are probably now wondering how this all happened. My good friend Alexa is the actual coach of the squad. We went out to dinner one night and she and I discussed our busy schedules. She is signed to dance  with a local artist and is suppose to be doing performances and possibly do a small tour with him, which could leave her squad without a coach  for games which meant they would not be allowed to stunt, go to competitions, or do a great pep rally performance. That’s when she came up with a great idea. “Britteny you can be my assistant… and you’ll work them out and stretch them and I’ll teach them cheer, then when I’m not there you can be and they can stunt” Great Idea.. Being paid to run and stretch with girls.. Awesome!!

  It all started at cheer camp in august. I had a lot to learn. I came in and met only about half the squad (yes, only 9 girls at camp… that’s not a team oh no!! good thing we got a larger number of interest as we started the season!) I loved them right off the bat, but oh man I was so confused. I had no idea what I was doing. I was going to coaching seminars to learn how to tumble and stunt and fundraise and an hour later being thrown right into the fire to be working with my team on stunting and half time routines. I had so much to learn and I didn’t have a lot of time to learn it. I thought for sure I was going to drown and fail.

  Well things have changed a bit since then. I’ve grown into actually enjoying cheer… some things are still a little rocky at times. I don’t understand why they can’t just do this or do that.. Oh that’s right, we are cheerleaders and I am a dancer.. Things are not the same! This is not ballet class Britteny! I am starting to see the difference and be able to differentiate and work with both on the same level.  I am now creating stunt routines and running practices on my own. I am setting a goal for myself to research cheers and come up with some on my own before the thanksgiving game! Plus I’ve become really attached to these girls. I think I’m just an overly affectionate and loving person really.. But they really are important to me now. I am constantly thinking about if they are doing well in school, hoping that they are all getting along, and hoping that no one makes any stupid mistakes that are going to cause me to punish them. Yes there are days they aggravate me (today being one of them, I yelled at them during a game today because they really weren’t trying hard enough. I personally hate the word can’t.. Especially when its sandwiched by an I and do it. I got some of those today and had to walk away and spend some time away from them.) But by Tuesday I miss them and I’m ready to jump back in with them and do work. I think I’m learning that it doesn’t really matter what sport I am coaching, I just really love to work with that age group.

Okay.. I really talk a lot, what a long post on something that only consumes my life every Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday hahaha. I’ll leave you with some pictures and vid of my girls in action!