When Your Best Gets Beat
By Sara AG
(Written for the Cheer-POV series for Confessions of an Accidental Cheer Mom)
I saw a post from the great Top Gun Allstars and felt its relevance last night.
The post was basically a letter to their teams congratulating them on a great season, wishing their athletes good luck, and reminding them to not lose focus on the journey that brought them to this end point in the season.
It occurred to me that over the next few days, many of us parents will sit with our kids and try to help them make sense of the results of this past weekend. And there will be many more parents who are sitting down for these conversations than those who aren't.
After all, only one team in each division takes the gold. And, especially as it pertains to big National events, winning comes in many different shapes and sizes.
Try to help these kids remember that they nailed their routines and did absolutely everything that their coaches asked of them.
Help them to be proud of all the work they put in when their routine was reblocked last minute, when they learned a brand new pyramid in a handful of practices, when they spent hours in the gym brushing up a specialty pass.
Help them remember that even though they lost a shoe or bow during competition they didn't miss a beat.
Help them find a way to be amazed at themselves because they are kids, KIDS, who go out on a stage in front of a crowd, under bright lights, with music blaring and then kick it up a notch by giving facials.
Because, you know what? Sometimes winning is simply taking the mat at a National event.
Sometimes winning is when a team finally gets their timing right during jumps.
Sometimes winning is a team placing in the top 10. Winning in Allstar cheerleading is very often more than just a jacket and a trophy.
So help these athletes know that, yes, they did do an amazing job even if they got 2nd or 7th or 20th place. That sometimes they couldn't have done anything differently or better.
That sometimes their best gets beat, but that their best still completely slayed the day.
-Sara AG is the Cheer Mom of a 5 year old Tiny athlete (@dynamitehattie) who is currently in her third season of Allstar Cheerleading. And yes, she's aware that seems extreme.