Hey everyone! First of all, I want to say to all my loyal readers that have asked over the last few months when I was getting back into blogging. That means so much to me knowing that you guys like reading my posts and asked for more. It's been a busy few months and I've been tied up in other things, one of which I will get into at a later time. Trust me when I say working on Tarzan was an absolute blast! That's a story for another post.
Of all the things I would have ever thought my girls would want to do, cheering was not on the radar. Why, you ask? First of all, neither Paula or I were cheerleaders (please...we'll have that discussion about male cheerleaders for another time. I am all for it, so save your fury for something else.) Music and acting dominated the Hoff House, and Sarah seems to have taken a liking to music. Hannah has too, but she has turned her attention to cheering.
You know, now that I think about it, Hannah was always wanted to cheer. If memory serves me, she was in absolute awe at a basketball game where my Dad was inducted into the West Carrollton Hall of Fame. That night, West Carrollton played their biggest rival, Miamisburg and won! I can clearly remember Hannah watching the cheerleaders and just being so taken with them. You know that look when you want to do something so bad that you can taste it? That was the look that was plastered all over Hannah's face.
Looking back, I went to school with girls that were cheerleaders and quite frankly, some of the girls weren't very nice. That's not to say they were all mean. They weren't. Just some of the girls slipped into uniform and their uppity sense of entitlement soared. That was the image I had in my head when Hannah announced to us that she wanted to cheer. Now I had to put my unpleasant experiences of my high school behind me and support my daughter and her desire to cheer. That's what we parents do. Support our kids and then complain to anyone who will listen. Just kidding....I think. Seriously, Paula and I both encouraged both Sarah and Hannah to dream and to dream big. Now all they have to do is live those dreams, which can be easier said than done. Mary Wilson of the Supremes once remarked "Dreams don't die. People just stop dreaming." I believe that is so very true. It's easy to get caught up in the fantasy of what you want to do and then want to quit the moment it gets too hard, or when there is actual work involved to live your dream.
This spring, Hannah decided that she wanted to cheer for the West Carrollton Middle School Pirate football team. So, we signed her up, shelled out the money for the uniform, shoes and Pom-Poms and she was set. I will say that it was at least the second practice that Hannah decided that she changed her mind about cheering. After she whined and came up with a whole bunch of excuses as to why she didn't want to do it anymore, she finally leveled with us: it was too hard and she felt like she didn't fit in. Although My heart went out to her, but after all the dough we paid, she was going to see this thing through. No Excuses! I told Hannah she had to give her dream a chance. How would she know if it was wanted she wanted if she just walked away from it?
I should mentioned that this cheer squad that she is with is comprised of new girls, and girls who have been cheering for quite some time. There are some girls that have been doing it for years. I think that was what was bothering Hannah. Not that she didn't fit in, but that the other girls had been cheering longer than she and was picking up the cheers quicker. I can certainly understand why she felt like a fish out of water.
Being the stubborn Hoff that she is (very much like her thick-headed German father), Hannah kvetched and complained all the way to her next practice, only to come home later that evening to say she loved it and wanted to stick with it. They had learned some new cheers and started learning the dance routine for the upcoming football game. A few more practices (one in pouring rain) and Hannah was ready for her first football game.
As a proud father, may I just say that Hannah was sensational? This same girl who wanted to quit only a few practices ago was one of three girls selected to be that game's cheer captains. Who knew? Hannah could call out cheers that she wanted her squad to use. I have to say this little girl has the loudest voice (Lord only knows where she gets that loud voice from!) and I had no trouble hearing her above the other girls. The halftime routine she had worked so hard for...SHE NAILED IT. Not only that, but she looked like she was in it to win it, was "on" and looked like she was wanted to be there. I think her recent stint with acting in church musicals has helped her with her stage presence. Paula and I are very proud of her!
Currently, Hannah is in cheer camp the remainder of the week. She will continue to have practice through the fall and cheer for the Football team on the weekends. I can hope that this is what she wants to do and more importantly, she has fun doing it. Also, she will continue to learn how to work with the other girls as a team.
A few days ago, I had asked Hannah how she feels when she cheers. Without hesitation, Hannah replied "I feel alive. I feel like my soul is soaring when I cheer with the other girls." Isn't that something? To feel something like that when she cheers. It's my earnest hope that everyone reading this post has something, or finds something that make them feel alive and soaring.
Take care guys and remember: Life is too short to drink bad coffee!!
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