F.R.E.A.K.S and Cheer

HOLY COW...I haven't seen freaks like this in a long time. It actually isn't fair of me to put this picture in because this guy was probably one of the most normal there. There was some convention in Orlando for sci fi costume dresser upper people. I know, I know. Highly scientific term. They apparently form some types of clubs in different areas, and then the companies that make the costumes are also there. I think the name of it was MegaCon. Very odd. Quote of the trip by one of them..."Man, it is getting crazy, I might have to armor up." LOL



The trip to Orlando was good overall. We had a good time hanging at the Embassy Suites Jamaican Court. They had a good happy hour each day, and they have a great breakfast to heal you in the morning. The lobby is nice with the glass elevators, and the rooms are nice too. The kids had fun swimming in the heated pool and getting in the hot tub. The cheer competition was at Disney Wide World of Sports on Saturday, and then they were at MGM on Sunday. This cheer stuff really is crazy expensive. You have to get the hotel, drive there (gas prices now make this crazy even when it is in Orlando), and buy tickets (this one was $25 a person on Saturday and $48 a person on Sunday). Of course, this is in addition to the money paid for Morgan to compete. To add insult to injury, the competition included a ticket to the theme parks for 2 days for the kids, but the coaches had the kids tickets somewere so we couldn't even do fast pass on Sunday at MGM. Bummer. On Saturday, the team did really well in their routine, but they dropped two stunts (Morgan had her first fall from a stunt in a competition - she was really upset). Sunday, the team did really, really awesome. However, it wasn't enough to move them up, so they got 5th. There was another team, Infinity, who had really rough luck and just fell apart on the stage. Unfortunately, the judges didn't judge fairly and didn't give them a low score. I really don't understand how a team can not even get a pyramid up and can still get a good score. I always understand it when our team has falls (see Saturday), but I don't understand it when it doesn't seem to be the same for others. I haven't seen anything that blatant at any of the other cheer competitions yet. Amazing. The girls handled it pretty well though. I think they were just happy to do well after Saturday. The coaches took them outside to practice in the cold windy weather immediately after they competed. When some of the girls were not acting happy, one of the coaches asked if they thought the coaches were being too hard on them. My child raised her hand. I am not sure why, but I am proud of this. Not becuase I think the coaches were being too hard. Not because I want her to complain. But, most of her life, she would have stood there quietly. She actually was in the minority (I think only 3 girls raised their hands from what I heard), and she voiced her opinion. I think she felt horrible about dropping in the stunt and that influenced her, but I am still proud that she did what she felt even though everyone else didn't. She is growing up!

After the came out of practice, Morgan was upset about the stunt falling. A group of girls came over and gave her a big hug, and she got a grin from ear to ear. It was great to see.

The Kims picture - they are both Tennessee girls! GO BIG ORANGE! I can't believe that I can actually pick the Vols to win the tourney without everyone thinking I have lost my mind. :)


The girls picking up Alice and Kelly laughing.
It stinks to be the youngest!

The girls chilling on the car. As you can tell, they hate having their picture made. :)

I love the look on Morgan's face. It looks like she is growling. Maybe she was practicing a cheer face? By the way, she is getting really good at those.
The ride picture. I LOVED the Tower of Terror and the Rock and Roller Coster. They were great rides.

Nice group shot. The girls really get along well.

To see Video highlights from the competition, go here and search for Florida Wildcats. The Youth Level 3 team is hers.

http://www.varsity.com/vwired/08nascc.asp?page=webcast#set

Even though Mike tried hard to involve the kids during this crazy weekend, his ex is mad. I don't think there is anything we can do to make her happy. It really is unbelievable. We got two rooms at the hotel so that everyone would have enough room. We had a kids +Matthew (Mike's brother) room and a room for us. Morgan stayed with her team on Saturday night, but she was with the kids Friday night. Just a couple of weeks ago, the ex commented that Mike doesn't ever take the kids to a hotel because he always stays with friends and family (not sure WHY this is a BAD thing, but anyway). Now, she is complaining because we took them to a hotel where freaking people were dressed in costumes. Like we have any control over the cheer competition being in Orlando (a very family friendly place) the same week as this nutty sci fi thing. Like the kids were talking to them. Come on. Mike drove over with them on Friday so they could go to the pool and such. We went to a nice dinner at Kobe on Friday night ($270 - whoa). Mike got up early and drove Katie and Michael back to Tampa for baseball and softball). He then drove back that evening. Of course, he missed the cheer competition which upset Morgan. Of course, as always, I try to explain that there are two of us and four kids. Then, he takes them to putt putt on Sunday and drives back because they are all tired. I guess that wasn't enough for Ms. Throw Stones because she thinks it is unfair that Morgan got to go to MGM. Give me a break. She was a IN a competition and she had NEVER been there before. It was pretty expensive to also buy 5 more tickets to MGM ($250). Of course Morgan would have loved to have them there, and I had to explain why they couldn't be there. I expect all of that from kids. Not from adults. Insane. I could go on and on, but I have typed enough. If you are getting a divorce, go for full custody. Trust me.

I love the travel cheer competitions because I always get to meet parents and kids that I didn't really know before. This weekend was no different. This cheer stuff is crazy expensive and pretty nuts in general (I am sure those Megacon people are talking about the cheer freaks at the hotel. :) , but I really think it is a pretty cool sport. The kids are in awesome physical shape, they learn the art of working hard for goals, they learn how to win and lose (what other sport starts off announcing the lowest team like In 19th place, we have the x team, In 18th place, we have the y team...ouch - who wants to be 19th!), and they have a great time with friends and their family. Pretty cool.

This is a picture from a week ago, but I thought I put it on then. This is Morgan's friend Katie and she got Awesome Athlete!!! Congrats Katie!