Can major events not happen when I'm out Christmas shopping ;p Seriously...
Just kidding. I'm happy for Gabi. In this season of Cheerleaders she has repeatedly appeared miserable. Maybe it's because of the program (If I had to put my lottery ticket, well, it's go there), maybe it was the family distance thing, maybe it was a whole bunch of little stuff to make a big thing...either way, I'm happy that she's back home and cheering on the weekends. Cheerleading is definitely her passion and now she gets the best of both worlds.
I used to live not far from Louisville and my trip to Orlando was about 90 minutes, figure she's going to Miami so 2 hours. It's not terrible---I personally wouldn't want to foot the bill, but it's not a horrible flight. Just long enough for a nap and the time change isn't such a big deal that you get jet lagged.
I say good for her...as for SMOED, well, I'll let the conspiracy theorists work because something is definitely different this year.
I will say this though, and it's come from multiple people---ever consider that some of these kids aren't actually ring chasers? Dylan has made it clear he wants a world's ring (his own FB), we know Gabi came to SMOED with the intent of getting one (her own words); but for those kids who have them, maybe they just want to be at a program they like better or feel more appreciative or fit with their current lifestyle better. While I do think *some* kids are chasing a ring, once they have a few I don't think it's about the ring anymore and more about the team they're on and what they're then willing to put up with.