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Lisa Welsh
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By Lisa D. Welsh
www.CHEERMaD.com
Summer Camp Beach Blast Day 1
As my children and I stood on the Norwegian Cruise Lines steps and watched the ship we were supposed to be on sail away with our luggage and friends still on board, I wondered what I could possibly write about everything that had just gone terribly wrong.
Promises made-both professionally and personally- had been broken.
Up to this point I had been the number one “cheerleader” of the Cheer Cruise and Summer Beach Camp Blast. Now that my children have stopped crying, although Becky* is still loudly “venting” more like a truck-driver than a cheerleader should. {*I don’t blame her because, although Becky was the coach at the Summer Beach Camp Blast who had the challenging job of being responsible for the safety of cheer campers ages 9 and under, and had spent the same amount of time coaching as any coach there, she didn’t receive anything that all the other coaches had received}.
Last day of beach camp in GK Elite Sports Bras
I promised myself and you that CHEERMaD would be authentic, autonomous and independent. As a professional reporter and as a voice for CHEERMaDs, it’s important to me that I maintain my credibility with honest, truthful writing.
Here’s what I can say.
Shaeli, 8, wrote how her Dad, Benjamin, was Certifiably CHEERMaD by travelling 7,000 miles from where he was stationed in Afghanistan to surprise her and attend her first competition last season.
CHEERMaD received a call from Kristina Parrish of It’s All About Cheer last fall about her new venture The Cheer Cruise and Beach Camp. I had been looking for a grand prize for the Certifiably CHEERMaD contest and this seemed to be a great fit.
Coaches Becky, Kayla and Jason
Kristina Parrish is a visionary. She put together a stellar group of coaches for the Summer Blast Beach Camp. According to Becky, every cheerleader who attended the camp learned a new skill and perfected many more. Kristina’s goal for athletes to have the opportunity to work with coaches of this caliber; ones they wouldn’t have the opportunity to learn from otherwise, was achieved.
In the first minutes of the camp, I watched Coach Domingo from Top Gun, and Coach Michelle from Georgia Heat size-up Millcreek Allstars‘ three stunt groups which were having a hard time keeping their flyers up in the air. After a few changes of hand positioning, by the end of the first session, two of the three groups had firm and steady stunts.
Coach Kyle and Coach Becky with campers
Not all the coaches; including Miami Elite and Stingrays, that signed on to participate in the camp attended. Those who did attend were amazing: Jason Graham and Becky Welsh, PRO Athletics–Leominster, Massachusetts; Ritch Ludke, Premier Athletics–Jacksonville, Florida; Kyle Gadke, Spirit FX–Chicago; Cory Hines–Top Gun; Chris Swiderski, Georgia Heat All-Star Cheer; Derek R. Johnson, Full House AllStars– Massachusetts; and Kayla Steele, HotCheer AllStars–Pennsylvania. Also, Scott and Kathy Foster from Kristina’s daughter’s gym, RockStar Allstars conducted a parent’s roundtable.
Colors of Hope beach service
Even though Rachel also achieved a new skill and said she learned “a new way to do her layout,” Thursday’s Colors of Hope luminary party was the highlight of the week for me. A beautiful sunset to darkness service on the beach recognized each individual represented by a luminary. Even the smallest child stood silently and still while Kerry Augusto; a CHEERMaD from Bay State All Stars in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts who had led a luminary drive at her gym conducted the service. I felt an energy shift in the group when she read aloud the signs children held while standing in a large circle. The signs had words like “Love,” “Gratitude,” “Joy” and others that represented the values we believed to be the cheer community’s.
But there were problems at the Summer Cheer Beach Blast too. The Eden Roc cancelled the Pool Party, the Colors of Hope party and the ballroom where the Cheer Camp was to be held. In fact, I received a near hysterical call from one mom from our gym who had been the first to arrive and was told by the registration desk that “organizers of the cheer camp had cancelled.” It wasn’t cancelled, but the camp location had been changed from the Eden Roc to the Miami Beach Convention Center. As I understand it, two reasons were responsible for this:
Kristina, red dress, addressing parents concerns
Kristina was unable to work through the financial contract with the hotel. Basically, the camp attendance numbers were lower than needed to cover the cost of the ballroom and Kristina was unable to pay for the space by the week prior to the start of the camp, as required by her contract. She asked for more time but the Eden Roc refused, despite her longstanding relationship as an exclusive Marriott travel agent (Eden Roc is a Marriott property).
At the camp we were told that the spring-board floors wouldn’t fit into the freight elevators and that cancelled the use of the ballroom, which cancelled the use of the Pool Party and Colors of Hope party spaces. And with the cancellation of the Pool Party came the elimination of the only other potential income from the camp from alcohol served at the parties.
Like a Dominoes’ pattern where one block affects the next, which affects the next block, cancelling the ballroom also cancelled-out the pool and luminary party spaces as well as all the amenities like spa sessions and sibling activities.
Low numbers of attendees also meant low numbers of “comped” hotel rooms and cabins, which is what was promised to coaches and sponsors as compensation. Some of the coaches cancelled when they found out that their hotel rooms and cruise cabins wouldn’t be comped. The others arrived to find that instead of a private room, they would have roommates.
About a week ago, I was told that I’d have to choose between the cruise and our Eden Roc accommodations. Thinking I could commute between the camp and my mother’s home in Ft. Lauderdale, I chose the cruise. Just to make sure we had a cabin though, I booked one myself. According to NCL reservations the cruise was sold out and no more cabins for four were available but Orbitz did have cabins so I went through Orbitz.
Rachel at South Miami Beach
My back-up plan only prolonged the moment when my kids would find out that we wouldn’t be cruising.
CHEERMaD was attached to the Cheer Cruise and Summer Camp Beach Blast in many ways, especially because it was grand prize for the winners of the Certifiably CHEERMaD contest. Because of this I felt responsible that the camp and cruise go on in the best way possible. The Smith family added another hotel room and cabin to their prize so that the entire family six could attend. I had promised my kids a respite from all they’d endured this year as I worked 18-hour days on CHEERMaD, many of it on the phone with Kris planning and promoting the Cheer Cruise and Beach Summer Blast or whatever it was called. Our plane tickets were already purchased and my mom lived in Fort Lauderdale so I knew we would have a place to stay. I took a leap of faith that the net would appear.
Me, about an hour before I found out there was a problem with the cruise.
But unbeknownst to me, while I was immersed in the cheer camp in Florida, my bank in Massachusetts was trying to verify my cruise reservation as it was considered a suspicious purchase for me; both in amount and out-of-state and a possible security breach. No one was at home to receive the call(s) and no calls to my cell or email were made. Meanwhile, I was receiving email confirmations from Norwegian Cruise Lines that all was well, and would I like to purchase shore excursions, or better yet, another cruise. There were no emails from either NCL or Orbitz that there was a problem.
In hindsight, I too should have pulled out of the Cheer Cruise and Summer Camp Beach Blast when, pardon the pun, others were “abandoning ship.” But just like Millcreek’s third stunt group that never gave up and were rewarded on the last day of Cheer Bast Summer Camp with “Most Improved” honors, I didn’t give up.
Coaches and Sponsors
In reality, we qualified for three hotel rooms and cabins on the cruise: Becky’s cabin for coaching; CHEERMaD’s under its original agreement to be a media sponsor; and another CHEERMaD cabin for the ten families that booked either a hotel room or cruise through the CHEERMaD promotion. I had fulfilled everything I said I would do.
As a business move I understood why I was cut: if there was any hope for the camp, some coaches needed to attend.
At this point, I must thank my Pro Athletics families who attended the camp and the cruise because they believed me and in me. I LOVE PRO CHEERMaDs. They are crazy and outspoken but they are loyal and had my back. Except for two families of CHEERMaDs involved in the Colors of Hope luminary drive, the PRO families were the only ones who attended Colors of Hope. Since my original facebook post, and my revelation that we weren’t on the cruise I’ve felt the love and received support from many more people in the cheer community that I would have received, had everything worked out the way it was supposed to.
Rachel holding Certifiably CHEERMaD winner Shaeli Smith and Kristina's daughter Brooke holding Reagan Smith
At several moments last week, I tried reminding everyone that this was the first year of something that I believed, and still do believe, will become something great. I compared it to CHEERSPORT which began in a gymnasium with a dozen gyms and has grown into the largest competition at the biggest arena in the country.
But I would soon experience the same disenchantment.
That happened at noon Friday when I went online for our cabin number and was directed to a phone number. It was then, for the first time, that I was told that the reservation had been cancelled. After spending three hours on the phone with my bank, Orbitz and NCL we were directed to go to the port, that there was a cabin awaiting us. At the port, Kris stayed with me to help wade through the travel lingo and by 4 p.m. we were told that we were “cleared” to board.
This was the point when the roller coaster of emotions careened off track and a supervisor’s supervisor came out and informed us that our names were not on the final ship moniker that was sent to Washington to be approved by Homeland Security and without that security clearance, we were not allowed to board. Rachel was already on ship because her name was on the moniker in Kris’s room (too complicated to explain why).
Here shown Sister Becky with Rachel
Becky screamed “My sister is on that boat, get my little sister off!” and that’s when they called security…after hours of this she had no more patience, and I have to admit neither did I…a security supervisor boarded the ship and retrieved Rachel. Our luggage didn’t fare as well but thanks to help from Jason and Melissa Hay from CheerXm1.com our bags are being delivered to Fort Lauderdale.
We were asked to leave the building as this was the ship to set sail and everyone’s shift at NCL was over. That’s when we were escorted by Miami Dade police out to the steps outside the terminal to wait for my stepfather to come get us.
There before us was the Norwegian Sky just beginning to pull away from dock. My three kids and I watched in silence as it slowly sailed down the canal before loudly tooting upon entering the open sea.
Becky, Rachel and John
As much of a positive thinker and optimistic believer in miracles as I am, there was nothing I could do. That’s hard for any CHEERMaD: I’ve seen them in-action at practices, competitions and at last week’s camp. We support our kids with our time, our money and all of our resources. Whether it’s for a free bow, an expected camp sports bra or a cruise, CHEERMaDs will go to the ends of the earth for their kids, or as far as homeland security will let them.
By Lisa D. Welsh
www.CHEERMaD.com
Summer Camp Beach Blast Day 1
As my children and I stood on the Norwegian Cruise Lines steps and watched the ship we were supposed to be on sail away with our luggage and friends still on board, I wondered what I could possibly write about everything that had just gone terribly wrong.
Promises made-both professionally and personally- had been broken.
Up to this point I had been the number one “cheerleader” of the Cheer Cruise and Summer Beach Camp Blast. Now that my children have stopped crying, although Becky* is still loudly “venting” more like a truck-driver than a cheerleader should. {*I don’t blame her because, although Becky was the coach at the Summer Beach Camp Blast who had the challenging job of being responsible for the safety of cheer campers ages 9 and under, and had spent the same amount of time coaching as any coach there, she didn’t receive anything that all the other coaches had received}.
Last day of beach camp in GK Elite Sports Bras
I promised myself and you that CHEERMaD would be authentic, autonomous and independent. As a professional reporter and as a voice for CHEERMaDs, it’s important to me that I maintain my credibility with honest, truthful writing.
Here’s what I can say.
Shaeli, 8, wrote how her Dad, Benjamin, was Certifiably CHEERMaD by travelling 7,000 miles from where he was stationed in Afghanistan to surprise her and attend her first competition last season.
CHEERMaD received a call from Kristina Parrish of It’s All About Cheer last fall about her new venture The Cheer Cruise and Beach Camp. I had been looking for a grand prize for the Certifiably CHEERMaD contest and this seemed to be a great fit.
Coaches Becky, Kayla and Jason
Kristina Parrish is a visionary. She put together a stellar group of coaches for the Summer Blast Beach Camp. According to Becky, every cheerleader who attended the camp learned a new skill and perfected many more. Kristina’s goal for athletes to have the opportunity to work with coaches of this caliber; ones they wouldn’t have the opportunity to learn from otherwise, was achieved.
In the first minutes of the camp, I watched Coach Domingo from Top Gun, and Coach Michelle from Georgia Heat size-up Millcreek Allstars‘ three stunt groups which were having a hard time keeping their flyers up in the air. After a few changes of hand positioning, by the end of the first session, two of the three groups had firm and steady stunts.
Coach Kyle and Coach Becky with campers
Not all the coaches; including Miami Elite and Stingrays, that signed on to participate in the camp attended. Those who did attend were amazing: Jason Graham and Becky Welsh, PRO Athletics–Leominster, Massachusetts; Ritch Ludke, Premier Athletics–Jacksonville, Florida; Kyle Gadke, Spirit FX–Chicago; Cory Hines–Top Gun; Chris Swiderski, Georgia Heat All-Star Cheer; Derek R. Johnson, Full House AllStars– Massachusetts; and Kayla Steele, HotCheer AllStars–Pennsylvania. Also, Scott and Kathy Foster from Kristina’s daughter’s gym, RockStar Allstars conducted a parent’s roundtable.
Colors of Hope beach service
Even though Rachel also achieved a new skill and said she learned “a new way to do her layout,” Thursday’s Colors of Hope luminary party was the highlight of the week for me. A beautiful sunset to darkness service on the beach recognized each individual represented by a luminary. Even the smallest child stood silently and still while Kerry Augusto; a CHEERMaD from Bay State All Stars in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts who had led a luminary drive at her gym conducted the service. I felt an energy shift in the group when she read aloud the signs children held while standing in a large circle. The signs had words like “Love,” “Gratitude,” “Joy” and others that represented the values we believed to be the cheer community’s.
But there were problems at the Summer Cheer Beach Blast too. The Eden Roc cancelled the Pool Party, the Colors of Hope party and the ballroom where the Cheer Camp was to be held. In fact, I received a near hysterical call from one mom from our gym who had been the first to arrive and was told by the registration desk that “organizers of the cheer camp had cancelled.” It wasn’t cancelled, but the camp location had been changed from the Eden Roc to the Miami Beach Convention Center. As I understand it, two reasons were responsible for this:
Kristina, red dress, addressing parents concerns
Kristina was unable to work through the financial contract with the hotel. Basically, the camp attendance numbers were lower than needed to cover the cost of the ballroom and Kristina was unable to pay for the space by the week prior to the start of the camp, as required by her contract. She asked for more time but the Eden Roc refused, despite her longstanding relationship as an exclusive Marriott travel agent (Eden Roc is a Marriott property).
At the camp we were told that the spring-board floors wouldn’t fit into the freight elevators and that cancelled the use of the ballroom, which cancelled the use of the Pool Party and Colors of Hope party spaces. And with the cancellation of the Pool Party came the elimination of the only other potential income from the camp from alcohol served at the parties.
Like a Dominoes’ pattern where one block affects the next, which affects the next block, cancelling the ballroom also cancelled-out the pool and luminary party spaces as well as all the amenities like spa sessions and sibling activities.
Low numbers of attendees also meant low numbers of “comped” hotel rooms and cabins, which is what was promised to coaches and sponsors as compensation. Some of the coaches cancelled when they found out that their hotel rooms and cruise cabins wouldn’t be comped. The others arrived to find that instead of a private room, they would have roommates.About a week ago, I was told that I’d have to choose between the cruise and our Eden Roc accommodations. Thinking I could commute between the camp and my mother’s home in Ft. Lauderdale, I chose the cruise. Just to make sure we had a cabin though, I booked one myself. According to NCL reservations the cruise was sold out and no more cabins for four were available but Orbitz did have cabins so I went through Orbitz.
Rachel at South Miami Beach
My back-up plan only prolonged the moment when my kids would find out that we wouldn’t be cruising.
CHEERMaD was attached to the Cheer Cruise and Summer Camp Beach Blast in many ways, especially because it was grand prize for the winners of the Certifiably CHEERMaD contest. Because of this I felt responsible that the camp and cruise go on in the best way possible. The Smith family added another hotel room and cabin to their prize so that the entire family six could attend. I had promised my kids a respite from all they’d endured this year as I worked 18-hour days on CHEERMaD, many of it on the phone with Kris planning and promoting the Cheer Cruise and Beach Summer Blast or whatever it was called. Our plane tickets were already purchased and my mom lived in Fort Lauderdale so I knew we would have a place to stay. I took a leap of faith that the net would appear.
Me, about an hour before I found out there was a problem with the cruise.
But unbeknownst to me, while I was immersed in the cheer camp in Florida, my bank in Massachusetts was trying to verify my cruise reservation as it was considered a suspicious purchase for me; both in amount and out-of-state and a possible security breach. No one was at home to receive the call(s) and no calls to my cell or email were made. Meanwhile, I was receiving email confirmations from Norwegian Cruise Lines that all was well, and would I like to purchase shore excursions, or better yet, another cruise. There were no emails from either NCL or Orbitz that there was a problem.
In hindsight, I too should have pulled out of the Cheer Cruise and Summer Camp Beach Blast when, pardon the pun, others were “abandoning ship.” But just like Millcreek’s third stunt group that never gave up and were rewarded on the last day of Cheer Bast Summer Camp with “Most Improved” honors, I didn’t give up.
Coaches and Sponsors
In reality, we qualified for three hotel rooms and cabins on the cruise: Becky’s cabin for coaching; CHEERMaD’s under its original agreement to be a media sponsor; and another CHEERMaD cabin for the ten families that booked either a hotel room or cruise through the CHEERMaD promotion. I had fulfilled everything I said I would do.
As a business move I understood why I was cut: if there was any hope for the camp, some coaches needed to attend.
At this point, I must thank my Pro Athletics families who attended the camp and the cruise because they believed me and in me. I LOVE PRO CHEERMaDs. They are crazy and outspoken but they are loyal and had my back. Except for two families of CHEERMaDs involved in the Colors of Hope luminary drive, the PRO families were the only ones who attended Colors of Hope. Since my original facebook post, and my revelation that we weren’t on the cruise I’ve felt the love and received support from many more people in the cheer community that I would have received, had everything worked out the way it was supposed to.
Rachel holding Certifiably CHEERMaD winner Shaeli Smith and Kristina's daughter Brooke holding Reagan Smith
At several moments last week, I tried reminding everyone that this was the first year of something that I believed, and still do believe, will become something great. I compared it to CHEERSPORT which began in a gymnasium with a dozen gyms and has grown into the largest competition at the biggest arena in the country.
But I would soon experience the same disenchantment.
That happened at noon Friday when I went online for our cabin number and was directed to a phone number. It was then, for the first time, that I was told that the reservation had been cancelled. After spending three hours on the phone with my bank, Orbitz and NCL we were directed to go to the port, that there was a cabin awaiting us. At the port, Kris stayed with me to help wade through the travel lingo and by 4 p.m. we were told that we were “cleared” to board.
This was the point when the roller coaster of emotions careened off track and a supervisor’s supervisor came out and informed us that our names were not on the final ship moniker that was sent to Washington to be approved by Homeland Security and without that security clearance, we were not allowed to board. Rachel was already on ship because her name was on the moniker in Kris’s room (too complicated to explain why).
Here shown Sister Becky with Rachel
Becky screamed “My sister is on that boat, get my little sister off!” and that’s when they called security…after hours of this she had no more patience, and I have to admit neither did I…a security supervisor boarded the ship and retrieved Rachel. Our luggage didn’t fare as well but thanks to help from Jason and Melissa Hay from CheerXm1.com our bags are being delivered to Fort Lauderdale.
We were asked to leave the building as this was the ship to set sail and everyone’s shift at NCL was over. That’s when we were escorted by Miami Dade police out to the steps outside the terminal to wait for my stepfather to come get us.
There before us was the Norwegian Sky just beginning to pull away from dock. My three kids and I watched in silence as it slowly sailed down the canal before loudly tooting upon entering the open sea.
Becky, Rachel and John
As much of a positive thinker and optimistic believer in miracles as I am, there was nothing I could do. That’s hard for any CHEERMaD: I’ve seen them in-action at practices, competitions and at last week’s camp. We support our kids with our time, our money and all of our resources. Whether it’s for a free bow, an expected camp sports bra or a cruise, CHEERMaDs will go to the ends of the earth for their kids, or as far as homeland security will let them.
