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Lisa Welsh
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By Lisa D. Welsh
www.CHEERMaD.com
1992 Cal State Long Beach coed team: Amanda Bruce is middle row, fourth from left; Scott is last row, standing, fourth from right.
Amanda and Scott Bruce attended their first NCA competition 21 years ago as cheerleaders for Cal State Long Beach. This weekend they are in Dallas again, this time as parents cheering on daughters Taylor 12, and Jordan, 10 who are on California Allstars, J5, better known as the “Jr. Mafia.”
Amanda and Scott Bruce with daughters: Riley, Jordan and Taylor.
“If anyone is CHEERMaD, it’s Amanda,” said Scott. “She makes the 160-mile round trip four times a week and sits around the gym for 20 hours a week, after working a full time job as a physical therapist.”
Scott says he was just being a “supportive boyfriend” when he helped Amanda learn how to partner stunt in preparation of Cal State Long Beach try-outs.
“I was acting as the spotter and after a while the guy she was stunting with asked me if I wanted to try it. I did and it was fun,” Scott said.
In his own words:
California Allstars members: Jr. Mafia Taylor, Jr. Mafia; CA mini Riley; and Jr. Mafia Jordan
We tried many different activities with the girls; T-ball, soccer, ballet and karate. But it wasn’t until 2006 that we discovered Allstar cheerleading.
It seemed like destiny that we had both come from cheerleading to raise little cheerleaders. They were cute out there on the floor. I had been stunting with them since they were babies. That is how we still play in the backyard.
Amanda and I were officially back in “the life” and the sport we had loved when we were younger.
Kristi Rios, a very caring coach, essentially took Taylor from having no back-handspring to doing a double-full in two and half years. She set a goal to have Taylor doing her standing full before she turned 10 and with three days to spare she did it.Fast forward 3 years.
By Lisa D. Welsh
www.CHEERMaD.com
1992 Cal State Long Beach coed team: Amanda Bruce is middle row, fourth from left; Scott is last row, standing, fourth from right.
Amanda and Scott Bruce attended their first NCA competition 21 years ago as cheerleaders for Cal State Long Beach. This weekend they are in Dallas again, this time as parents cheering on daughters Taylor 12, and Jordan, 10 who are on California Allstars, J5, better known as the “Jr. Mafia.”
Amanda and Scott Bruce with daughters: Riley, Jordan and Taylor.
“If anyone is CHEERMaD, it’s Amanda,” said Scott. “She makes the 160-mile round trip four times a week and sits around the gym for 20 hours a week, after working a full time job as a physical therapist.”
Scott says he was just being a “supportive boyfriend” when he helped Amanda learn how to partner stunt in preparation of Cal State Long Beach try-outs.
“I was acting as the spotter and after a while the guy she was stunting with asked me if I wanted to try it. I did and it was fun,” Scott said.
In his own words:
I went to the clinics leading up to the tryouts at Cal State, again just being supportive, but I was still having fun. Then Coach Rey Lozano said I should try out. My first thought was ‘there is no way I am going to become a cheerleader.’
I played football, basketball and ran track in high school. Well, long story short, I tried out and made the team. In addition to making Long Beach State’s cheer team I was asked to be on the Los Angeles Rams’ stunt team.
Amanda and Scott on the NFL Rams’ stunt team.
My very first cheer experience was at a Rams’ game in front of 50,000 spectators. I had no idea what I was doing but I had fun. We were a close knit group of friends who trusted one another with our lives.
We competed in Dallas at NCA and took fourth behind Oklahoma State University and Kansas State University. I remember being on the floor just trying to keep up and remember where to go next and to not count with my mouth. This coming from someone who just learned that music had eight-counts. Looking out into the audience, all I could see were the lights.
This was a great life in college. We got paid to play together, teaching camps for US Spirit Leaders, modeling/acting and going to games. It wasn’t enough to live on but we were not doing it for the money.
In 1996 it was time to grow up and get a real job.
The next year Scott and Amanda married and three years later Taylor was born. Then Jordan, followed by Riley in 2005.I played football, basketball and ran track in high school. Well, long story short, I tried out and made the team. In addition to making Long Beach State’s cheer team I was asked to be on the Los Angeles Rams’ stunt team.
Amanda and Scott on the NFL Rams’ stunt team.
My very first cheer experience was at a Rams’ game in front of 50,000 spectators. I had no idea what I was doing but I had fun. We were a close knit group of friends who trusted one another with our lives.
We competed in Dallas at NCA and took fourth behind Oklahoma State University and Kansas State University. I remember being on the floor just trying to keep up and remember where to go next and to not count with my mouth. This coming from someone who just learned that music had eight-counts. Looking out into the audience, all I could see were the lights.
This was a great life in college. We got paid to play together, teaching camps for US Spirit Leaders, modeling/acting and going to games. It wasn’t enough to live on but we were not doing it for the money.
In 1996 it was time to grow up and get a real job.
California Allstars members: Jr. Mafia Taylor, Jr. Mafia; CA mini Riley; and Jr. Mafia Jordan
We tried many different activities with the girls; T-ball, soccer, ballet and karate. But it wasn’t until 2006 that we discovered Allstar cheerleading.
It seemed like destiny that we had both come from cheerleading to raise little cheerleaders. They were cute out there on the floor. I had been stunting with them since they were babies. That is how we still play in the backyard.
Amanda and I were officially back in “the life” and the sport we had loved when we were younger.
Kristi Rios, a very caring coach, essentially took Taylor from having no back-handspring to doing a double-full in two and half years. She set a goal to have Taylor doing her standing full before she turned 10 and with three days to spare she did it.
We were looking for the right program that matched our commitment to competing at the highest level. We found that in 2010 when the girls tried-out for California All-stars in San Marcos.
At first I was like, ‘Hold on a minute! That gym is 80 miles away.’ But Amanda said she wanted the girls to develop and move on to the next level. Taylor and Jordan tried out and made Cali Allstars Junior Coed Level 5 team “Junior Mafia.”
Once a supportive boyfriend stunt partner, Scott is now a supportive Daddy stunt partner.
Although competition was fierce, both Taylor and Jordan, who at 9-years old was the youngest on the team, became flyers. But there was a lot to learn. They were expected to know how to do “kick doubles” (basket tosses). They had never done more than a toe touch basket toss. I became a practice stunt partner again for the girls like I did with Amanda. We would toss them in the backyard and teach them. Don’t get me wrong, we had to learn too.
Now these girls are doing harder stunts and a higher level of tumbling than we did at the college level.
That first year was a magical season. They were undefeated going into NCA-Dallas, won their jackets and all other comps that season.
Twenty-one years later we had come full circle. We stayed at the Hyatt; the same hotel we stayed at when we competed in college and watched our girls win the National title. That was an amazing year.
This season has been so much fun. Taylor just turned 12 and she will be youngest flyer on California All-stars Elite team and will be going to Worlds. Jordan is 10 and will again be on Junior Mafia. Our youngest daughter, Riley is 7 and is on CA’s mini team.
Cheerleading is definitely in their blood and they love it. We never pushed them into this sport, it just kind of happened. Like most parents, we want our kids to have the best and to exceed to the best of there capabilities.
At first I was like, ‘Hold on a minute! That gym is 80 miles away.’ But Amanda said she wanted the girls to develop and move on to the next level. Taylor and Jordan tried out and made Cali Allstars Junior Coed Level 5 team “Junior Mafia.”
Once a supportive boyfriend stunt partner, Scott is now a supportive Daddy stunt partner.
Although competition was fierce, both Taylor and Jordan, who at 9-years old was the youngest on the team, became flyers. But there was a lot to learn. They were expected to know how to do “kick doubles” (basket tosses). They had never done more than a toe touch basket toss. I became a practice stunt partner again for the girls like I did with Amanda. We would toss them in the backyard and teach them. Don’t get me wrong, we had to learn too.
Now these girls are doing harder stunts and a higher level of tumbling than we did at the college level.
That first year was a magical season. They were undefeated going into NCA-Dallas, won their jackets and all other comps that season.Twenty-one years later we had come full circle. We stayed at the Hyatt; the same hotel we stayed at when we competed in college and watched our girls win the National title. That was an amazing year.
This season has been so much fun. Taylor just turned 12 and she will be youngest flyer on California All-stars Elite team and will be going to Worlds. Jordan is 10 and will again be on Junior Mafia. Our youngest daughter, Riley is 7 and is on CA’s mini team.
Cheerleading is definitely in their blood and they love it. We never pushed them into this sport, it just kind of happened. Like most parents, we want our kids to have the best and to exceed to the best of there capabilities.
