High School Nhscc 2020 Day 3

[Sterling von Shimmer]

Results and awards! Sorry it’s late it’s been a busy weekend.

 

[Sterling von Shimmer]

I just want to start this thread by saying how amazingly proud of my girls I am. They did everything they wanted this weekend and more. And they did it after losing their program advisor — aka my mom — to cancer back in May. They literally started the year at her memorial service, which was right after tryouts. And now they’ve taken the program from its lowest point to its highest point in just a few months. They are some of the most talented, kind, thoughtful people I’ve ever had the honour of coaching. And I am a better person because of them.

I was not prepared for this weekend. I knew it’d be stressful, but I haven’t cried this hard since my first Nationals with my pee-wee team. And apparently I handle high-stress awards ceremonies the same way now as I did when I was nine: ugly crying into the shirt of a parent I don’t know that well.

But I mean, if you haven’t completely lost your dignity in front of other people’s children, are you even a real cheer coach? :)

Until next February, everyone.

 

[Sterling von Shimmer]

Additional thoughts:

I feel like this year maybe marks new trends in UCA champs (at least in D1). Overall, I saw a lot of familiar names in finals, but did not really recognize any of the winners. And more than that, the teams I’ve come to expect in finals are pretty much gone: Vestavia, Hunterdon, Har-Ber, Mater Dei, Boaz, United, etc.

United: not sure if they recently had a change in leadership, but this is the second time in two years they’ve failed to advance beyond SL prelims. It was only a few years ago they consistently took second to Westlake.

Westlake: won SL last year, took 11th this year. It seems very hit/miss with them since 2015.

Houston: moved down to large. Was pulling for them. They took second. But they can rest easy knowing they still have some of the best unis ever.

Desoto Central: not sure why they capably qualified for SL at regionals, and then competed in medium?

Lafayette: really hoped they’d do better. I remember being impressed with them earlier this year.

Ravenwood: shoulda won. I said what I said.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

Additional thoughts:

I feel like this year maybe marks new trends in UCA champs (at least in D1). Overall, I saw a lot of familiar names in finals, but did not really recognize any of the winners. And more than that, the teams I’ve come to expect in finals are pretty much gone: Vestavia, Hunterdon, Har-Ber, Mater Dei, Boaz, United, etc.

I noticed this too, but I feel like it is the nature of the beast in HS. So many things impact how well you are set up for comps - leadership changes, changes in the caliber of kids you get from your feeder middle schools, etc. can change a program significantly in just one season. Ex: If you change coaches and have 2 years of kids coming in from MS never having stunted beyond a prep, that could be the recipe for having a "not making finals" year.

 

[CoachTamara]

I just want to start this thread by saying how amazingly proud of my girls I am. They did everything they wanted this weekend and more. And they did it after losing their program advisor — aka my mom — to cancer back in May. They literally started the year at her memorial service, which was right after tryouts. And now they’ve taken the program from its lowest point to its highest point in just a few months. They are some of the most talented, kind, thoughtful people I’ve ever had the honour of coaching. And I am a better person because of them.

I was not prepared for this weekend. I knew it’d be stressful, but I haven’t cried this hard since my first Nationals with my pee-wee team. And apparently I handle high-stress awards ceremonies the same way now as I did when I was nine: ugly crying into the shirt of a parent I don’t know that well.

But I mean, if you haven’t completely lost your dignity in front of other people’s children, are you even a real cheer coach? :)

Until next February, everyone.

I sobbed to the scoring official this weekend, so I'm right there with you lady. This coaching life is not for the faint of heart.

 

[Sterling von Shimmer]

I sobbed to the scoring official this weekend, so I'm right there with you lady. This coaching life is not for the faint of heart.

Oh no! Did they screw you over?

 

[CoachTamara]

Oh no! Did they screw you over?

Quite possibly the understatement of the year. I’m still not over it.

 

[OldskoolKYcheercoach]

Quite possibly the understatement of the year. I’m still not over it.

I’m feeling your pain right now.

my kids performed their asses off and did not get props they deserved in those performance categories. Comments on their score sheet about “shaky stunts” that weren’t even sort of unsteady. I just can’t even wrap my head around some of it.

 

[Sterling von Shimmer]

Quite possibly the understatement of the year. I’m still not over it.

Dude I’m still not over the time it happened to us nine years ago.

Sounds like they threw a surprise rule at you that regionals judges didn’t adhere to? If so, that’s crap. It’s a real flaw in the Varsity organisation that they can’t get their judges on the same page from one comp to another.

 

[OldskoolKYcheercoach]

One team in our division dropped 2 stunts in prelims to our 0. Scored a 12.0 on stunt perfection to our 12.5. Scores all over the place.

 

[Sterling von Shimmer]

One team in our division dropped 2 stunts in prelims to our 0. Scored a 12.0 on stunt perfection to our 12.5. Scores all over the place.

Yeah it seemed the teams that advanced in each grouping (A, B, etc.) were a little unbalanced. Especially for those divisions that had lots of them.

 

[Sterling von Shimmer]

I noticed this too, but I feel like it is the nature of the beast in HS. So many things impact how well you are set up for comps - leadership changes, changes in the caliber of kids you get from your feeder middle schools, etc. can change a program significantly in just one season. Ex: If you change coaches and have 2 years of kids coming in from MS never having stunted beyond a prep, that could be the recipe for having a "not making finals" year.

That’s true. I feel like we’ve been “spoiled” by lots of team legacies over the last seven years or so. Westlake, Eldo, etc. had threepeats and fourpeats. Even the teams that finished second to them like United and Losal were consistent for years. It’s easy to forget that that’s an incredible accomplishment and not exactly de rigueur.