- Aug 18, 2015
- 884
- 1,197
I thought this would be a fun thread... Tell horror stories... Fairytales, dream come trues... learned lessons... Or just flat out what it was like to go your very first time ;)
High School Tales Of Your First Nhscc Experience
- Thread starter CheerItFullOut
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- Feb 5, 2011
- 3,431
- 5,767
Tell horror stories...
Because of our bookkeeping rules here, allstar was sold out by the time we booked. We were too poor that year to afford a Caribbean upgrade (only 2 resorts offered back then), so we went through Disney directly for rooming. We ended up getting a nicer resort for less than allstars, but it made all the logistics that much harder, especially for people that had never been to this competition before!! The biggest issue is that a lot of our parents did get in at allstar and their kids didn't. UCA worked with us, and after a letter from the bookkeeper & school board, they refunded the parents so they could move with their kids. It all ended fine, but at the time it was awful!!
We went to the block party at Hollywood studios on Sunday night and about starved to death... my fault though! We went to the parks around 7pm, so we didn't have too long in the park with the rides before they closed and reopened for the block party. We were told that for an hour, all the rides would close so that people would leave the parks. Cheerleaders were allowed to stay in the park that hour. I suggested that we all wait to eat dinner during the "closed" hour since we couldn't ride anything at that time anyways. Little did I know that all the restaurants closed too. By that point we were starving and it was freezing! That was the longest hour ever, and we were waiting in line at a food place counting down the seconds until they opened. A really nice team from up north was standing their counting down with us, wish I could remember who they were. One of our moms had a snack pack of dried fruit, so we rationed that off. I had never tasted mango, but that half piece of dried mango was the best thing ever! Some cheerleaders may or may not have eaten the condiments at the restaurant.
Fairytales, dream come trues...
We medaled that first year. We went in with the goal to just make finals. I was blown away. It was an awesome experience!
learned lessons...
1. Check-in takes forever! You have to assemble all the lanyard & passes yourself. We have 4 coaches. Every year is different. Last year it took us 2 hours to check-in and then another hour or two to do the passes. It's the Disney part that typically takes forever. Be as organized and prepared as possible when you get to check-in.
2. Count everything at check-in yourself. Don't let them tell you there are X amount of passes, and X amount of vouchers. If you don't personally count it, don't believe it. We've left check-in with missing passes before. It's not fun panicking in the room thinking you lost it, followed by wasted time in the UCA offices trying to get the situation fixed.
3. Have everyone take a picture of the back of their park pass. If they lose it, it can be easily replaced. If no picture, expect to spend a couple of hours at customer service.
4. Don't let the cheerleaders ride rides with their lanyards on. If they do, tell them to tuck the lanyards in their shirt during the ride.
5. Planet H0llywood team dinner = fun experience but overpriced gross food!
Or just flat out what it was like to go your very first time
Amazing! So worth it. Stressful... really stressful, but so much fun! Take lots of pictures.
Because of our bookkeeping rules here, allstar was sold out by the time we booked. We were too poor that year to afford a Caribbean upgrade (only 2 resorts offered back then), so we went through Disney directly for rooming. We ended up getting a nicer resort for less than allstars, but it made all the logistics that much harder, especially for people that had never been to this competition before!! The biggest issue is that a lot of our parents did get in at allstar and their kids didn't. UCA worked with us, and after a letter from the bookkeeper & school board, they refunded the parents so they could move with their kids. It all ended fine, but at the time it was awful!!
We went to the block party at Hollywood studios on Sunday night and about starved to death... my fault though! We went to the parks around 7pm, so we didn't have too long in the park with the rides before they closed and reopened for the block party. We were told that for an hour, all the rides would close so that people would leave the parks. Cheerleaders were allowed to stay in the park that hour. I suggested that we all wait to eat dinner during the "closed" hour since we couldn't ride anything at that time anyways. Little did I know that all the restaurants closed too. By that point we were starving and it was freezing! That was the longest hour ever, and we were waiting in line at a food place counting down the seconds until they opened. A really nice team from up north was standing their counting down with us, wish I could remember who they were. One of our moms had a snack pack of dried fruit, so we rationed that off. I had never tasted mango, but that half piece of dried mango was the best thing ever! Some cheerleaders may or may not have eaten the condiments at the restaurant.
Fairytales, dream come trues...
We medaled that first year. We went in with the goal to just make finals. I was blown away. It was an awesome experience!
learned lessons...
1. Check-in takes forever! You have to assemble all the lanyard & passes yourself. We have 4 coaches. Every year is different. Last year it took us 2 hours to check-in and then another hour or two to do the passes. It's the Disney part that typically takes forever. Be as organized and prepared as possible when you get to check-in.
2. Count everything at check-in yourself. Don't let them tell you there are X amount of passes, and X amount of vouchers. If you don't personally count it, don't believe it. We've left check-in with missing passes before. It's not fun panicking in the room thinking you lost it, followed by wasted time in the UCA offices trying to get the situation fixed.
3. Have everyone take a picture of the back of their park pass. If they lose it, it can be easily replaced. If no picture, expect to spend a couple of hours at customer service.
4. Don't let the cheerleaders ride rides with their lanyards on. If they do, tell them to tuck the lanyards in their shirt during the ride.
5. Planet H0llywood team dinner = fun experience but overpriced gross food!
Or just flat out what it was like to go your very first time
Amazing! So worth it. Stressful... really stressful, but so much fun! Take lots of pictures.
- Jan 16, 2014
- 8,264
- 9,143
LMAO! I can feel the struggle just reading that.
- Dec 9, 2012
- 416
- 224
By far my most favorite part of our season! Winning our division was the absolute BEST feeling ever!
A few things I learned :
Take a pic of the park hoppers !
Bring lots of extra shoes!! Lots of walking and blisters suck!
Allow abt 2 hours to travel.... Disney system is slow!
Be prepared for long lines at all star to eat in the cafe! There is always some foreign travel group there when UCA is there and we are always at max capacity!!
If anyone has a car use it to make a Walmart run for water bottles, and snacks... Keep them in bags and in the rooms
The football turf at sports is THE place to practice however if it's your first year it is way way way overwhelming!
Go to watch some of the best teams in the country !
If u decide to practice there make friends with a team and share spots.. Be there early to get a spot
Bring a big ol' boom box or amp if u want to hear your music while u practice ... Otherwise forget it!
Tell the team to shop at the tent early they will sell out early
Go to the other divisions and watch
And try to relax!
Have fun and good luck!!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
A few things I learned :
Take a pic of the park hoppers !
Bring lots of extra shoes!! Lots of walking and blisters suck!
Allow abt 2 hours to travel.... Disney system is slow!
Be prepared for long lines at all star to eat in the cafe! There is always some foreign travel group there when UCA is there and we are always at max capacity!!
If anyone has a car use it to make a Walmart run for water bottles, and snacks... Keep them in bags and in the rooms
The football turf at sports is THE place to practice however if it's your first year it is way way way overwhelming!
Go to watch some of the best teams in the country !
If u decide to practice there make friends with a team and share spots.. Be there early to get a spot
Bring a big ol' boom box or amp if u want to hear your music while u practice ... Otherwise forget it!
Tell the team to shop at the tent early they will sell out early
Go to the other divisions and watch
And try to relax!
Have fun and good luck!!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
- Jul 12, 2015
- 48
- 61
1st year, we only did Game Day to get our feet wet. Went in with wide-eyed amazement at the process, the teams, the experience. Colder than we anticipated. Riding Expedition Everest with my kids is one of most favorite memories! Winning 2nd place= greatest feeling ever! Running through the airport on a connecting flight back home with teenagers and barely making the flight= not so much.
Last year- stayed at Pop Century and we loved it! Going back there this year. (I truly adore the chicken parmesan in the food court! lol). First year doing a competition routine and we actually made it to finals in the largest category ever! I thought I was going to pass out during finals and when my kids finished performing, I cried like a baby, lol! Did a charter bus= prefer flying, so this year, we have direct flights!
Totally agree with the above- take a picture of the back of the parkhopper passes, go to other divisions and watch, buy at the tent on your first day, try to relax- it's truly fun and such an awesome experience for everyone!
Last year- stayed at Pop Century and we loved it! Going back there this year. (I truly adore the chicken parmesan in the food court! lol). First year doing a competition routine and we actually made it to finals in the largest category ever! I thought I was going to pass out during finals and when my kids finished performing, I cried like a baby, lol! Did a charter bus= prefer flying, so this year, we have direct flights!
Totally agree with the above- take a picture of the back of the parkhopper passes, go to other divisions and watch, buy at the tent on your first day, try to relax- it's truly fun and such an awesome experience for everyone!
- Aug 18, 2015
- 884
- 1,197
- Thread starter
- #6
Love hearing all this! Like the tips!
- Feb 5, 2011
- 3,431
- 5,767
Adding to the practice field. Typically the big "practice time" is 10 am on Friday. You can pretty much go anytime of the day Friday and find teams, but that is the most packed time. It's a great experience to put your kids on that field. You will never see them try so hard in a practice, they want to look good in that mass of cheerleaders!
They have Disney mugs that are free refills all week. We used to encourage everyone to buy one, but now that they are purchased by the day, it may or may not be worth it. If you're staying at the resorts, drink a lot of soda or coffee, it's worth it. It may not be worth it if you don't drink a lot. The cups don't work in the parks, just resorts.
Weather can vary hourly! In 24 hours it can be really hot, sticky humid, pouring rain and freezing cold. It can be pouring rain at the resort and sunny at the park. It makes packing challenging! Prepare for anything. Have your cheerleaders bring clothes to practice in any weather. If it's raining on comp days, then we require them to wear flip flops and carry cheer shoes in their bags until we're indoors.
They have Disney mugs that are free refills all week. We used to encourage everyone to buy one, but now that they are purchased by the day, it may or may not be worth it. If you're staying at the resorts, drink a lot of soda or coffee, it's worth it. It may not be worth it if you don't drink a lot. The cups don't work in the parks, just resorts.
Weather can vary hourly! In 24 hours it can be really hot, sticky humid, pouring rain and freezing cold. It can be pouring rain at the resort and sunny at the park. It makes packing challenging! Prepare for anything. Have your cheerleaders bring clothes to practice in any weather. If it's raining on comp days, then we require them to wear flip flops and carry cheer shoes in their bags until we're indoors.
- Jul 1, 2010
- 44
- 9
Hi everyone! I am wondering if you can provide some assistance! Our school rule is that we can not book any out of state travel until we are board of ed approved. We were finally approved December 23! Now when we call UCA they are closed for the holiday until January 4th and the website says everything is sold out! We tried contacting some UCA ppl but have not heard back. My other coach and I are starting to freak out! Does anyone have any suggestions or contact people? We only need 6 rooms. HELP!
- Apr 27, 2011
- 1,567
- 2,508
My first NHSCC experience in 2009,
We drove from Milwaukee to Chicago very late on Thursday and got in to Disney around midnight. Staying at Caribbean resort. Our coaches accidentally left the signs on the Disney bus, yet we didn't know it at the time.
In the morning we work up to practice, easy for us to find a place to practice. We got there and thought we had lost our signs which really sucked. But then Disney found them on the bus and the parents got them and surprised us with a cheer after we got back from the park before our second practice.
Went to the parks during the day, recommend bringing in your own water if you can since Disney food is expensive. With your meal vouchers, we always spilt the meal with a friend because you get so much food and then together you each get four meals not just two. Also wear comfy shoes and bring clothes for all day.
Make enough time to get from the resort to the competition. We always went early to watch other teams from Wisconsin.
Running through the castle is the greater feeling ever. I was only in finals my freshman year but I'll never forget that excitement, and nerves, that come from running through that castle. There is nothing like performing in the milk house!!
We drove from Milwaukee to Chicago very late on Thursday and got in to Disney around midnight. Staying at Caribbean resort. Our coaches accidentally left the signs on the Disney bus, yet we didn't know it at the time.
In the morning we work up to practice, easy for us to find a place to practice. We got there and thought we had lost our signs which really sucked. But then Disney found them on the bus and the parents got them and surprised us with a cheer after we got back from the park before our second practice.
Went to the parks during the day, recommend bringing in your own water if you can since Disney food is expensive. With your meal vouchers, we always spilt the meal with a friend because you get so much food and then together you each get four meals not just two. Also wear comfy shoes and bring clothes for all day.
Make enough time to get from the resort to the competition. We always went early to watch other teams from Wisconsin.
Running through the castle is the greater feeling ever. I was only in finals my freshman year but I'll never forget that excitement, and nerves, that come from running through that castle. There is nothing like performing in the milk house!!
- May 27, 2011
- 1,185
- 2,613
Pretty much the same first experience as above (weird, right?) ;) I will never forget that performance, as I was suddenly a top girl and flew all the left leg stunts in pyramids (never had done that before that year) and was sooooo nervous about hitting at Nationals. I remember doing our cheer portion and my stunt hit and I heard my coaches go crazy, and you can hear it our videos too, and it was such a cool feeling. I think I cried after that performance.
It's crazy because all 4 years at nationals, no experience is the same, and you're left with so many wonderful memories.
It's crazy because all 4 years at nationals, no experience is the same, and you're left with so many wonderful memories.
- Nov 11, 2011
- 1,242
- 1,523
6-8 pm Friday is HUGE also.
- Aug 18, 2015
- 884
- 1,197
- Thread starter
- #12
Responded to you on other thread... Hope that helped... (what little I could)
- Feb 5, 2011
- 3,431
- 5,767
This was how it was our first year. UCA wasn't able to help, but they've since added two more resorts. You may be able to get in. If not, contact Disney Youth Groups for rooms and then register with UCA as commuters. You'll need to take care of transportation since you wont have UCA buses and the resort you get in likely won't be running full service WWOS buses.
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