B*U*L*L*S Go-Bulls-Go!

I have several blogs that I wish I had written last school year but just never got around to. Luckily, I have discovered that Blogger now has a feature where you can schedule your blog post, they also let you post a blog with a date that has passed. I am not sure how this will correlate with my goal of being a better blogger. This ability to go back in time and post could cause even more slacking on my end. Uh-Oh!

Many many years ago, in a land called Page Middle, I used to coach cheerleading. It has been a long time since I put up my pom poms but this year they came out of retirement for one more show.

For almost two years I had heard all about the elusive "NR."

"Oh miss, NR is the best!"

"NR is the best week of my life!"

"I have to have good grades so I can go to NR!"

Needless to say, at EAB it's kind of a big deal. So, as the cheerleading coach, I knew I would have to spend almost a week at the Mecca of sports in Brazil. Traveling with students can be either great or um, how should I say...not great. Traveling with teenage girls can be great or um, how should I say...a nightmare. There just isn't a lot of in between. So, for weeks beforehand, I laid down the ground rules:
1. Be on time
2. Be respectful
3. Probably the most important...NO DRAMA! I did tell you I was taking cheerleaders, right?

The girls on their way to a game.

I was kind of nervous before we left but it turned out to be a great experience. The girls were amazing, they tried their hardest, and most importantly all got along and worked as a team. Now, that doesn't mean the week wasn't long or that it wasn't hard...it was! Everyday we would get up at 6am then would cheer most of the day. And despite what they say, I know that they really loved being woken up to the song "Rise and Shine" every morning. They also learned that if you don't wake up on the first chorus, I will rip your sheets off ya! :) Cheerleading is full of tough love man, tough love!

NR exceeded my expectations as well. It is a summer camp that serves as a sports tournament during the off season. It is out in the middle of nowhere and the land is gorgeous. They have pools, gyms, kayaking, and hiking. The land is really beautiful and reminded me of home.

The boys playing futsol, an indoor version of soccer.

The cabin we stayed in.

NR

NR

How we felt at the end of the week.

All in all it was a great experience and I was happy to shake off the pom poms again and see the exclusive elusive NR! Although I am not coaching cheerleading this year, I loved spending time with the girls and helping them improve their skills.