By Lisa D. Welsh
www.CHEERMaD.com
CHEERMaDs Dona Blais (back row, left) and I with our daughters, Kirstyn Blais (left) of Cheer Challenge's Youth Level 3 team and PROathletics' ShowStoppers Youth Level 2 Rachel.
CHEERMaD has never encountered this major “penalty” before but expects to again as it becomes a sign of the times: security guards at a major convention center guarding electrical outlets.
In about ten years, we’ll probably see “power stations” where you pay to charge your cell phone or other media device. In the past all one needed to do was find a vacant electrical outlet. In a bind, the kindness of vendors have helped me out, some offering an extra extension chord have gotten me through a mid-day power outage.
But the tide is turning; probably initiated after some consultant scratching her head figured out that unexpected power surges, i.e. higher electrical bills could be traced to recharging that ever-present rectangular appendage affixed to one’s hand.
After the security guard, approached me, I noticed small groups of athletes sitting along the walls, at 24-feet intervals. At first glance, they seemed to be passing time together but when looked at closely, you could see they were centered around cell phones plugged into wall outlets.
As I walked around the Connecticut Convention Center, I noticed other outlets available in restrooms but these were already spoken for by curling or “flat” irons.
I finally found a great outlet about four feet off the ground along the ledge of a hotel phone booth. Security guards with walkie-talkies interrupted the process twice. One of the gentlemen offered to let me use his cell phone, but I was told, in no uncertain terms was I to use the convention center’s outlets. The poor guy didn’t know he had suggested a major taboo when he instructed me to go to the comp’s warm-up area to use outlets (parents are forbidden in warm-up areas).
I went through the weekend with 50 percent power and several hours at zero which caused an altogether different set of problems when Becky was unable to text me. I don’t quite know the context of the statement but later I learned that Becky made the comment that I’d “passed the point of CHEERMaD; she’s cheer insane.”
Luckily, there were more high points to the weekend to make up for the lack of power.
The team Becky coaches went from 12th position in its division (apparently power was in short supply elsewhere) to win Grand Champs. Rachel’s team continued its undefeated season as Youth Level 2 National Champs.
But the best part of the weekend was connecting with a fellow CHEERMaD from a team in Virginia that was making its New England debut. Dona Blais reached out to me several weekends ago to inquire if ShowStoppers would be competing at Beast of the East because her daughter wanted to watch them perform. That meant arriving at the comp a full division and three-hours early than necessary. ShowStoppers who were able stayed late to return the favor and watched Challenge Cheer’s Youth Level 3.
Some of the ShowStoppers who watched Kirstyn Blais of Cheer Challenge's Youth Level 3 from Virginia at this weekend's Spirit Cheer's Beast of the East in Hartford.
As the weekend went on, Rachel and Kirstyn found out they the same age (Kirstyn is one month older) and both in the fourth grade. They exchanged addresses and hope to see each other again at comps–Worlds in five years was mentioned!
The whole experience was another great example of what cheerleading has to offer.
“We had such a great time this weekend!” Dona Blais wrote me at CHEERMaD late Sunday night after returning home to Virginia.
“Thank you New England for being so welcoming! I know it is a weekend Kirstyn will not forget!”
