By Lisa D. Welsh
www.CHEERMaD.com
Three-time World Champion Kelsey Rule and Rachel at Athletic Championships in Providence, R.I.
For elite Allstars and their cheer moms and cheer dads, the next two weekends are the best opportunities to shine on the national stage. CHEERSPORT will have a record breaking 900 teams competing Feb. 18 and 19 and the weekend after that NCA-Dallas will host the longest running Allstar Nationals Competition.
Athletes and coaches are hard at work fine tuning routines but CHEERMaDs have lots to do too. Flight reservations and hotel accommodations have long been arranged. Uniforms freshly laundered from last weekend’s competitions are set aside as luggage has been unpacked and repacked.
Schedules checked and rechecked, the master plan is set. These are all things cheer moms and cheer dads have under control. For some unique checklist items, Inside Cheerleading magazine features my interviews with World Cup CEO/Shooting Stars coach Elaine Pascale and Kelsey Rule; three-time World Champion of Large Senior Level 5 Shooting Stars in its February issue feature story ”National Championship Checklist.”
At the urging of iC, I also interviewed Kelsey’s cheer mom, Tracy Rule who is in her 8th season as a CHEERMaD for what makes her checklist unique. I had the opportunity to meet Tracy when World Cup attended the Athletic Championships in Providence, R.I. a few weeks ago. She is fun and funny, gracious and protective of her daughter all at the same time. While they are not superstitious, there are definitely competition traditions that Tracy and her daughter share. For instance, they wait until the very last minute to remove Kelsey’s necklace from which with her three World Championship rings hang. Tracy wears the necklace while Kelsey competes (seen in the photos of Kelsey above and Tracy below) and meets her daughter as soon as she gets off the competition mat to transfer it back to Kelsey.
PROathletics and World Cup CHEERMaDs; Lisa Welsh and Tracy Rule.
Here’s more of what Tracy shares with CHEERMaD readers:
Communication ~ Sleepovers ~ Downtime ~ Travel Together
Communication
“My husband and I don’t have a checklist, we prefer to fly by the seat of our pants,” Tracy said, with a laugh that belies how stringent the Nationals Season can be.
“But it’s the constant communication between the two of us that is key to keeping the whereabouts and schedules of our three kids organized. There is always change in the schedule, the process is changing constantly but if you know that upfront it’s not so bad.”
Sleepovers
“Typically the night before all big comps, I have a big sleepover. It depends on the time of the year but about six of the girls are usually together from the time the sleepover starts until they return to their own homes from the competitions.”
Downtime
“Right before each comp, Kelsey needs that down time so it’s our mother daughter tradition to do her hair alone. I think every athlete needs that down time before they compete to deal with the pressure and other issues of controlling the adrenalin and performance anxiety and to make sure they have the stamina to compete in the first place.”
Travel Together
“I know that once some kids get to a certain age, their parents stop travelling with them but I wont. I make sure I always travel with Kelsey.”
