cheerleading!

so when you go to Central Florida for a cheerleading competition ....well, it's not like going on vacation.  the focus of the trip is competition -- the team is participating in open nationals.  but there's plenty of time for fun, too -- the package always includes admission to a theme park. 

Jen's freshman year, the team competeed at Sea World, but stayed at WDW.  Jen wasn't competing but went along for the ride.

sophomore year, the team competed at the Hard Rock Theater at Universal's Citiwalk.  We did a three-day trip at the end of January. Our package included accomodations at a hotel on International Drive, lunch at the Hard Rock and admission to one park -- the girls chose Islands of Adventure.  the girls and the moms went everywhere together! the team had a tradition of doing a stunt in the theme park -- the flyers would do a simple pose, but it would be beautiful.   I finally got to ride Spiderman (worth the wait) and I had my first meal in Margaritaville (in my pre-Parrotthead days).  and I learned that when you don't "place" but you get a trophy just for participating in a competition, and people see your team walking through the airport and admire your trophy, you don't let on....

junior year -- a four-day trip in mid-March, a different competition.  we stayed at All Star Sports and the team competed at the Milk house.    Again, we travelled as a pack -- although there was a point where some of the moms (including me) took off for Downtown Disney for a sit-down dinner.  The big excitement -- one of the other Long Island teams almost dind't make it to the competition because of the snow storm.

senior year -- the same mid-March trip, only we stayed at the Caribbean Beach.  I have a photo of Jen stunting on the beach at Caribbean Beach.  More or less the same trip as the previosu year.  One memorable meal at Ohana -- I was longing for a stay at the Poly.  that was the year one of the flyers broke her angle coming out of a stunt.  and that was the year I rode Expedition Everest for the first time. 

It was fun hanging with the moms, it was fun watching the competitions.  got my taste of the parks here and there, but it wasn't a full vacation.