Well, Coach Houg waited and waited hoping to be able to have a cheer banquet all combined with everyone to say goodbye and end the season properly. Unfortunately, Covid wasn't allowing that to happen. But I am eternally grateful that she still insisted on having one and didn't just quit like the other teams and coaches did. So we had 3 separate parties to keep the numbers down. Freshman, JV and Varsity and only senior parents were allowed to come.
I set it all up, someone ordered all the food, Jared and I did the video for the 4th and final time and obviously I made a huge senior section in it since my kid was a senior - ha ha! It ended up being a pool party since it's the middle of the summer and we needed to keep everyone outside. It was soooo great to see her with her team one last time!
Emma walked away with her cheer letter, Rookie of the year award, her cheer scholastic award and a couple of others. Coach Mariner and Coach Houg both wrote Emma a letter and it was very heart felt and very much deserved. They both on their own apologized for never giving her a chance and they both thanked her for all she did for the team. This girl who they marked as an "alternate" never was an alternate. She competed at every competition, she won 2 state rings, she cheers the loudest, is the most animated and the most well rounded cheerleader they had and even though it took them forever to realize it, they finally did.
Cheer was never easy. It was hard work. They did weights. They ran bleachers. They ran Puma miles. They lifted human beings. They twisted and turned their bodies in ways most people can only dream about. It is a year long sport. But Emma and Adri hold the Perry High School record for the only atheletes to earn TWO state rings on the same day (even though I am actually writing this July 3, 2022 - they still hold that record!) In the end, it was worth it!
