YEAH!!!!!!! Now I get to see you again....

OC MOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!! Welcome back! I've missed you!

are you face book yet? or still on myspace?

Geez, ain't THAT the truth!!!

Lady W... and anyone else for that matter.... deputysgirl7@aol.com on facebook....

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's nice to be back!!!!!

My opinion.....

Age 4 isn't too early but it entirely depends on the child. Right at this moment, you are in a PERFECT position to find this out too.

Try outs are generally a month or two away, depending on your local gym's schedule. Put her in tumbling at the gym and see how she does. Can she follow directions? Can she keep up with the instructions of the coach? Is she comfortable with other kids out there? You won't know this in the first or second class so don't stop, even if she balks. I've seen the shyest kids in the WORLD become the best cheerleaders ever. (one little girl hid behind her moms chair for 2 classes before she became one of the best bases we've seen in a long time!) This is not an individual sport so the shy ones can basically "hide" because all eyes aren't on them the entire time. This is gymnastics, dance, theatre, acrobatics and more all rolled in to one sport.

I began my daughter in the cheer world at age 4. She did Pop Warner because I had no idea that All Stars even existed. But she thrived and was even a bit bored because it went too slow. So this is where we began. My other daughter didn't want to do cheer because after all of the years of watching her sister do flips and more, she assumed that she would be placed on THAT level team and would be embarassed that she would be the only one who couldn't tumble. I just found this out two weeks ago, assured her that this was NOT the case and signed her up right away. I knew that all I had to do was get her in the gym and that was it. And it worked. She's THRILLED. I reassure her that EVERYONE starts out level 1. EVERYONE. Whether they are 4 or 14.

Now, with my older daughter, she excelled in the performance part but struggled with tumbling. Each child will have their good and bad parts of cheer. Very few excell at every single aspect of cheer. So no matter what your child is good at, THAT will be exactly what that team needs from them. This is why cheer is so wonderful. You can be the WORST tumbler and yet be right out front if you are good at the dance or performing. My favorites are the girls who can base. My daughter was always a flyer but it was those little girls who saved her scrawney butt more times than I could count. Some parents get so upset that their child isn't out front during the dance but shoot....... so long as my kids head doesn't hit the ground, they are #1 IN MY BOOK! (and I'm not talking just from watching. I got to experience basing myself FIRST HAND. Those girls ROCK.)

So my suggestion would be, sign up for a class at the gym. Any class. And watch that little girl blossom.

It's an amazing transformation. Just sit back and watch. Don't miss a thing by stressing out that she isn't doing this or doing that. She will find hers and then it will be the best thing you've ever seen in your life........

Sorry about that!!! I kept thinking you said neice instead of cousin. (knucklehead)

My son cheered for a season at age 5/6 and LOVED LOVED LOVED it! The same ideas would apply though!!!