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Post Info TOPIC: Special Needs
ACEDAD

Date:
RE: Special Needs update
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I've posted this a couple of places, but I always have people ask:

We've posted lots of new info on the www.usasf.net site. After opening the site, click on members and then special needs teams.

We've added our working definition of special needs, a link to find a gym with a special needs team and clips & articles of media coverage about special needs teams.

If you know someone at a gym that has an interest in starting a team, please pass along this information. It will give them lots of good info.

Bill Presson, Director of the USASF Special Needs Committee
bill.presson@wakm.com


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ACEDAD


GURU

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Posts: 528
Date:
RE: Special Needs
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I want to let everyone know that we've added the link to the Pyramids special needs team on the special needs team pages on www.usasf.net.  It'll be up tomorrow.  We've also added a neat letter that I want to go ahead and share here.  The newspaper article is in the link on usasf.net.

Dear Mr. Presson, Here is a link to an article in the Cincinnati Enquirer about my daughter.  Shes five and is a charter member of the Midwest Cheer Elite Firecats, their special needs cheer team.   Weve been honored to be part of this program this year, and look forward to many years to come with Midwest! Amelias faced many challenges in her life.  She has Spina Bifida, Hydrocephalus, Arnold Chiari Malformation Type II, Growth Hormone Deficiency, a heart defect, difficulty eating, and vision issues.  But youd never guess that shes got ANY problems when you see her walk into the Midwest gym each week.  Everyone at the gym greets her like shes royalty, and she feels as much a part of the program as the most seasoned co-ed athletes.

Having no background in cheerleading I was pretty skeptical of entering into the cheerleading world, but I have been 100% impressed by everything Ive seen.  The athletes, parents, and coaches at Midwest have welcomed our children as equal parts of the gym from day one.  The spectators at the competitons have stood clapping after our kids gave incredible performances.  The organizers have waived fees so that our families, who face countless medical bills, dont have to worry about yet another expense for our children.

Yes, we love the people at Midwest, too.  Like I said earlier, weve gotten so much this year out of the experience!  I could ramble on and on about everything the whole family has learned from our year with the Firecats and Midwest.  Amelia has learned teamwork and cooperation.  Shes gotten stronger and braver and learned not to be afraid of loud noises or crowds.  Shes proud of being part of a team and thrilled to be an athlete in a real gym.  My other daughters are jealous of her and love to come to competitions and watch Amelia run out on the mat and do her routine.  Ive made such great friends with the other parents this year and have been able to form lasting relationships with others who go through difficult journeys themselves.  And all that is after only one year!

You should have seen the day Tanya and four other coaches from Midwest came into Amelias hospital room to visit and suggested that they teach one of the doctors how to do a basket!  It was hilarious!  It immediately cheered up Amelia and made us laugh for hours.  The nurses kept asking us if all those people were our family and we looked at each other, shrugged, and said yes. Thank you and the sport of cheerleading for welcoming our children, who truly ARE the same as other children.  Thank you for finding them a place in your sport.  Thank you to Midwest Cheer Elite for being one of the first to show our children how great they are!

Pam Murphy,Proud mom of a cheerleader


 



-- Edited by ACEDAD at 21:09, 2007-04-03

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Tamara


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This letter caused me to shed a few tears. The love is so obvious Thank you to all those who help make this happen. I was so happy to finally be able to watch one of these teams after hearing/reading so much about them. I hope these teams just grow and grow.

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MomOfTwo


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I always love to watch them peform!

In arizona there is only two teams.
Arizona Heat and West Valley Thunder.

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CheerMom1967


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We saw West Valley Thunder and Cheerforce Glacierz this weekend and they rocked. They were, as usual, the highlight of the weekend.

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ACEDAD


GURU

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Posts: 528
Date:
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MomOfTwo wrote:

I always love to watch them peform!

In arizona there is only two teams.
Arizona Heat and West Valley Thunder.
Thanks for this info.  I didn't have either of these teams in our database!



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