Cheer Memories.....has it really been 6 years????

Ok, so I haven't posted in a long, long, long time!!  Been a busy few weeks around the McNeill household! 


Age 8

Finished up a great cheer season with Texas Stars!  Ally's teams won many national titles and are up for a Worlds Title, to be announced later this month.  AND, we've already had try outs and start practicing for year 7 next week.  Nope, there's not much time off with competitive cheer. Here's a mini review of her first six seasons:

Year 1 (2005-2006) Cheer & Tumble Factory Ponies



Year 2 (2006-2007) Texas Stars Diva Dazzlers

Year 3 (2007-2008) Texas Stars Heartbreakers

 

Year 4 (2008-2009) Texas Stars Shooting Stars
(Ally's Center in the Pyramid)

Year 5 (2009-2010) Texas Stars Eclipse
Ally's being tossed....she's the one on the right

 

Year 6 (2010-2011) Texas Stars Fusion
Yep...upside down



Year 6 (2010-2011) Texas Stars Blaze
Check out the focus!



Age 8

 Can't wait to see what this new year brings.  We've said goodbye to some friends over the years, but always make new ones.  There are 4 girls on Ally's team this coming year that have been together for 5 years.   It's so exciting to look back and see how much they've grown up, and grown in the sport.  Stay tuned throughout the year to see how they do!

Beautiful girlies!

Megan, Ally and Christina

All dressed up for the dance!  They looked absolutely beautiful!

 We did a little photo shoot in the backyard before taking them to the dance.  And, of course, there had to be trampoline time with these three!!  They're the best of friends.  I couldn't have chosen better friends for my daughter!!!

A little trampoline time first!!

Posing for pics

We love these three beautiful girls!



My princess



Princess Christina

 

Princess Megan


Not sure the dance was all they'd hoped, but there will be many more!  Seems like a good time was had by all!!!

Allyson Paige

...is probably the most spoiled little girl in the world!  But she's not so little!  Ally is our baby.  She's 12 1/2 (well, 12 3/4 really).  I can't believe our youngest child will be 13 in April!  She's a beautiful, talented, outgoing 7th grader. 

First and foremost the girl is an athlete.  She's a cheerleader, but not in what most people think of when they hear the word cheerleader.  Ally has been on competitive all-star cheer teams since she was 7 years old.  When she first started tumbling classes she knew nothing, but within just a few short months was asked to be on a cheer team.  We were clueless.  I mean, what can 6-7 year olds do on a cheer team??  Oh my, if we only knew then what we were getting in to!!  She's in the midst of her sixth year of cheer at a private gym in North Fort Worth, Texas Stars (find them at http://www.txtumblers.com/).  Her tumbling skills have amazed me, she's progressed from nothing to a cartwheel, roundoff, back handspring, walkovers, back tuck and has a layout.  She's working on a full, which is crazy hard!  Next time you see the NCA or UCA college nationals on ESPN stop and watch.  She's not too far behind what those kids do, and she's 12!!!  She's also a flyer, the girl they throw up in the air, hold up on one foot and fling around in pyramids.  It's so amazing to watch her teams, and this year she's on two...busy busy.  Here are some pics of her in action....


That was a wicked pyramid!  2009 Cheer Power Nationals



One of her favorite pics...2010 Cheer Power Nationals (Champions!!!)

 

ACA Nationals, January 2011 - Champs and High Point!!

 Other than cheer, she's attached permanently to her cell phone and iPod touch, where she is on Facebook almost all the time!  Her two besties, Megan and Christina, are the sweetest girls and they do just about everything together!  She also serves, as you can see by the pic at the very top here, as dad's model for our budding photography business.  Here's one of my favorite pictures of her...totally glam with cheer makeup!

So there you have it.  You've been introduced to Miss Allyson Paige McNeill, the baby, princess, doll of the family.   She's also one of my best friends.  Those trips to and from the cheer gym provide lots of mom-daughter time that I treasure.  Ally, I love you most!

We Are The Champions!!

As you may, or may not, know Allyson Paige McNeill is a cheerleader.  Not the rah-rah-go-team cheerleader you think of.  And definitely not the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader type.  But a competitive, or All Star, cheerleader.  This is her sixth year to cheer, and I think she loves it more and more each year.  Currently, she is on two teams at Texas Star.  She's on the Senior Level 2 team - Fusion.  And the Senior Level 3 team - Blaze. 

They begin training in April each year perfecting skills.  In July they start working on their routines, a 2 1/2 minute dancing, tumbling, stunting, cheering, energetic experience.  Competitions start in November/December.  There are regional events during that time.  January thru April are National competitions.  There are several cheer companies, and most sponsor a National event.  So there is the opportunity for teams to win multiple national titles. 

Our teams only attended one regional event in December.  Ally's teams both won their divisons! 

Spirit Celebration Christmas Classic

So, we move into Nationals!  There are 5 National events each of Ally's teams are attending.  Yesterday was ACA Small Gym Nationals in Fort Worth.  Only one of the teams she is on attended, Fusion (Senior Level 2).   They rocked!!!!  So then we wait...and wait...and wait for the awards ceremony to see how they scored.  We, the parents, felt good about it, but you never know.  We're not judges, so we have no idea what to expect.  There were 7 teams in the Senior (age 18 and under) level 2 (the ability level - can throw a back handspring in combination and extend stunts).  I get so nervous waiting to hear!!  And then it's time....they announce 7th, 6th, 5th, 4th..hey, we're top 3!  Then 3rd (not us) and 2nd (not us!!)...we won!!!  Not only did they win National Champion for Senior Level 2, they had the highest level 2 scores....HIGH POINT!!  They garnered snazzy new jackets with the ACA National Champion logo all over the back for the world to see, and $500 for the gym!   AND they won a fully paid bid to the International All Levels Championship in April! It's a pretty good day!



Fusion Pyramid - ACA Nationals



Senior 2 Champions and High Point!



National Champions in their newest jackets!!

And so we've begun Nationals season on the right foot!  Next weekend we have another.  The American Showdown.  Both teams Ally is on compete.  Last year at this competition all six teams we took won..A clean sweep!!  Hoping to do it again for sure!

It's definitely a busy busy time for us, but we love it.  It makes for long days, disappearing weekends, but immense joy and pride when our girls give it their best, regardless of what place they finish in.  The girls Ally began cheering with at Texas Star five years ago are still together, and have come so far.  It's just amazing to watch them.  At the end of the season I'll post videos of their routines for you all to see - it really is cool!

Have a great week everyone!