Girlie Cheer Camp

KaraLynn

  

"Girls, we have an emergency." These were the first words spoken by Mrs. Kathleen Lender, the head cheerleading coach for our team. Mrs. L was also the lead dance teacher at McNamara Dance Academy. "Thank you all for coming to this meeting at the dance studio. As you know, summer cheerleading camp is only one day away. I was just notified that three of our team members can't attend the camp. It also looks like those three may not be able to be on the team for most of next year. The Loaiza twins, Lauren and Lindsay, will be attending school in their father's hometown in South America. One of our flyers, Kasey will remain with her mother in England and won't be back until after winter break. We need to find replacements for them quickly. All the camp fees are paid, but our camp will be most successful if we can bring our squad up to full strength. We are now down to 9 members and we need to add three more girls. I came to you first to see if you have any suggestions for replacements. We would have to hold a special clinic and tryouts for the team during the school year but these three would have a good chance of joining the team on a regular basis."

Katie was the first to speak up, "As some of you know, as part of their behavior training my two brothers, Larry and Karl, are now learning how to be my new sisters, Lauren and Kristin. They have spent several months learning the ways of girlie lifestyle, fashion, and makeup. They have had some practice with the cheerleaders and have learned some of the basic cheer moves. We know that the uniforms of Lauren and Lindsay do fit them very well. My mom supports their training and would definitely want them to be part of the camp experience. "

"That's very unusual, but with such a short time to choose, we might have to go with it. How about it girls, would you be willing to help our new girls at the camp?"

Most of the girls responded that this would be a great experience for all of them.

Erica raised her hand and spoke. "I think I have the third alternate." She reached into her purse and took out a handful of snapshots and passed them around to the team.

"The first ones are from Halloween, seven years ago." They showed a cute little girl in a Barbie cheerleader outfit complete with a cheerleading top and skirt, shoes and socks and hair up in two poufy side ponytails. The next few were Christmas pictures of the girl in a pretty outfit standing near the tree. The last ones were of the same girl, but three or four years older. She was dressed in a real cheerleader outfit and was cheering on the sidelines at a game. From her size, it looked like she was the team's mascot.

One of the girls asked if that was her little sister. Erica responded, "I don't have a younger sister and, believe it or not, that is my younger brother, Michael."

There was a reaction from the team and they asked her to tell them more.

It seems that in the town they used to live, there were very few boys in their neighborhood. As a young boy, most of her brother's friends were female. He played some of the usual boys' games but he also learned many girls' activities. Two frequent ones were playing with Barbies and playing dressup. "I got tired of him borrowing my Barbie dolls and searching through my clothes until one day, mom came home with several packages. In one was a Barbie doll dressed in a cute cheerleader's outfit. The other contained girl's clothes, including several sundresses, petticoats and used flower girl dresses, all in his size. He was surprised, but knew the other girls would be pleased to include the new outfits in their dressup play time wardrobe. It was that Halloween when he begged mom for the life sized Barbie cheerleading outfit. My aunt Kathie found out about it and was amused, so she bought the complete outfit and found some pink pompons. She also began to drop off some of the more pretty outfits that her daughter Sarah had outgrown. He built up quite a wardrobe."

"This was how things went for many years, but about three years ago, some more boys moved into the neighborhood and it appeared that he gave up the clothes and playing with girls. He hasn't stopped completely because over the last few years we caught him twice in dresses and makeup. He thinks that all the clothes were thrown out and all the pictures were destroyed. What he didn't know was my aunt had kept some of the clothes and had copies of photos and also some video tapes. There was one video taken two years ago at Easter, where he was in the prettiest of party dress with white gloves, tights, and heels. You can see traces of makeup and her hair was in a very feminine updo. I also noticed a few times lingerie had been moved around in my drawer and that several of the clothes in my closet have been moved around. I still have the Cheerleader Barbie and want you to help me write a note that I will leave on his dresser."

Some of the girls weren't sure if he would be willing to do it. . Mrs. Lender said that she thought he might help. "I have some photographs and a story to tell also."

The girls looked at some photos taken maybe fifteen years ago. One was of Mrs. L. in her cheerleading outfit standing next to another slightly younger and pretty cheerleader. "We had a similar situation when I was captain of the cheerleading squad. One of our members broke her leg in a tumble and we needed a replacement quickly for a regional competition. We didn't think that we could find anyone that knew all the routines and we definitely couldn't train any one in a short time. But then it hit me, my brother Bob knew all of the routines. He had to attend most of our practices and games and sat on the sidelines because our Mom was at work at the dance academy and he couldn't be left alone. He was a dancer at the academy and there were several times he had to wear a girl's costume and dance as a replacement at recital time when a girl became sick at the last minute. Mom bribed him with video games and extra favors but he secretly liked the dressing up part. It took a little convincing, but with some extra bribes thrown in he agreed to cheer. We didn't win the competition, but we finished high among the other teams. Most of the girls were grateful for his help and over the next few years he was included in some of our sleepovers and dressup games. Even today he is quite pretty when he is dressed and made up."

Some of the girls squealed "You don't mean Mr. Jenkins, your brother, the English teacher. I always wondered why he gave such nice complements about the clothes that we wore. It looks like it was because he was jealous and would have liked to wear them himself."

The girls all promised that this would be their secret and now were convinced that Michael would go along with their plan. Michael's mother was also a former cheerleader and Erica said her mom would convince Michael to help the girls now.

Later, when Michael got home, a note, the Cheerleading Barbie and some pink underwear were on his dresser. He was startled, but read the note. It described the situation the girls were in and asked him sweetly for his help by complementing him on his dancing skills and his good looks. The note used his female name, Michelle. It concluded with the promise that they would be very grateful and would like to include him in some of their further girlie activities. It was signed by the Bears cheerleaders. The note concluded with the fact that a certain videotape that showed a cute little girl in her finest party clothes might be shown to some of their brothers and friends if a quick decision wasn't made. Michael was instructed to put on this silky pink camisole and panty set under his regular clothes and meet at the dance academy at 7:00.

The coach, Erica, Michael's mom, and two cheerleaders were all at the academy. At 7:05, Michael, they hoped would be Michelle, came in. The girls rushed and hugged her. "Thanks for helping us out. We're very excited and want to help you become re-aquainted with the ways of a female. Erin and Brittany have decided to adopt you as their little cheerleader in training and will be spending a lot of time with you. Erin, as you know, is Coach Lender's daughter."

Michael answered, "I wasn't sure I wanted to do this, but meeting you all and knowing how much it means to you, I am willing to give it a try. I know that I'll need your help, but I think its going to be fun also."

Michael's mom, Mrs. North, was handed a list of items for camp. The coach said that the academy store stocked several cheer items and they could purchase them now. There was a large selection of bloomers. Most of the girls called them briefs, but sometimes called them spankies or lollipops. They selected a pair of boy cut briefs and a pair of high cut briefs. "These will fit tightly and will help to hold you in and give you some shape under your clothes and uniform." They were in maroon, the team's primary color. They bought a Danskin cotton Lycra bra top X back also in maroon. Most of the team liked this style. A white racer back sports bra from Teenform was also purchased. Their teams name was the Bears and they bought several pairs of low rise cheer socks that featured a paw print on the socks. The final purchases were a t shirt, a pair of shorts, and a pair of skorts in the official school designs.

"We have the team uniform here, so I 'm going to let Brittany and Erin help you try it on."

They all went into the changing room. Brittany was tall with long black hair. Erin was a petite but very strong with long blond hair. The boy was embarrassed, but the girls told him not to worry, they were all part of the same team. As he removed his clothes, the girls commented on how cute he looked in his pink camisole and panties and he blushed.

They helped him into his maroon briefs and the X back sports bra. The uniform shell was 100% polyester with a custom cropped V neck with one inch braid. The upper front was gold and the lower front and back were maroon. The team name Bears was embroidered across the chest in script letters. The skirt had eight pleats in maroon with contrasting color inserts of gold. The skirt flared out as they made him twirl about. They helped him into the cheer socks and lent him a pair of cheer shoes.

"You look just like one of us, but we must do something with your hair and give you a touch of makeup." They brushed his hair back and tied it into a ponytail with a single white ribbon. They put some very light blush on his cheeks and some pale lipgloss on his lips. When he looked into the mirror he was quite surprised at the cutie that looked back at him. They came out of the dressing room and the coach and his mom just marveled at the sight of their new cheerleader. They went back into the dressing room and took off the uniform, but left on the bra and briefs. He was told to put on his jeans and own shoes and socks. The girls produced a capped sleeve t shirt for him to wear. The words "Cheerleading is life" were written on it and they told him to wear this on their shopping trip to the mall. The other girls had already bought all their clothes for camp, but were happy to help their newest squad member shop. They left his hair in the ponytail and also left the makeup on.

Mrs. North and the three girls drove to the mall. Coach stayed behind with Erica to complete some final preparations for camp. Coach L. would also be going to camp to participate in a separate coaching clinic. The girls went over the list of items needed for camp. On the first day, the camp supplied a T shirt and a pair of shorts so that each girl would be dressed the same. In fact these were delivered to the dance studio and they would have Erica bring them home with her. The second day the squad would wear Tees and shorts in their own schools colors. The third day they would wear their uniforms. On the shortened fourth day, they would wear tie dye tanks that they had made the last week and would wear gray shorts. There was a swimming pool available at camp so they would need to purchase a swimsuit.

"We'll need to get you an outfit for the trip there and also a dressy outfit for the awards dinner." They went into one of their favorite stores, Delias. After looking through the racks, they decided on a cute outfit and all three went to the dressing room to see how it looked. They chose a Denalia halter top with a swirl print in poly-spandex. It tied at the neck and had a banded bottom. "With that halter top, you'll need a strapless bra" and the girls suggested the strapless bandeau bra from Teenform. They chose a pair of stone color Assia French twill capris in cotton. The capris had slit openings at the legs, ditsy print facing the inside legs, belt loops with a side sash and a hidden side zipper. For shoes they decided on Roxy retro sneakers with two toned striping in navy. When Michelle looked in the mirror she saw a young woman now dressed in stylish clothes. They helped her change back and Mrs. North agreed to purchase the outfit. She was very pleased to help her daughter go clothes shopping. She had often wished for this and now she could share with both her daughters. They stopped at Old Navy to find some sleepwear. They found a cheerleader cotton sleep tee with glittery insignias on the left side of the chest, including a '94', 'Honor Roll' and 'Go Team!' on a megaphone next to pompons. It had a no run knit trim along the neck. They included the coordinated cotton floral boxers with pretty flowers front and back and legs mid thigh with side vents for added comfort.

For the dressy outfit they stopped in the Gap. They decided on something simple that would be easy to pack. They found a striped halter dress in basic navy. It was stretch cotton pique knit, knee length, 95% cotton, 5% Spandex with a tie halter neckline. There was a major sale going on so mother brought a cute matching pastel polo and stretch knit shorts with a drawstring waist in heather gray. She couldn't resist a flowered cami in high quality stretch cotton with brush elastic straps and a cotton flower brief with soft elastic waist and leg openings in a pattern called pink cloud .The cami had pretty lace detailing and a satin bow attached. A pair of Hanes Silk Reflections pantyhose in gentle Black was included. With the purchase of all these items it was clear that the girl experience would last after cheer camp had ended.

The next stop was the sporting goods store. There found a nice Navy Speedo racer back one piece swimsuit. The straps slid easily over the shoulders and wouldn't slip. It was made from chlorine resistant nylon blended with Lycra spandex and fully lined in front. It had sensibly cut leg openings for tug free comfort. A tie dyed palm pull on skirt with Speedo logo on the right front hip was selected to be worn with the suit. Another tank top had the sayings "Fly high, tumble hard cheer loud." on it. A pair of gray shorts were added. A cheap rain poncho was found in the camping section.

The last stop was the drug store. They first looked in Cosmetics. Mrs. North had agreed to buy all the girls some makeup items for helping them shop. They all bought some pale lip gloss, clear nail polish, some blush, and eye shadow. Michele had seen some advertisements in a magazine and decided to try the cosmetics in the Jane line. She selected Megabytes Glossy Gloss in Ballerina, which came in a squeeze tube with an angled tip to sweep gloss and flavor over your lips. Next was Blushing Cheek Blush in Blushing Blossom. This was powder blush in a soft color to give the face a natural flush. She bought a set of cosmetic brushes. For see through color loaded with glitter to apply on her eyelids, she picked Glimmeratzi Eye Gloss in Eye Candy. A pretty pink shade called Best Friends was chosen form the Hot Tips Nail Polish collection. "I also noticed that you need to take care of your underarms. You'll need to buy a shaver like the Schick Intuition for women. Your sister can help you with this when you get home." The Schick Intuition was an all in one triple blade razor that lathers and shaves in one step with just water. A unique skin conditioning solid surrounds the blades. Some sunscreen, small sized Pantene shampoo and conditioner, a notebook and some pens were added to the purchases. Michelle bought Wild Berry Body Spray, at the Bath and Beyond store next door. Wild Berry was a body splash to spray on between sessions to leave the skin feeling cool and conditioned.

They left the mall and Mrs. North thanked the girls as she dropped them off. The mother and her new daughter reached their driveway and were carrying their purchases into the house. Erica greeted them and said how cute Michelle's ponytail and cheer shirt were. She also said she detected a bit of makeup on her sisters face. Standing next to Erica was their cousin, Sarah. "On my way home, I stopped at Aunt Kathie's to tell them the good news and Sarah decided to bring a few things over for Michelle." Sarah said "Hi, Michelle. When you were younger, you couldn't wait to run up to my room and try on my clothes when you came for a visit. Well now we'll run up to your room and help you change." Sarah had brought two outfits that Michelle modeled for them. The first was a blue ribbed-knit top with a woven collar and cuffs with a matching scooter skirt in a flowered print. The next was a woven knit shirt with an integrated knit vest and a pleated plaid skirt. All the clothes were from the Cherokee line. She also had Michelle try on a stylish red hair wig. Later up in her room, Erica and Sarah explained how to use the Intuition razor. They advised Michelle to use it while under the shower. She said to raise her arms so the skin was taut, not to press with the blades and to shave in the direction of the hair growth. After Michelle's shower they noticed her underarms were now very smooth and hairless. They also helped her out of the makeup and into her new pajamas. Sarah said goodnight and headed home to talk about her mom's new niece.

Before they went to bed, they took out the check list and started to fill up a cheer bag. Packed on top for easy access were the shell, skirt, briefs, shorts (3), t shirts (3), sports bras, cheer socks, shoes, poms, a notebook and pen. In the second bag were the swimsuit with skirt, shower flip flops, bed linens, towels, alarm clock, buddy squad gifts and room poster design supplies. In a small backpack were sunscreen, toiletries, makeup, extra hair elastics, Tylenol, and about $35 in spending money. They went over what not to bring such as jewelry, earrings, necklaces, ankle bracelets, navel rings or cell phones.

The next morning they awoke early and got dressed. Michelle put on fresh undies and her strapless bra and finished with the halter top and capris bought yesterday. Erica helped with light makeup and fixed Michelle's hair in two side ponytails secured by butterfly barrettes. They ate a light breakfast and mom drove her two daughters down to the bus. She kissed both of them goodbye and wished them a successful camp.

As was expected the girls lined up for the bag check. The team members were Katie and her sisters Lauren and Kristin, Erica and Michelle, Erin, Brittany, Vicki, Rebecca, Courtney, and the captains Autumn and Julianne. Coach Lender checked them all in. No one was late because they were all were excited to go. Coach would drive the minibus. It held 20 people, so there was extra room inside for all the bags .The drive took about 2 hours and most of the girls wanted to talk to their new members. Autumn gave each of the new girls copies of the magazines American Cheerleader and American Cheerleader Junior to read on the bus.

When they arrived they left their bags on the bus and were first directed to the field house where the camp leaders were to welcome them. The main director complemented them on their dedication not only in attending summer camp and for their hard work throughout the entire year. She stressed that cheerleaders are special people who must be strong in body, mind, and heart. Cheerleaders must be very competitive but also know how to be a team. They spend a lot of time together and like a family may have a few rough times but they work together and have fun. They may know a lot about hair, makeup, and fashion but that is part of representing their schools in the best way possible.

"Camp is not about competition, but rather about learning, cooperating, and becoming better cheerleaders. You will learn fundamentals skills and techniques, work on strength and conditioning with safety as a priority. You will learn about trust, teamwork, concern for others and sportsmanship." She ended it with a slogan well known to them, "Life is simple…Eat, Sleep, Cheer."

 

They were given room assignments and they went back to the bus and took their gear and carried it to the dorm rooms. Maps of the campus, directions, and hours for the cafeteria, pool and camp store and the day to day schedules were given out.

Erin, Brittany, and Michelle would all share the same room. The room was rather large and designed for four people but they would only need 3 beds. There was a storage cabinet along one wall. Each room had its own bath. The other nine squad members were also in groups of 3. The coach had her own room near other coaches at the end of the hall.

They unpacked and stored their gear and changed into the camp outfits. The clothes were from Spiritwear. The tops had cap sleeves with a white knit body and the camp logo across the chest and the shorts were navy blue with trim stripes with the word cheer on the left leg.

The introductions were in the large field house. There was a sense of unity when all the cheerleaders were dressed alike as they entered the field house. There was a sense of unity as all the cheerleaders were dressed alike when they entered the field house. The squads sat on mats and there were some aerobic warm-ups and a general review of techniques with the entire group. Later, they would be in smaller groups with individual instructors and an assistant for each squad. One on one lessons would also be available during the camp.

The first session was on one of cheerleading's fundamental skills, the motions. Motions are the movements that are part of all cheers, sidelines, dances, and stunts. The instructor stressed the importance of sharp, strong, clean, and precise movements and transitions. Each squad began with the ready, a position hit before all cheers. They worked on a nice strong stance, shoulders apart, squared forward keeping the motions in front with flat wrists and fists placed at their sides. They next practiced the clasp, which is used to create a sharp sounding clap with hands tightly squeezed around each other, elbows in and held slightly below the chin. It seems like a lot of details just to clap your hands, but the purpose was to break down every individual action to improve sharpness and increase speed. Next were basic hand movements, blades where hands are held out flat with fingers and thumbs together and buckets where fists are down as if carrying buckets. They practiced L, T and K hand combinations as well as basic leg positions. They finished with the diagonal where one arm is placed in a high V and the opposite arm is placed in a half low V. They practiced the motions with and without pompons. Along the way they discussed facials, the expressions of enthusiasm made during a routine. The squads were told the importance of smiling and showing excitement and being optimistic because cheerleaders are not mere spectators but are giving a performance. They were told to react naturally to the current situation and not to overreact it. This way the performances will be real and immediate.

Next we took a dinner break, the food was surprisingly good.

After dinner, there was some free time and later, squad and individual pictures taken. The evening activities included jumps and tumbling. As with most of the activities at camp, each part was broken down and demonstrated first. The focus was always on safety, proper form, and technical correctness. This type of practice made the moves faster and easier to learn.

Jumps usually consist of four parts, the approach, the lift, the landing, and the trick. The trick is what you do in the air. They practiced four tricks, the toe touch, the pike, herkie, and around the world. In the prep for the toe touch, the feet and legs were together, knees bent and backs straight. Concentration was on using the muscles in their legs to lift off the ground. In the toe touch, the hands and chest are up and the legs are pulled to the arms. The toes are pointed and the jumper actually reaches for the arches of the feet, not the toes. On landing they were instructed to smile and make sure their feet were together. In the pike, both of the legs were extended straight out in front parallel to the floor. The arms were outstretched in front with fists closed and the chest slightly forward. In a herkie, one leg is extended to the side of the body and the other leg is bent to the other side and facing the crowd. The arms hit a punch motion. The around the world is a pike jump that rotates into a toe touch in midair. A scorpion is a jump performed on the floor where the cheerleader stands on one leg and pulls the foot of her unsupported leg behind her head using both hands. One technique is to practice the positions on the ground to get a feel for the jump without being in the air. All these jumps require flexibility, balance, and strength. The girls all picked a partner and practiced these jumps facing each other. Michelle was paired with Lauren. They also worked on some exercises on the ground to add height to their jumps by increasing their flexibility and strength.

Tumbling practice involved flips and movements on the floor. A back handspring or flip flop, is a backwards jump onto the hands with both legs following as a pair, until the feet reach the floor. A back tuck is a backwards flip in which the knee and hips are bent and drawn ito the chest and the body is tucked or folded at the waist. A roundoff is similar to a cartwheel but the feet come together at the height of the jump and snap down on the floor. Repeating these on a tumbling run or pass can be described as a double or a triple. The Bears best tumblers were Vicki and Rebecca. They qualified for the state gymnastics finals last year. A brief discussion on team building and goal setting ended the workout.

 

When practice ended the squad returned to the commons area of the dorm where they relaxed, met and talked with other squads. One of the topics of conversation was the movie "Bring It On" starring Kirstin Dunst and Eliza Duskin. Some girls liked the movie, others thought it was not realistic.

"I thought it was clever and funny and really showed the energy needed to be a competitive cheerleader at the regional and national levels."

"It was an interesting look into the effort and time it takes to develop and practice the cheers, dances, and stunts."

"You've got to look at it as a spoof of the cheerleading stereotype that we hear about all the time."

"It does have some scenes that we can all can relate to, but remember it is a movie, a teen summer comedy and not a documentary."

One of the girls suggested they do some of the "I'm" chants from the movie. Most of them knew the words and it was amazing to hear and watch about twenty cheerleaders shout out and imitate some of the moves right there in the dorm.

"I'm sexy, I'm cute, and popular to boot."

"I'm pretty, I'm cool, I dominate the school."

"I'm strong, I'm loud, I'm gonna make you proud."

"I'm bitchin', great hair, the boys all love to stare."

Many of the girls were tired and they returned to their rooms, showered, got into their pjs and were asleep before lights out.

Michelle's evening was not finished as she found a surprise waiting in their room. Hanging on hooks were three pink and frilly party dresses along with matching petticoats. On the beds were frilly anklets, panties with rows of lace, black Mary Janes and some matching lacy gloves and hair bows. Erin spoke." My mom has access to just about any costumes she wants because of the large amount of rental business that she sends the costume supplier during the recital season. We know that in the past you liked the frilly girlie look so we arranged to play some dressup with you tonight." They all changed into their new outfits and with the help of a curling iron, they became silly little curly tops. The dresses were very short and when they bent down, there was quite a lacy sight to see. A little tea set was brought out and they played tea party. Michelle took out her Cheerleading Barbie doll and the other girls had also brought Barbies. Brittany took out her portable DVD player and called the girls over. They watched Erin and Brittany in a dance recital routine from when they were much younger. The song was I Won't Grow Up. The dresses that they wore now were very similar to those they wore at the recital. Just for fun, they decided to teach Michelle some of the dance steps. It was surprising but they were able to remember most of the routine. After this they had a little photo session and posed in their cute outfits. A few of the other girls from across the hall, Autumn, Julianne and Courtney just had to take a sneak peek and they all said they never saw such precious little dancers. It had been quite a first day at cheer camp.

The second day they selected their shirts and a pair of skorts all in their team's colors.. The shirt was jersey knit in white with a maroon colored collar. There was an embroidered cheer logo on the chest. The skorts were maroon with gold stripes around the skirts bottom. Since they were focusing on dance that morning, the little swinging skirts on the skorts added a nice visual touch to the dance moves. They would be outside today on the fields. The morning was devoted to choreography and how to incorporate dance moves into the routines. In competitions, dance routines are two minutes and fifteen seconds long. The routines cannot include tumbling, stunting, or pyramids and only poms can be the only props used. Most dance routines are based on an eight beat count, usually called an 8 count. In a way, dance is opposite from the motions. Dance focuses on smooth flowing routines but motions are precision movements. The squads worked on some of the basics and saw how to look for variations best suited to their team's style. Some teams used music from Cheer Dance CDs while others had music that was currently popular on MTV. They also worked on learning new cheers and chants.

Lunch and free time followed with time for optional practice with individual instructors. Michelle went over a few dance moves with one of them.

The first part of the afternoon was used to learn discuss and complete some strength, conditioning, and flexibility exercises. They changed into their shorts. The shorts were maroon with an elastic waist with a 3 inch inseam. There was matching white and gold braid they were also V notched on the legs. Two stunts were presented and practiced, the chair and a liberty. All the stunts were first broken down and demonstrated step by step. The importance of safety and team work was also stressed. The squad was divided into three groups of four. Michelle was going to be a flyer or climber. These are the members that are lifted and tossed into the air. Brittany and Vicki were bases. The bases are in direct contact with the floor and support the flyer. Autumn was a backspot. A backspot is the person who supports the flyer from the back and assists in the safety of loading and the in the dismount. In the chair, the bases hold the flyer by placing one hand under the seat and the other hand around the flyer's ankle for support. As Michelle was lifted, she held one leg up near the base's elbow and the other leg was straight out as if sitting on a chair. The second stunt the liberty is a classic but difficult to perform. The bases, Brittany and Vicki, start in an elevator stance but much closer together. The spotter, Autumn, began with one hand on the Michelle's ankle and the other hand under her seat. On a designated count, the spotter presses the flyer into the standing position. The main base, Brittany, held the heel and middle of Michelle's foot. Vicki grabbed the middle of Michelle's foot with her right hand and grabs Brittany's wrists with her left. The bases now lifted using their legs, not their arms or backs. Michelle counted one, two, down, up. On down, every one dipped. On up, the bases followed through lifting Michelle to a standing position where she was keeping one leg straight and placed her free foot against the knee of the straight leg. The supporting leg must be straight and locked. The bent leg was braced against the knee of the other leg to keep the body from twisting. Michelle extended both arms into the air and held the move. On another count, the stunt ended in a basket toss and cradle, which was demonstrated and would be practiced tomorrow.

It was time for the dinner break.

The evening session also focused on stunt techniques. The first was the shoulder sit. This is a basic stunt used for learning proper stunting techniques. Only one base, Brittany was needed for this stunt. Brittany lunged with her legs bent and out to the side. Michelle placed her right foot into the pocket behind Brittany's knee. Michelle placed her hands on Brittany's shoulders and with Autumn's help, she stood up behind her base with her legs locked and on top of Brittany's lunged leg. Michelle then swung her left leg onto Brittany's shoulders and sat down on the shoulders.. She then wrapped her legs and feet under Brittany's arms. Brittany placed her hands on Michelle's knees, pulling down for added security. In this position, the flyer could easily and comfortably lead cheers and do motions. In the dismount, Michelle unlocked her feet and extended them forward. Brittany reached under and between Michelle's legs and grabbed onto her hands. On a count down, up, Brittany dipped down and up and allowed Michelle to dismount. As she was popped up Michelle brought her legs behind her body and then brought them together to land on her feet behind Brittany. Autumn was watching and spotting at all times in case of a fall. Next was the basket toss. Vicki would be a secondary base. There were discussions on how all members must work together in climbing, elevating, and transferring movements. The stunt was practiced several times as a walk through and then performed full out under the watch of the instructors. In this stunt, the flyer Michelle was tossed into the air with the help of the bases Brittany and Vicki, under the watch of the backspot, Autumn. In loading the basket, the bases stayed low and the backspot was in position to support. The bases locked wrists and the flyer placed her hands on their shoulders, jumped, and landed lightly on her feet in the center of the basket, keeping her hips above her knees. The bases dipped their hands below their knees and exploded through their legs and lifted through their shoulders to initiate the lift. They follow through straight up and released Michelle with a flip at the top. The flyer lifted up and at the highest point, moved into a pike position getting ready for the cradle descent keeping her head and shoulders from going backwards. Sometimes a toe touch replaces the pike at the top. Autumn, the spotter, sometimes called the scoop in this stunt, was behind the bases and assisted in protecting Michelle's head and shoulders during the cradle catch. She and the bases tried to catch Michelle at the highest point. Brittany and Vicki caught Michelle under her lower back and her thighs. Michelle caught around their shoulders coming down and kept a strong pike position with her toes up as she landed in the cradle. Autumn assisted by using the middle of her forearms to catch Michelle, as she reached under Michelle's shoulders. .

 

Before lights the girls took advantage of the free time available. Michelle, Erin, and Erica headed for the swimming pool. Autumn, Julianne, and Courtney stopped for late night pizza at the cafeteria and checked out the souvenirs and clothes at the camp store. Lauren and Kristin completed their dorm room door decorations with all kinds of cheer slogans and themes. Katie, Vicki, Brittany, and Rebecca met in the commons area with the team's buddy squads and exchanged small gifts of glitter and hair ribbons and then had some major girltalk. One of these gab fests covered the different ways they got ready in the morning. Some of the comments heard

"I usually spend a lot of time brushing my long silky hair, apply a little makeup and search my closets and put on my cutest clothes."

"I don't really bother. I get quickly dressed in whatever. My hairstyle is a messy one so it doesn't matter what I do."

"As you can see, I have a very fit body and like to wear skimpy tops and tight pants. I only require a little bit of makeup and a little styling because you can see I'm a knockout."

"I usually brush my hair, put on a little lipgloss and get dressed in comfy clothes. I'm not high maintenance"

"I like to think of myself as a perfect princess. I prefer expensive lotions, expensive makeup and designer clothes. I take my time and then I 'm ready to take in all the complements."

There was an informal session that described various hairstyles that different teams used for competitions.

"With all the stress that we have during competitions, the last thing we need is to worry about choosing a hairstyle. What we have found is choosing the same style for everyone helps with team bonding."

"We have worn pigtails, curly or straight or high or low. Last year we had French braids that were very neat and tidy."

"One of our favorites is a high ponytail half up, half down with ringlets."

"We have seen a lot of teams doing cornrows or just cornrows on the top of the head and the rest curled or straight."

"We like to finish our hair with fat silky bows that we first hair spray and blow dry. We cut notches at the ends. They are very stiff and stay in place."

"I've seen some squads use very thin ribbons in a variety of bold colors to make a visual effect."

"We've tried some cheerleader hair pieces or extensions, but when you try anything new, be sure to check the rules of the competition."

During the day, bare midriffs were not allowed, but the rules were relaxed during the free time and many girls were walking around in their sports bras and shorts. Others were in their swimsuits, wrapped in towels. Michelle noted that all of her roommates felt at ease changing in front of each other. You become close to others when you learn to trust others with your safety as they learned to perform the stunts during camp.

Later as they were lying in their beds, Erin's voice could be heard in the darkened room. "Can you guys keep a secret?" She didn't wait for an answer. "Well, this may sound a little strange, but it's true because I saw it and have some pictures to prove it. You remember the story my mom told you about her brother, Bob, or as you know him, Mr. Jenkins, the English teacher? About a year ago, Bob's wife, my Aunt Marilyn, had told my mom that Bob was neglecting her and many of his responsibilities at home and at work. He was spending several nights a week out with his buddies and coming home late without explanations. My mom told my aunt about Bob's history of dressing up and she proposed a plan to help improve Bob's behavior. My mom ordered an extra large girlie style party dress costume, similar to the ones we wore last night. She had my Aunt Marilyn threaten Bob that if wouldn't become KellyAnn, the name of his girl personality, for the entire weekend, she would reveal in detail to Bob's friends, the secrets of Bob's clothing preferences. My Uncle Bob had no choice but to agree to the arrangement. She made him dress, act, talk, and play like a sweet polite girl. The next day he was dressed as a school girl in a crisp white blouse with a peter pan collar, a plaid school jumper, white knee highs and a pair of black patent leather shoes with straps across the ankles He also had a girlish curly blond hair wig and subtle makeup. After that weekend, he became a loving, obedient husband again. My aunt kept the school girl clothes in case he needed to be taught another lesson, but now it seems she uses it as a reward when he does something that she likes."

"Wow, that's some story. I wonder what it's like to wear a girl's school uniform." said Michelle.

"You did miss a lot of girl experiences when you were growing up, Michele. I think we may be able to arrange some classroom time to help you catch up on your girlie lessons when we get home after camp." said Brittany.

 

All the squads would be wearing their uniforms on the third day. The official maroon and gold Bears shells and pleated skirts were put on over their briefs and sports bras. Some of the girls put on light lipgloss and clear nail polish. They wore the cute paw print cheer socks and matching cheerleader shoes. One of the girls had lent Michelle a pair of shoes. The team decided all of them should have the same hair style that day so they met in Autumn's room and helped each other put their hair in a single braid down their backs and tied them with maroon ribbons.

That evening, they would be able to dress and allowed to wear more makeup so some of girls took out their dressy clothes and put them on hangers and unpacked their makeup bags.

Morning began with breakfast, followed by warm-ups and stretching to improve the range of motions and to lower the risk of injuries. The squads worked on cheers, sidelines poms and pyramids. As a pyramid is built, it must be coordinated to accentuate parts of the cheers. Pyramids can be a dramatic finish to a routine. They spent some time assembling and disassembling their pyramids and studying others squads techniques.

Early afternoon meant lunch, free time and individual coaching by the instructors. Later in the afternoon, the squads practiced with their coaches and finally presented their routines for the performance evaluations.

After the evaluations, the teams returned to their rooms to prepare for the evening's activities. Awards were to be handed out to teams and individuals at the dinner. Before the dinner, the three girls all helped each other into makeup and nail polish. They also fixed their hair into more formal styles. Michelle wore the halter dress that they had chosen at the mall. She put on her new pair of pantyhose and managed to borrow a pair of low heels. They all looked like attractive young ladies.

Dinner was not to be in the cafeteria but in a separate hall with fancy tables and waiters serving the meal. The girls gave complimented each other on their appearances and fashion sense. In particular, the three new members, Michelle, Lauren, and Kristin received many of the complements.

After the meal, each team was privately given the results of their performance evaluations. The Bears did very well. At the ceremony, the team was awarded the spirit stick, a traditional award given to teams that exhibit outstanding enthusiasm and sportsmanship during the cheer camp. All 12 team members received a ribbon. 8 superior ribbons were given in stunting, pom routine, sideline, and cheer. 4 ribbons were given for excellence of performance. 3 of the senior team members Autumn, Julianne, and Rebecca members were especially honored to be named on the All star squad.

After the ceremony, they all returned to their dorm rooms and many shouts and loud voices could be heard even passed lights out. Brittany and Erin were watching the screen of Brittany's DVD player when they called Michelle over. "Here is a DVD of me in another dance recital when I was dressed as a 1950's girl, performing to Rock Around the Clock. Guess what song Erin has cued up on her CD player?" asked Brittany. "Now if we only had a costume, someone could learn these new dance steps." They walked Michelle over to the storage closet and had her open the door. Both Brittany and Erin had a prepared look of surprise on their faces when they shouted out, "Well, look at this!"

Hanging in the closet was a black felt circle skirt with a pink poodle appliqué and a matching pink petticoat. Also included were a striped knit top and a pink scarf. On the bed, were a pair of bobby socks, saddle shoes and a pink hair ribbon. There also was a lacy bra and panty set from Victoria's Secret. The bra looked like it had some additional uplift and padding. They quickly helped Michelle change and had her working on the dance moves to the 50's classic song. They laughed and laughed as Michelle's pink petticoat flew out from under her skirt as she twirled to the music. They took some pictures before the dance lesson ended and finally they changed for bed.

The next morning was the final day at camp. This was a fun day. The team dressed in their tye dyed tank tops and gray cheer shorts. The shorts had an elastic waist, a 3 inch inseam and were V notched at the legs. Morning warm-ups, with the entire group, followed breakfast. Autumn and Rebecca were selected to lead the group warm-ups.

The early session was used to practice the routines that they would be performing non competitively that afternoon at the spirit spectacular that would be the final activity for the camp. These routines consisted of a three minute cheer chant, stunt, or skit to be performed in front of the whole camp.

After lunch, all returned to their rooms for final packing and room cleanup, then they headed for the spectacular. The camp director greeted the cheerleaders and thanked them for all their hard work and cooperation during the camp. The whole camp also thanked their instructors and gave them a standing ovation. Each squad then performed their cheer or routine. Many were very creative and humorous. It was easy to see that they had spent the last few days with some very thoughtful, caring, and special girls. The Bears first did two traditional cheers

"The power, the might, you CAN believe the hype!

Go, Bears, Go. Fight, fight, fight"

and

"Maroon and Gold, Let's be bold!

Maroon and Gold, Let's be bold!

We don't mess around. Hey!

We don't mess around!"

They then performed a routine to demonstrate the simple steps in a Hawaiian hula. They had performed this for the Homecoming show during the year and they still had the costumes. They wore grass skirts over their shorts and wore navy crushed velvet tank tops with a purple flower design and a racer back. . In the background Hawaiian music played as they used their hands to tell the story. Their hips swayed from side to side. Their favorite moment was at the end when they really had the chance to shake their hips to the music. Their performance was given a big round of applause.

 

Once all the skits were done, it was time to change back into clothes for the trip home, to say goodbyes, and prepare to leave. There was a final room inspection and checkout. Many of the girls exchanged emails and addresses and a lot of tearful words were spoken. It was time to get back on the bus for the drive back home. The new cheer members had been accepted by the group. There was no doubt that they all had learned and shared a lot. It would be hard not to think of them as their cheerleader girl friends and they made plans to continue to share their girly experiences together. It was quite a week for everyone at Cheer Camp.

  

  

  

*********************************************
© 2003 by KaraLynn. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of StorySite and the copyright holder.