Mitchell Lecoultre's Blog - Posts Tagged "cheer"
What Inspires Us
Recently, I was asked to do a review, and though I was sorely tempted to simply ‘phone’ it in and write your formulaic, “This is awesome!” or “It changed my life!” something inside of me—call it the writer in me—demanded more, demanded a deeper dive. Why I couldn’t just keep it simple lies within my approach to things like reviews. I always start with asking, “How does this make me feel?” or “How does this inspire me?” Rather simple, but also profound, questions that can lead you to a simple two sentence response or in this case, several paragraphs. So, as I started cooking up my critique of a little thing called Scarlet Blaze Cheer (SBC), I found myself mulling over one of those two questions, “How does this inspire me?”
That question is one that can take our whole lives to answer. A profound sense of purpose is a driving factor for so many, and a force that helps us push on, even when the ‘going gets tough.’ For me, that question has become somewhat easy as of late. I mean you are talking to a guy who literally wrote a book—hopefully a whole trilogy soon—of novels inspired by his daughters. Those little works of art have my eldest daughter playing as a rough and tough warrior of the wilds, and that character was so easy to write. After all, it’s a breeze when your muse lives within your home, showing you little bits of their character with everyday actions. How they care for their sisters, how they smile and laugh at your stupid dad jokes, how they obsess over some oddly named K-Pop band called ‘Stray Kids,’ and most of all how they grow into a woman.
Yes, I have found my main inspiration, but I think my daughter is finding something that inspires her, and I couldn’t be more thrilled! Yeah, through our lives we may find many, MANY, things that inspire us, but—and I don’t want to sound to dramatic—I think she, and by proxy me, have found one of those truly inspirational things. One of those rare moments that gives you goose bumps; makes you feel like you belong—like you’re part of something more. That thing is SBC.
It’s not just a cheer team, or even a cheer squad; it’s a movement. A force to be reckoned with that will make you realize what truly matters; the next generation. At its core is the fabulous coach, Sara Moore, who is not only a dynamo of discipline but also a person that truly—and I mean TRULY believes in these athletes. At Sara’s side is her trusty strength and conditioning coach, Amy Walker, who helps round out the gaps in physicality. Together, I have watched these two take the timidity of my rather tall daughter and show her how to shine. They have pushed her to unlock the ability she has hidden within and go on to be one heck-of-a backspot. Truly, I haven’t seen my daughter more excited about a thing—ever! She loves SBC and looks forward to achieving more every practice; every event; every competition. I can see it written in her eyes; she has a passion, a driving force.
Of course, my daughter isn’t the only member of SBC, and I have watched—over the last season—the growth of many young athletes. I have watched them go on their own little journeys as they find what it means to be themselves. Just like my daughter, I think they have found that thing—that little spark—that drives us ever onwards. Watching all these young athletes so worked up over something gets me all in the feels. I mean, if you came to one of their cheer competitions you might have seen a crazy looking guy with half his face painted scarlet and the other half gold. Yeah, that was me, and yes that was because I was inspired by their greatness.
So, you might be asking, what makes SBC so unique? Maybe it’s the mascot, the phoenix, that ancient mythological beast that is a theme passed down from culture to culture, generation to generation. A simple concept, rise and rise again. Never give up in the face of adversity; never quit building yourself up even when it all burns down around you. Rise like the indomitable phoenix, and you will never be defeated. Or, maybe it’s the parents who want the best for their children. Who show up day-in-and-day-out to cheer on the cheerleaders. Or, maybe its just the athletes who make up this wonderful little thing called SBC. But, I think, and those who know might agree, it’s a combination of all those things.
Together that amalgamation of traits makes a little piece of inspiration here on this Earth. The thing that makes me want to keep on pushing forward, to keep on building myself up. Together SBC has become a powerhouse of a team, and like the phoenix they always rise to the occasion. So, when I ask myself, “What inspires me?” It’s simple, “Scarlet Blaze Cheer.”
That question is one that can take our whole lives to answer. A profound sense of purpose is a driving factor for so many, and a force that helps us push on, even when the ‘going gets tough.’ For me, that question has become somewhat easy as of late. I mean you are talking to a guy who literally wrote a book—hopefully a whole trilogy soon—of novels inspired by his daughters. Those little works of art have my eldest daughter playing as a rough and tough warrior of the wilds, and that character was so easy to write. After all, it’s a breeze when your muse lives within your home, showing you little bits of their character with everyday actions. How they care for their sisters, how they smile and laugh at your stupid dad jokes, how they obsess over some oddly named K-Pop band called ‘Stray Kids,’ and most of all how they grow into a woman.
Yes, I have found my main inspiration, but I think my daughter is finding something that inspires her, and I couldn’t be more thrilled! Yeah, through our lives we may find many, MANY, things that inspire us, but—and I don’t want to sound to dramatic—I think she, and by proxy me, have found one of those truly inspirational things. One of those rare moments that gives you goose bumps; makes you feel like you belong—like you’re part of something more. That thing is SBC.
It’s not just a cheer team, or even a cheer squad; it’s a movement. A force to be reckoned with that will make you realize what truly matters; the next generation. At its core is the fabulous coach, Sara Moore, who is not only a dynamo of discipline but also a person that truly—and I mean TRULY believes in these athletes. At Sara’s side is her trusty strength and conditioning coach, Amy Walker, who helps round out the gaps in physicality. Together, I have watched these two take the timidity of my rather tall daughter and show her how to shine. They have pushed her to unlock the ability she has hidden within and go on to be one heck-of-a backspot. Truly, I haven’t seen my daughter more excited about a thing—ever! She loves SBC and looks forward to achieving more every practice; every event; every competition. I can see it written in her eyes; she has a passion, a driving force.
Of course, my daughter isn’t the only member of SBC, and I have watched—over the last season—the growth of many young athletes. I have watched them go on their own little journeys as they find what it means to be themselves. Just like my daughter, I think they have found that thing—that little spark—that drives us ever onwards. Watching all these young athletes so worked up over something gets me all in the feels. I mean, if you came to one of their cheer competitions you might have seen a crazy looking guy with half his face painted scarlet and the other half gold. Yeah, that was me, and yes that was because I was inspired by their greatness.
So, you might be asking, what makes SBC so unique? Maybe it’s the mascot, the phoenix, that ancient mythological beast that is a theme passed down from culture to culture, generation to generation. A simple concept, rise and rise again. Never give up in the face of adversity; never quit building yourself up even when it all burns down around you. Rise like the indomitable phoenix, and you will never be defeated. Or, maybe it’s the parents who want the best for their children. Who show up day-in-and-day-out to cheer on the cheerleaders. Or, maybe its just the athletes who make up this wonderful little thing called SBC. But, I think, and those who know might agree, it’s a combination of all those things.
Together that amalgamation of traits makes a little piece of inspiration here on this Earth. The thing that makes me want to keep on pushing forward, to keep on building myself up. Together SBC has become a powerhouse of a team, and like the phoenix they always rise to the occasion. So, when I ask myself, “What inspires me?” It’s simple, “Scarlet Blaze Cheer.”
Fun With Marketing
As I reel from a rather lackluster author event at what my wife described as the “Hallmark of Bookstores,” I wonder whether I am enjoying this whole marketing business. Putting yourself out there to sell something that you claim as your own, especially something as intimate as a novel, can be rather frightening. Although I love the fact that I am pursuing this writing passion of mine, there are times I ask myself, “Is trying to sell it worth it?”
If you were to ask me just based on the events of my last weekend, then no—absolutely not. However, if you were to ask me over the course of the whole endeavor, I would be hard pressed to unequivocally say no. In fact, there are many shining moments that stick out in my mind. Little memories that I imagine I will treasure down the road.
Case in point, the still image above. That beautiful picture is from the first ever TikTok video I made, which me and my family had a lot of fun making. You see, I was just about to release my debut novel “Shards of Ember,” and I had the cockamamie idea to shoot a TikTok video. Luckily, my wife and eldest daughter are sometimes on board with my shenanigans, and after about fifty ‘takes’ of me trying to make the perfect video, we found success. We laughed, we cursed, we had fun, and after we said, “That’s a wrap!” we were undoubtedly in better spirits than before.
I then ruined it by making a series of videos in rapid succession, trying to recreate the success of the first as well as the bonding moment that we had. We all know that forced fun is never successful and although we managed to capture the videos I wanted, we recapture the fun—the spirit—of the first video.
So, I adapted and learned how to fit in my little quirky videos with the schedule and enthusiasm of my family. Please see exhibit B above. In this still image you will see me in the best knight attire I could find, holding a copy of my book, and riding a poor stuffed Charizard here in an attempt to market for a much more successful author event. This was the next video I think we all had fun making, and it shows in the energy displayed. A sort of passion that oozes into the camera. A buzz that can only be gained by people that are enjoying what they are doing.
Of course, I might be exaggerating the enjoyment others had, because my wife jokingly said I was like the father from the movie “Holes.”
Ya know, the guy trying to find the cure for smelly feet and is constantly trying to get his wife and other family members to test smell stinky shoes? Yea, that one! To be fair to me though, I did make a rather striking knight as I galloped around on my ‘faithful steed.’
But I digress. Apparently, that scene reminded her of my, “Just one more take!” catchphrase, and she was eager to let me know that.
I knew that she said that all in jest, but the best comedy has a sliver of truth. In that sliver, I realized just how much my family does to keep me upright and supported. Shooting goofy videos to try and sell my book just being one of those pillars they make to support their eccentric dad.
Still, I think I have managed to compromise and though they won’t admit it, they are getting to take away little memories of me as I pursue this passion project of mine. They get to see a version of me that is eager to succeed. That isn’t something people put on display all the time—or at all.
The most recent video, one I managed to pull off with nary an inconvenience to my family (you can tell by the image quality since I shot it on my own phone), is one I was quite proud of. If you haven’t noticed there is always a theme to my videos—call it the artist in me—and in this one I wanted to encapsulate the concept of going full circle. This video—though done in preparation for the dud of an author event—was a lot of fun, and, honestly, I feel like I am becoming a pro at editing and putting together these little clips.
I guess you can color me, and my family blessed, and though I didn’t find the success I wanted at the lackluster author event of last weekend, I have to say I, and hopefully my family, are still having fun doing all these crazy things in pursuit of my dream. I think I just need to remember that—just like life—not all of your days (marketing attempts) are going to be knock-it-out-of-the-park bangers.
So, even though all of my little attempts at selling my books aren’t met with success. I have to say that I am having a lot of fun doing it, and I hope that in my quest for success that others around me feel a bit of the enthusiasm that I do.
Thank you for reading and be sure to subscribe to my newsletter to stay up to date with my shenanigans. If you want to see the videos that I pulled these stills from please check out my TikTok videos in the link below.
https://www.tiktok.com/@newroman88?_t...
If you were to ask me just based on the events of my last weekend, then no—absolutely not. However, if you were to ask me over the course of the whole endeavor, I would be hard pressed to unequivocally say no. In fact, there are many shining moments that stick out in my mind. Little memories that I imagine I will treasure down the road.
Case in point, the still image above. That beautiful picture is from the first ever TikTok video I made, which me and my family had a lot of fun making. You see, I was just about to release my debut novel “Shards of Ember,” and I had the cockamamie idea to shoot a TikTok video. Luckily, my wife and eldest daughter are sometimes on board with my shenanigans, and after about fifty ‘takes’ of me trying to make the perfect video, we found success. We laughed, we cursed, we had fun, and after we said, “That’s a wrap!” we were undoubtedly in better spirits than before.
I then ruined it by making a series of videos in rapid succession, trying to recreate the success of the first as well as the bonding moment that we had. We all know that forced fun is never successful and although we managed to capture the videos I wanted, we recapture the fun—the spirit—of the first video.
So, I adapted and learned how to fit in my little quirky videos with the schedule and enthusiasm of my family. Please see exhibit B above. In this still image you will see me in the best knight attire I could find, holding a copy of my book, and riding a poor stuffed Charizard here in an attempt to market for a much more successful author event. This was the next video I think we all had fun making, and it shows in the energy displayed. A sort of passion that oozes into the camera. A buzz that can only be gained by people that are enjoying what they are doing.
Of course, I might be exaggerating the enjoyment others had, because my wife jokingly said I was like the father from the movie “Holes.”
Ya know, the guy trying to find the cure for smelly feet and is constantly trying to get his wife and other family members to test smell stinky shoes? Yea, that one! To be fair to me though, I did make a rather striking knight as I galloped around on my ‘faithful steed.’
But I digress. Apparently, that scene reminded her of my, “Just one more take!” catchphrase, and she was eager to let me know that.
I knew that she said that all in jest, but the best comedy has a sliver of truth. In that sliver, I realized just how much my family does to keep me upright and supported. Shooting goofy videos to try and sell my book just being one of those pillars they make to support their eccentric dad.
Still, I think I have managed to compromise and though they won’t admit it, they are getting to take away little memories of me as I pursue this passion project of mine. They get to see a version of me that is eager to succeed. That isn’t something people put on display all the time—or at all.
The most recent video, one I managed to pull off with nary an inconvenience to my family (you can tell by the image quality since I shot it on my own phone), is one I was quite proud of. If you haven’t noticed there is always a theme to my videos—call it the artist in me—and in this one I wanted to encapsulate the concept of going full circle. This video—though done in preparation for the dud of an author event—was a lot of fun, and, honestly, I feel like I am becoming a pro at editing and putting together these little clips.
I guess you can color me, and my family blessed, and though I didn’t find the success I wanted at the lackluster author event of last weekend, I have to say I, and hopefully my family, are still having fun doing all these crazy things in pursuit of my dream. I think I just need to remember that—just like life—not all of your days (marketing attempts) are going to be knock-it-out-of-the-park bangers.
So, even though all of my little attempts at selling my books aren’t met with success. I have to say that I am having a lot of fun doing it, and I hope that in my quest for success that others around me feel a bit of the enthusiasm that I do.
Thank you for reading and be sure to subscribe to my newsletter to stay up to date with my shenanigans. If you want to see the videos that I pulled these stills from please check out my TikTok videos in the link below.
https://www.tiktok.com/@newroman88?_t...
