What a week! I was so busy, it was hard to find time (or the energy) to stop and post, but I knew it was time today. We officially made it through week two of cheer, and with a few new challenges that we somehow managed to overcome.

I will admit, I was completely exhausted by the time our third practice this week came to an end, but I was also proud. Proud to stand next to my amazing co-coach and watch our girls literally transforming from "I'm going to be shy" to "I can do this!"

As a new cheer coach, I thought if we planned enough, we would be prepared for what the future held. This week taught me more than anything, that you can never prepare enough. There are always aspects of coaching that you just don't think about. I didn't plan on having to give a lecture Thursday night before practice on the "no talking bad about other cheerleaders" discussion, but I did and it worked. After telling our girls that Coach Chrissy and I wanted nothing but the best for them, but also telling them that they were a team and would act like a team as long as they were there, we got a response also unexpected. With the exception of a few minor hiccups, our girls really bonded and were able to help one another as we really pressed on with our stunt groups. Watching them protect one another was something magical. Not only that, but they were still all smiling after Thursday's practice. End of week two and I take away this: it's okay to be strict as long as the team knows you can have fun too. I want them to have a great experience.

I am truly happy to say that the more we go along, the more Coach Chrissy and I can truly say "we've got this."