Impossibly Perky

The girls teamed up on me the day after school started and asked if they could do cheerleading this year. We had two options: they could 1)cheer through the county Rec department program or 2) cheer through a local Baptist church's program. Since the church's program was more low-key (practice and games all on Monday night, as opposed to two or three times a week) and cheaper, we opted to go with the church program.

Note: another difference between the two programs? The uniforms. No belly-baring tops or bloomers for the church program! No ma'am! Sleeveless polo shirts (SHOCKING! SHOULDERS!!) for the tops and skorts for the bottoms. Hee. The girls also have to learn a bible verse every week.

So after three weeks of practice they were ready for their first game this past Monday.

Their squad is made up of girls in 2nd-5th grades. Their coach is a very nice woman named Natalie. Natalie is impossibly perky. She's also the type who wears long sleeve shirts when it's 90 degrees outside because she has ZERO BODY FAT. (Not that I'm bitter or anything.)


The dude with the megaphone is the Athletic Activities Director for the church. He led us in prayer before the game started.


The squad led off with the highlight of their routine- a pyramid!


And yes, that's Isabella on the top of that pyramid! Oh wait- she just informed me that she's called "the flyer" (although no 'flying' is involved).


That pyramid was a lot of work, they had to take a break. (They took a break after pretty much every cheer, truth be told.)


Ooooh- Pom-poms!


SPIRIT FINGERS!!!!


Spirit is exhausting!


Who cares about the game?? We are here for the CHEERLEADERS!!!


I like to call this my Friday Night Lights shot. Heh heh. BTW- Friday Night Lights is the BEST SHOW ON TELEVISION. WATCH IT. LOVE IT.

Also in that pciture? Please to be noting the 120 foot tall concrete cross that watches over the football stadium. (It's on the right, behind the trees.) TAKE THAT, Rec Department! It had been dedicated the night before in what we were told was a very fun and exciting ceremony that half of Albany attended. But since we're not Baptist, we missed out. Bummer.

In addition to the 120 foot tall cross, there was something else strange in the football stadium. Take a look at this picture. Notice the team colors? There's a blue team and a green team.


Now look at this picture. Now it's a blue and white team!


You're eyes aren't fooling you- there were TWO simultaneous games happening on the field at the same time! Each game took up 50 yards of the field, and the cheerleaders just cheered in the middle. Each game had their own referee and set of coaches, not to mention at least 15 fathers standing on the field adding in their $.02 worth, but that didn't prevent a little bit of confusion from occurring.

This poor kid laid on the field for at least a solid minute before any of the coaches/refs/fathers noticed their was a player down. (He was fine, no worries.)


At half time, the cheerleaders went out and did their pyramid again, along with a few more cheers. Then they went off with their coach and advisor for snacks and a devotional. As *riveting* as the game was, James and I ended up taking a few pictures in the manner of those crazy teens today on Facbook/MySpace/etc.







I love how he's pretending to be shocked and upset at a play happening on the field in this picture.




Oh yes, I can still shake a pom-pom with the best of them!


After their devotional, the girls came back and it was time to go home. (They didn't cheer for the second half, which was fine by me.) They were tired but happy, which I guess is the important thing.