Poolside

Mr. Rogers: You know we've been pretending that there's going to be a swimming pool in the Neighborhood of Make Believe, and something very important I want to mention to you before we have our make believe: water and pools are NOT for children to play in by themselves. When you're near a swimming pool, you must NOT go in without a grown-up around. That's very important to remember. Okay, let's get the trolley.

--MisteRogers’ Neighborhood (1968)

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So tomorrow morning is the last cheerleading competition for the Parkville Patriots this season, and that means that we’re in a hotel the night before, with the girls swimming in the hotel pool. It’s practically a tradition.

Usually the bigger competitions involve A) a little distance to travel to get to the venue; and B) a rather early start. For many parents that means getting a block of rooms in a nearby hotel and heading down the night before. The girls will usually spend the evening socializing, and the parents will either do the same in their own groups or will find their own way to stay amused. More often than not, if the hotel has an indoor pool, that’s where the girls want to go, so they can do some cheer stunts (such as “builds”, four of which you can see in the picture here) in the shallow end, and let the water break their falls. Most of these pools don’t have a lifeguard, so a few parents come down to “supervise” the pandemonium. When Wee One is in the pool, usually either Wife or I will be down there, sitting to the side. Wife is a chit-chatter, and as for me…well, here I am on the Internets. Thank goodness for the Wi-Fi here.

As I type this, the crowd has mostly dwindled, and it’s Wee One and two girls in the pool with a mom. I’m to the side and another Cheer Dad is nearby, and there’s actually a lifeguard here, who looks like he’s awaiting the sweet release of death, or the 10:00 pool closing, whichever comes first.

Tomorrow morning we’re up early. Wee One’s hair has to be curled (which takes an hour to get the perfect Helmet-Hair-Plus-Curled-Ponytail Effect), her uniform needs to be put on, and then we go downstairs to get some of that Free Continental Breakfast (which is pretty good here at the Hampton Inn in College Park), then it’s off to the University of Maryland for the competition itself. Wee One’s squad is looking for a hat trick in winning their third Harford-Baltimore County competition in a row, and from what I’ve seen, they can probably do it. Wish them luck!

UPDATE: Wee One's squad came in second in a field of five. The team that they thought would be The One To Beat came in fifth. The other Team to Beat, wasn't beaten. But the girls did a fantastic job and we're all very proud. 

Comments

[Nick Koliarakis]

Go Patriots!!!

[Teena in Toronto]

Happy blogoversary!