School in 2020 has been the weirdest thing ever. I remember thinking that we were so relieved to get cheer tryouts in before our schools dismissed back in March. It was wishful thinking, but we expected to travel for cheer camp in July and to have a very normal football season. It’s so bizarre to realize how far from reality that would be.
One of the things we were most looking forward to this year, was having these two girls on the same squad, cheering at the same games. Molly is my cousin — I’m the oldest in my generation and she’s the youngest — but she’s only three years older than Ella. They are four years apart in school, meaning they would never have the opportunity to cheer together and wouldn’t be in high school at the same time. We were so lucky that Ella was able to try out for Varsity Cheer a year early and that they would have this time together after all. I’m not going to sugar coat it — we’re all a little a lot pissed that Coronavirus is robbing us of so many treasured memories this year.
Although the girls are back in school, we aren’t having Pep Rallies (too many people in the gym at one time) and Homecoming is likely to be very different from what we’re used to. Our first three games were cancelled after several players and coaches tested positive for COVID in August and we’ve been waiting on pins and needles for this past week. It’s almost like we were afraid to say anything about the game out loud — we were so worried about having the rug pulled out from under us all.
Friday night rolled around and we drove an hour away for our first game of the season. The girls were buzzing with excitement and despite masks and socially distant stands, we had the best time cheering on our team and our girl. The Yellow Jackets won 39-32, with an interception in the fourth quarter. The girls were so fun to watch and we all kind of had a pinch me this can’t be happening attitude about the whole thing.
Who knows how many games we’ll get in, but we’re praying to make it through our first home game this Friday. The players and cheerleaders have been practicing for months — in a very weird and stressful situation — and we hope they get to show off all that hard work.
