SPIRIT!

Wins and Losses Part I

"For the love of all that is cheer, could someone please tell her to shut the hell up!!!!!", Niecy said referring to Melissa who was at the front of the bus singing loudly with her headphones in her ear. We were headed to Atlanta for our first cheer competition and I was both excited and nervous. This was a long trip and I think people were getting irritated with being on the bus for so long. We met at campus at 8am this morning. We will be practicing some more very early tomorrow , hopefully after a nap, and then competing tomorrow. I already know there will be a lot of squads there so I know we will meet some new people. I was grabbing a sip of my water when I saw Niecy headed towards Melissa direction. She grabbed the headphones out of Melissa's ear and loudly said, "I know you may not understand this but we had to get up too early in the morning to have to come on this bus and hear your off key ass struggle to sing. Please be considerate of our ears and shut up!!!", she made the whole bus laugh. Melissa looked slightly embarrassed but put away her headphones.

A few hours later we finally arrived. We were being housed at one of the best resorts in the area. I was in amazement with the entire place.

"Oh we about to have some fun here", Marco said staring at one of the pools.

"Yeah we definitely have to take a dip later tonight but please remember coach said no loud parties and no drinking. I would hate to see her mad" I said.

"Oh relax Olen, we wont do anything too wild", Niecy said smiling at Marco. Marco smiled back which was really strange because the last time I checked he still thought Niecy was some hoe that belonged to the streets.

We all continued our journey to our rooms. The other squads had arrived earlier than us and were already getting settled and unpacking. Eye candy was around everywhere and I was tempted to sneak off and find someone to get familiar with but I knew both Niecy and Marco would ask questions.  As I got out of my thoughts I realized we reached the rooms. Coach stood in the middle of the hallway.

"Alright Ladies and Gentlemen!!!! This is the building you all will be staying in and I need to remind you all that we are guests here. Let's make sure to keep this place clean and don't mess up anything. Also keep the noise down to a minimum and do not stay up too late. We compete early tomorrow and we need to be focused. I can not tell you how important it is that we take this win home back to UNC-Charlotte. We have practiced for a while now and I am proud of each and every last one of you. Do not lose what you all have gained since cheer camp. Get settled and we will meet in the old gym early tomorrow for a quick rehearsal before we go to compete."

I noticed that we all got kind of silent after the coach spoke to us. I think the nerves had started to settle in that we were about to compete. This would be our first competition and could ensure our spot in the finals. Niecy went with the other females as Marco and I opened the door to our room. We were both amazed at how neat the room was and they even had chocolates and a fancy bottle of water near the mini fridge.

"Alright O, here is the plan. We unpack and see what is going on later. I know someone has got to be throwing a party", Marco said rubbing his hands together.

"Marco we can't get called out and embarrassed in front of the whole squad. You know Coach Torey does not play", I explained.

"Live a little O. We are in a whole different state and around a lot of new exciting people we need to network and connect with them", Marco said placing his hand on my shoulder staring in almost a dream state in the sky.

"Ok....ok but we can not stay out too late. Lets finish unpacking and get something to eat and then see what is going on around here for later", I said as Marco smiled.

"That's what I am talking about", he said as he put his toiletries in the bathroom.

A few minutes later we texted Niecy and let her know to meet us for food. We got to the food area and made our selections. There was shrimp, fish, salads, fruit, desserts and all other tempting foods to make our mouths water.  We made our ways to a table and began to eat.