Moments of Orange: 2012 Milestone #6...Lindsay's Last Game!!

I will have to say this has been the most emotional milestone we've hit so far this year. The Garland Christian Academy varsity boys' basketball team made it to the Final Four in TAPPS playoffs this year! Yay GCA! Our boys played The Woodlands Christian Academy Warriors from Conroe, TX at Mansfield Summit High School this past Friday night.

GCA hasn't been this far in basketball playoffs since 1984, so you can imagine the excitement we were all feeling. Because it was so frustrating as we all sat and watched the refs make lopsided and unfair calls on our team throughout the game, I failed to realize something very important and emotional was going to happen if we lost...which we did....62-47. But the guys played a great game and our school couldn't be prouder!

After the game ended and all the fans were dispersing from their seats, I headed down to check on Lindsay and make sure she didn't need anything before the boys and I started our journey home. For those of you who are like me and need more details and are wondering why she just didn't ride home with us...the cheerleaders rode the fan bus from the school and her car was waiting back at the school for her. As I'm heading down the stairs, I start scanning the cheerleaders to find her. My eyes catch her, and I see that she's crying. My first thought was that she was crying because we lost the game...then it hit me and tears started forming in my own eyes and I could feel the lump forming in my throat...this was her last game to cheer.

Lindsay has been a cheerleader at GCA since she was in the 6th grade. She's the only one from her class who made it from start to finish. I knew before I made it down there to take pictures, I had to choke those tears back and swallow that lump! This was her bittersweet moment and I knew what she needed to see when she looked up in those stands was her momma with a big smile on her face beaming with absolute pride. And as hard as it was, that's what she got!

This is an excerpt from another post of mine describing how Lindsay became a cheerleader. I thought it was appropriate to share again:
Lindsay has been a cheerleader at Garland Christian Academy since she was in 6th grade. In fact, when tryouts came along at the end of her 5th grade year, she had absolutely no desire to be a cheerleader. I really wanted her to try out, but I didn't want to push either, so I mentioned it once or twice, then let it go. One afternoon, a fellow 5th grade mom called to let me know the cheer coach wasn't holding tryouts for the next year's middle school squad....just show up and you're on the team. I was apprehensive about approaching Lindsay with the idea, because she already told me she wasn't interested and I didn't want to seem forceful. I told her that she could just try it and if she didn't like, she didn't have to do it. We were talking about it just now, and she told me the only reason she even agreed to try it was because she knew I wanted her to cheer. She also said she wasn't interested in the first place, because her expectations were different from reality. I guess she had never really paid attention to cheerleaders....she didn't realize they would have cute uniforms and go to cheer camp and cheer at all the games.

I know this won't hurt Lindsay's feelings if I say it, because I've heard her say it herself...while Lindsay might not have ever been the "best" cheerleader on the squad or the most athletic, she certainly had the biggest heart for it and she loved it. I'm so glad cheerleading found her. It gave me the opportunity on so many occasions to sit in the stands and look at her beautiful smile....occasions I wouldn't have been offered otherwise. Lindsay, I love you so much and you've made this momma so proud!