It’s been a while since I last shared updates about Rogue, and we have plenty to share! We kicked off our competition season in Roseville back in early November!
Our Senior Renegades competed at Level 4 and secured a fantastic second place with just a 0.50 deduction—no falls, only minor bobbles. This score was the best we’ve ever achieved for a first competition with our Level 4 teams. Most of the bobbles occurred in our pyramid, which impacted our execution and difficulty points significantly. The timing of the pyramid felt rushed, causing us to miss a crucial section. We eagerly anticipate seeing the score improve with our revised pyramid section. The judges provided us with great feedback that we’ve implemented to strengthen our routine.
Our Youth Wranglers also delivered a stellar performance in Roseville. With nearly half of the team new to competitive cheer, they made us proud with a fourth place in Level 2. Since that competition, we’ve made countless improvements to the routine, it’s been so cool to see it transform. Moreover, the Wrangler girls have returned with a passion for competition! Everyone is focused and ready to give their all. It has been incredible to witness their fire for competition and to experience firsthand the excitement that comes with it! Now our new teammates know what all the hype is about! 🙂
Lastly, our Outlaws hip hop team absolutely rocked the house with their early 2000s hip hop themed routine, clinching a first-place win! We recognize that the competition will only get tougher in the upcoming events, so our hard work continues without pause. We’ve taken the judges’ feedback and raised the bar with this routine under the instruction of our INCREDIBLE hip hop coach (and Rush Athletics co-owner!) Nicole! This marked our gym’s first time ever competing in the hip hop division, and it was an incredible experience! We can’t wait to get them back on the stage and performing again!
One challenge we faced was that our uniforms for both the wranglers and renegades were delayed due to the government shutdown, leading to an unusually long wait at customs. As a result, we had to improvise and come up with a different uniform that still looked professional and served its purpose. It’s not uncommon for teams to wear practice attire at competitions this early in the season, especially since many don’t receive their uniforms until late fall or early winter. We couldn’t be prouder of our girls for adapting so well; they looked fantastic out there despite the situation! The exciting news is that our new uniforms will arrive this week, so stay tuned for a reveal soon! These uniforms are more intricate and detailed than anything we’ve ever had at Rogue. Over the past five years, we’ve embraced themed routines, showcasing unique concepts from rock ‘n’ roll to Space/NASA, including a race car theme that I adored and last season’s police and robbers themes among others. This year, we’ve also involved our youth Wranglers team in the themed routines, which has been wonderful. I can’t wait to share everything with you! It’s such a fun way to dive deeper into our cheer season together and add a creativity to our routine. Seeing it come to life has been absolutely a blast.
In other gym news, I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge that this month has brought its own challenges, mirroring the typical ups and downs of Cheer gym experiences. Shortly after our competition in Roseville, three athletes made the difficult decision to move on to other gyms. This came as a surprise and was hard to process after such an incredible competitive experience. Nevertheless, our motto has always been that “everything is figureoutable.” After navigating the initial shock and stress, we asked God for guidance in filling those three roles—and He responded beautifully. We welcomed three new athletes to the team who have proven to be nothing short of remarkable in their ability to step in seamlessly. Miraculously, we have not needed to change levels or simplify routines, which is often expected when incorporating new athletes who haven’t trained with us since summer. They’ve stepped up to the plate and been such a joy to have on S4. After having them on the team for three weeks, I can genuinely say it’s been a dream.
I believe a huge source of strength for me in weathering these things lately is due to incredible support from my coaching friends in the NA world of Cheer. Their encouragement and reminders of why I do this work have been invaluable. The camaraderie of fellow gym owners who can empathize has been incredibly helpful. I am truly grateful for the Cheer community I’ve found, especially Rush Athletics, Fresno Elite, Center of Attention.. among others ♡ These coaches and gym owners have provided support during times when I felt uncertain in my ability to keep going. Im so thankful I did not give in to doubts and fear. They helped me through that and that is such a gift.
What has amazed me the most is the resilience of our S4 athletes. They maintained strong and united.. they committed to extra practices to get the routine back on track, not crumbling under uncertainty that loomed around us about filling those roles. For a brief period, we had only six girls on our Renegades team, which was quite daunting, panic inducing.. However, within just three and a half days, we found athletes who stepped up in the most extraordinary ways! Furthermore, the support from their families has been an incredible bonus for us as a gym. Just a week after the major shift for S4 we had one particular practice with our newest additions to the team. We showed the parents what we had been working on. They were in awe , cheering and so excited. I think some of us had tears in our eyes. I think if anything, we are all relieved for the team..that with the Lord, they did not miss a beat. They are still on track and maybe even stronger than ever before!
I believe the most significant takeaway from the past eight weeks since my last journal entry is that we made it through. This summer, when Rogue was nearly finished due to a takeover attempt, some insisted it was impossible to rebound. There were numerous moments I looked in the mirror and thought, “I’m pretty sure this is impossible.” Yet, we took it step by step, seeking strength from the Lord to face each day and to guide us. It has been challenging, and it will remain difficult, but what a blessing it has been. Building/choreographing these routines with significantly less support than before, managing most tasks independently, mixing the music on my own, and designing uniforms on top of salvaging our gym, moving to a new location…. has all added pressure and bred doubt—not just in myself but also from the echoes of past comments from others. However, at our first competition of the season, I took a moment to soak in the fact that we made it—we broke through every obstacle and road block and held our own in the highest division of non-affiliated. We went from a staff of nine coaches to only one head coach and some incredible assistant coaches for our elite teams, yet we achieved this! And this is just the beginning of the competition season for these teams. There’s something incredibly special about walking into the gym lately; you felt it when we first moved in, but it resonates even more now—a true sense of joy and family. In our brief time together this season so far, we’ve already navigated so much that it fosters realness and genuineness among us. Having weathered low points together only brightens our joyful moments in the present.
I want to express that we hold no hard feelings toward the athletes who made their choice to move on; while it did leave our team in a challenging position, we genuinely wish them all the best and hope they have a wonderful competitive experience on their current teams. As for the challenges we’ve faced, it’s my responsibility as the coach and owner of the gym to problem-solve, rally our team, and persevere, even when it gets tough and exhausting. I’m incredibly grateful to the Lord for providing me with the strength and focus to navigate this transition… Now, we are fully concentrated as we prepare for our upcoming competition, which is just about 10 days away!
We’re heading to Anaheim soon to compete at one of my absolute favorite venues—a place I’ve always cherished! The Anaheim Convention Center, located in the Disney district, is fresh territory for all my athletes and coaches, making it a new experience for everyone involved. This is thrilling for me to see them experience this! This will be my 8th time taking a team to a competition at this venue in my years of coaching and even with competing at the ESPN Wide World of Sports venue and at the Orleans Arena, this is still a favorite. Plus, we’ll spend a few days in Disneyland, which is just the cherry on top. The excitement for this upcoming competition is palpable. The lineup will be tough, as many of our competitors are from the southern california area.. However I feel it’s crucial begin competing with them now instead of waiting until nationals in February.
In other gym news, we’ve installed a window from our lobby into the main space, and it turned out beautifully! We truly love it; we’ve made the gym our home with quite a few improvements, and you can feel that warmth the moment you step inside. Our Mini’s, Tiny’s, and Spirit Squad teams have grown, along with the Wranglers, and we keep welcoming new athletes to our teams nearly every week! Our fall showcase for the younger teams was a blast last weekend—a wonderful reminder of how far we’ve come at as gym as we continue to invest in the young cheerleaders who are the future of elite teams at Rogue.
Though this update is lengthy, there’s so much to share, and I appreciate everyone joining us on this journey at Rogue. Next up is Anaheim for the Outlaws and Renegades, followed by our Winter showcase for the four teams not competing in Anaheim, culminating in our next competition in Stockton on January 10 with the Wrangler Renegades and Outlaws! This time of year is incredibly busy, but for anyone involved in competitive cheer, it’s truly the best! Even after the Thanksgiving break, we couldn’t wait to reunite at the gym. It’s special to witness the hard work we’ve dedicated to building this community thrive, despite the challenges we’ve faced—Rogue is here to stay, and that feels amazing to say! Until next time. Coach Beck
ROGUE CHEER ATHLETICS 