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Last week, the gym that McKinley cheers with had a send-off for the Senior 5 team. They were heading to Orlando for Worlds. What is Worlds? It is THE competition that every cheerleader dreams of going to; it's like the Super Bowl or World Series of cheerleading.
We have a few girls that we wanted to give gifts to, for encouragement. (Don't worry, tons of other mom brought gifts, so no one was left out.) When I started to think of what we could get these girls, I was at a loss. A few suggestions were given, but nothing really sounded like something I wanted to give. So, I grabbed McKinley and she and I went to Michael's for a little inspiration. I mean, it's a craft store, I was sure to be inspired.
We walked the aisles and found nothing. And then, in one of the dollar bins, at the front of the store, I noticed the "Yes, You Can!" notebooks. I wanted to write each of them a little note, so these would be perfect to write that in. I also bought a metallic gold Sharpie and hand lettered each of their names on the front. Girls love anything with their name on it!
We have a few girls that we wanted to give gifts to, for encouragement. (Don't worry, tons of other mom brought gifts, so no one was left out.) When I started to think of what we could get these girls, I was at a loss. A few suggestions were given, but nothing really sounded like something I wanted to give. So, I grabbed McKinley and she and I went to Michael's for a little inspiration. I mean, it's a craft store, I was sure to be inspired.
We walked the aisles and found nothing. And then, in one of the dollar bins, at the front of the store, I noticed the "Yes, You Can!" notebooks. I wanted to write each of them a little note, so these would be perfect to write that in. I also bought a metallic gold Sharpie and hand lettered each of their names on the front. Girls love anything with their name on it!
On my way to the Sharpies, I found the little world stress balls. PERFECT!! These were more of a fun little filler, but really, Worlds and stress kind of go hand in hand. (You can find the same balls here.)
I knew I also wanted to add some candy, since I see these cheerleaders eat a ton of candy before and after they hit the mat. I bought a big bag of Starburst, since they are all SHINING STARS, filled a handmade zipper pouch, and popped that in their gift bag, too. Oh, and I gave them a small bag of chips. Snacks are HUGE for cheerleaders. Heck, snacks are a big deal for everyone!
For the gift bag, I created an image in PicMonkey and sent it to my local print shop. I was just going to have it printed on card stock, but when I told the guy what I was doing with it he suggested sticker paper. What a great idea!
Now, it was time to go home and assemble the bags to take to the gym. We couldn't wait to see the girls perform their routine for us one more time, before heading to Worlds, and then give them their gifts.
Certainly, more could have been added to this gift. And I could've added a little note with the Starbursts that said they were STARS, but I wanted to keep it simple. What kinds of things would you put in a gift for a cheerleader? I'd love your ideas for next season!
Handmade pouches can be found here.
Similar YES YOU CAN notebooks can be found here.
Gold Sharpies can be found here.
Gift bags can be found here.
