This post is my weirdest one ever– featuring an almost cancelled work trip that I really wanted to be part of. I usually rewrite my blogs 10+ times before publishing them, but I posted this one after the trip was cancelled and before I knew it could be saved. Naturally, I kept parts of the original blog because I noticed an emotional change in my writing.
My intro after my flight was cancelled: I guess you don’t always know what you’ve got until it’s gone, because I remember dreading the pressure of UCA material filming. Now that I’m not able to leave Denver, I’m missing out on my favorite weekend in Memphis!
New intro: I almost didn’t get to be part of our UCA Summer Material Taping, but I’m so thankful I did. I was upset when I heard my flight was cancelled (it’s one of my favorite weekends in Memphis), but with the resilience of my boss and a lucky opening on a United flight, I made it to Memphis and left with a full heart!
Alex, I love you– thank you for praying for my arrival!
I’ve been part of the team responsible for demonstrating the UCA summer camp (and bonus!) material for a few years now. This is the process of a few select UCA Staff learning & filming instructional versions of material so it can be dispersed to staff at cheerleading camps across the world.
I hated the idea of being on camera at first (I cried during my first band dance because I couldn’t get it right), but I have come to enjoy dancing and pride myself on sharpness. Plus, being chosen as one of the few instructors to represent the brand is an honor that has become really special to me.
This year I had been excited as ever to learn & film the material. It’s a euphoric feeling to master the dances before anyone else even gets to see them, and the theme (The Greatest Show of Summer) is such a fun one. I have been looking forward to this year’s trip!
So, when my plans were abruptly cancelled during an intense winter storm covering the state of Colorado, I was upset to say the least. A bomb cyclone blizzard cancelled 1300 flights leaving the Denver International Airport, including, of course, my flight to Memphis, TN. After sitting on hold for two days (just like thousands of others with cancelled plans), I made it onto a new flight!
I stayed patient and hopeful while waiting for a flight to open up. I also had a lot of friends send positive vibes, visualization of me in the videos, and even prayers for my safe arrival into Memphis. I cannot explain how incredibly fortunate I am to have such great friendships.
At first I thought about how unfortunate it is when plans don’t work as we might have thought they would. I figured, maybe this actually means it’s time for UCAkait to hang up the old v-forces… The real lesson is that I actually value this work trip and needed to be put in check to be more grateful.
I said I would miss the one-and-dones, but also the dances that take hours…
I said I would miss the daily cake pops…
I said I would miss the after-filming activities– like making fires with Doritos at Railgarten, eating endless Sushi at Red Koi, and even Beale street (I hate Beale lol)
I said I would miss the Varsity Spirit Fashion Reveal and cute clothes…
And I even said I would miss covering up my tattoos…
Because not having to miss any of these things would mean that I made it there as planned.
Original Conclusion: Good luck to my friends filming this weekend (and so sorry for leaving you one chick short). I LOVE YOU AND AM THE SADDEST HUMAN FOR NOT BEING ABLE TO MAKE IT.
New Conclusion: I had the best time with my friends filming the new UCA Summer Camp Material 🙂 I saw friends I didn’t expect to see, I made a bunch of NEW friends, and did a quick UCA takeover. I would say I won the battle between the Colorado Storm vs. My Travel Plans!!!
-ksex
P.S. the dances this year are SO GOOD!
KSL 