What I Wish I Knew My First Year as a Cheer Mom

When my daughter joined her first All Star cheer team, I was equal parts thrilled, confused, and mildly afraid. She had the shoes. She had the team bow. I, meanwhile, had no idea what I was getting into.

If you're heading into your first season, bless your heart — and welcome to the club. You’re about to have the best, most chaotic year of your life. And I’m here to save you from at least three meltdowns (maybe even four) with the advice I wish someone had given me.

1. Booking Hotels Early Is Not Optional

Think you can wait until October to book a hotel for a January comp? Think again, internet friend.

Cheer moms (and dads, grandmas, aunts...) are savages when it comes to grabbing the good rooms. If your gym uses a travel service like TTS, bookmark those emails and jump the second blocks open.

Pro tip: Book the room before you know if that comp is 'stay-to-play' (as in, you are required to book through a specific travel portal--don't worry, I have ways around that 😎). You can cancel it later, but you can’t time-travel back to get the $159 nightly rate with free breakfast right next to the venue.

2. That Gym Expense Sheet Is a Lie (Kind Of)

You know that lovely expense sheet the gym gave you with monthly payments, competition fees, and uniform costs? Cute. Keep it. Frame it, even. But know this:

That’s just the starting point.

You’ll also pay for:

• Comp-day makeup (and inevitable backups)
• Wristbands/tickets to watch your athlete compete (that 'comp fee' is just for the athlete 🫠)
• Travel meals and snacks
• Team gifts and Big/Little exchanges
• Gym gear that mysteriously becomes “required” 3 days before the deadline to order
  

That’s why I made this Cheer Budget Calculator — it helps you plan for all the real costs, not just what’s on paper.

3. The Group Chat Is a Jungle

At some point, you’ll be added to a team parent group chat — probably on Band, Facebook Messenger, or GroupMe. And listen: it’s not for the faint of heart.

You’ll be 47 messages behind in the time it takes to butter a bagel. Someone will ask what time practice starts, even though it’s been posted three times. A different mom will panic about socks. Someone will tag everyone to say, “Never mind, I found it.”

Your phone will explode with notifications for things like:

• “Is it black practice wear or red tonight?”
• “Do we have a hotel booking link for Atlanta yet?”
• “Can someone resend the snack sign up list?”

Eventually, you’ll learn how to skim, mute, and only panic when the team parent says, “Please read everything above carefully.”

Pro tip: Make a folder in your phone’s Notes app called CHEER EVERYTHING and copy/paste important stuff there. It’ll save you when the chat goes full chaos at 10:36 PM on a Wednesday.

4. You’ll Want a Cheer Planner More Than You Think

At first, I thought, “I have a calendar app. I’m fine.”

Fast-forward three weeks, and I was taking screen shots with practice times, emailing myself flight confirmations, and wondering where I put the uniform sizing measurements.

If you want to keep your sanity, grab a planner made for this life. This one has space for comp weekends, budget tracking, hotel booking, and even packing lists. Bonus: It’s cute enough that you won’t hide it under your new gym-branded sweatshirt.

5. It’s Okay to Laugh at the Chaos

You’ll cry at least once (maybe in a hotel bathroom, maybe in the parking lot of Chick-fil-A at 10 PM). You’ll also laugh — a lot. Lean into it. Trade stories with other moms. Embrace the weirdness of comp day lashes and sewing fake ponytails to your daughter's head.

This sport is expensive, overwhelming, and kind of ridiculous. But it’s also incredible. You’ll watch your kid grow in confidence, resilience, and sparkle (literally and metaphorically).

And when you survive the season? You’ll want a t-shirt that says exactly that.

💡Need help getting organized this season?

Grab our starter bundle for new cheer parents (our best-selling calculator and spiral-bound planner) — made by a cheer mom (hi), for cheer moms who like to know what the heck is going on.

You’ve got this. Even if there’s glitter in your purse forever.