My students need an octagon mat to help learn back walkovers and back handsprings. They also need an incline mat to train these skills before trying them on the floor.
My student-athletes embark the true meaning of the words never give up. Two years ago this group of athletes went thru a very challenging year. They were league champions, district champions, and state qualifiers for 10+ years. However two years ago over half of the team quit and all of that changed. Six girls remained to work hard and rebuild the program. These girls fought all year to not give up. They competed against teams who had 30 or more girls. They got last place many times but never once walked away. They stuck together as a family and learned that winning is not what makes a sport great. Being there for each other and having one another's back is what makes cheerleading special.
Two years later those six girls have become thirty-five.
They worked to recruit and build the program back up. Now that the team has the numbers, they want to build the skill. They push each other outside of practice to go to gymnastics centers and improve their skill. However, not all athletes can afford to do that. Because of this we want to bring the equipment to the team.
My Project
This team is full of incredibly hard-working girls. Many of them go to gymnastics centers on their off days and even after practice. They continuously want to learn new skills even after they have met the requirements. My team has set high goals for themselves and they push each other to reach these goals.
Although some girls can afford extra workouts, many girls need the equipment at the school.
In order for the entire team to have the same chance to improve, I need to bring the equipment to our program. Having these mats in the school would allow the team to train new gymnastics skills at practice. They would not feel obligated to pay out of pocket to go to a gymnastics center. My team would love the opportunity to have the equipment to continue their push in building the program.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Hein and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.