Poms Fall (Winter) Regional Competition

The Fall regional poms competition was held in Kansas City again. Since Beth didn't have to be there until 12:30 pm we decided to drive to Kansas on the day of the event & then drive back straight afterwards. The event was held at the Kansas Community College again, but this time the organization was absolutely disastrous. Last time the organization wasn't very good, but we gave Young Champions of America (YCOA) the benefit of the doubt since this was their first time at this different venue. This time, however, YCOA had no excuse. At 12:30 pm Beth should have been registering, however, the morning session (which should have already finished according to YCOA's schedule) was still taking place. The venue was apparently full, so campus police were charged with preventing anyone from entering the building (except for those people that either ignored them or argued with them). This wouldn't have been so bad except the temperature was very cold (partly due to the snow still on the ground), which combined with the windchill, made it a decidedly unhealthy place for all the cheerleaders waiting to perform. We were near the head of the line outside the building & were assured that we would be in the building in a couple of minutes as the late-running morning competition was now over, so were reluctant to go back to the car (as the line was now considerably longer than when we arrived). YCOA weren't very helpful (or particularly tactful) by sending people out to apologize & make excuses that they didn't know that this would happen, even though they organized the event, knew what teams had made it to 'regionals', & also knew how long the cheer routines take. After being told for the third time that we would be in the building in a minute or two & that they couldn't let anyone in as the building had reached capacity, & that it was just as bad for all of them in the warm building (as there were so many people in there that it made it difficult for them to move around), I decided that enough was enough, so made my feelings known (in a firm but calm manner) to the unfortunate YCOA representative that was telling everyone how bad it was for them. There was somewhat of a silence as I said my piece & asked what YCOA were going to do to about this totally unsatisfactory situation & was basically told that there was nothing they could do & that I would have to speak to one of the regional managers. We eventually got into the building 45 minutes after registration was supposed to have started. Beth was really upset at being made to stand outside in sub-zero temperatures for nearly an hour, during which time her legs had turned blue. Luckily, she soon warmed up, but there were plenty of other upset cheerleaders (& parents) so it seemed that YCOA were really adding insult to injury by making such a big deal about the most important being that the girls should have fun & enjoy themselves at the competition! As usual, Beth put on a great display & her team was rewarded with a runners-up position (which was pretty good since they were competing with 20 or so other teams).