Dad in a Cheer Bow
Dad in a Cheer Bow
Authors & Illustrator
Author:
Patrick
Riccards
Third Place Award
Nonfiction > Parenting
Honorable Mention
Nonfiction > Relationships - Family
Description
The incredible lessons from this middle-aged man learned coaching a team of tween girls. When Patrick first became a “boy cheer coach” a few years back, he had no idea what was in store for him. He had agreed simply because his daughter asked him to. Once the deal was done, there was no turning back!
Initially, Patrick struggles to fit in with a group of women and feels out of place. Will he ever truly belong? Working with 19 tween girls and absolutely no understanding about cheer or cheer competitions, surprisingly cheer soon becomes part of his DNA. It was quite a learning experience. Together, they overcame major adversity to win second place at Globals and place Top 10 at Nationals. Over the course of four years, he helped these girls become athletes and young women, including during the struggles of COVID and how it took a final season away from his daughter and many of her teammates.