Tracie, thank you for taking the time
to join me!
Q. You are definitely a woman
of great talents, how do you possibly find time for it all with five
children, three grandchildren, a husband, and a household to run?
Just being an author would be challenging enough, but screenwriter,
actress, and director, as well? That's amazing!
A. I will admit that my family
refers to my housekeeping as OCD. So with that said, yes, I am very
busy and I burn the candle at both ends constantly but I wouldn't
have it any other way. I love working hard, taking care of my family
(cooking is a passion) and cleaning house. Although when I'm editing
either my books or my film work I will admit that my house suffers a
bit. I had my first child when I was 20, so all of my children are
basically adults now. Their ages are 32, 30, 25, 22, and 14.
Ahhh, ok, that does free up a little
time, then.
Q. I've read both episodes of
LeveL5Cheer, and I have to admit that, although I know nothing about
cheerleading, I was hooked! What prompted you to write about this
fascinating sport?
A. My daughter has been an All
Star cheerleader since she was 11 years old. She made an L5 team when
she was only 13 and still cheers to this day at the age of 22. I had
been in the industry (film/TV) for some time and when the gymnastics
show “Make it or Break it” came out, I realized that there were a
lot of the cheerleaders watching this show because there wasn't a
“cheer” show on TV. Most the cheer movies didn't represent what
actually took place behind the scenes of an All Star team or what it
takes to actually make a L5 team and compete in that division. It was
based on this idea that I decided to create a web series about real
cheerleading and with the encouragement of Tom Townsend I also
created the book. I am so glad that I did.
Q. I was a little shocked at
how fierce these athletes actually are. When we see them cheer at
sporting events, honestly, it looks like a lot of fun, but you show
us a behind the scenes look that isn't always so fun. Is it really a
lot of blood, sweat, and tears?
A. It truly is and that was what
I found was missing from all of the shows that depict cheerleading or
the movies that have surfaced. These kids are athletes and they do
incur injuries along the way. I have witnessed girls in competition
losing teeth to a flyer that came down out of position, then the
cheerleader starts looking for her tooth on the mat after the
competition. I have also witnessed girls blowing out their knee,
breaking ankles or tearing their ACL (most common cheer injury) and
continuing in the competition to try and finish their dance. I am not
kidding!
At the end of their cheer career is
college. Many of these girls and boys will go on to cheer for college
but only a few will actually get scholarships. It is a very tough,
demanding sport that challenges the athlete to always strive for a
new skill either in tumbling, flying or stunting if you're a base.
The more gifted the cheerleader, the more opportunities that are
waiting around the corner at a D1 school.
Q. From the reactions of some of the
parents, it's clear that it's almost as tense and stressful for them
at times as it is for their children, maybe even more so.
A. Unfortunately there is the
saying in cheer about the “cheer mom” trying to live through her
daughter or son. That certainly isn't the case with every child but
there are some notorious moms or dads out there. And I believe you
have that in every sport, not just cheer. They want their child to
succeed, to be the best and some of them will stop at nothing to get
there. It's funny but when some of the parents read the book they
quickly said they knew a few “cheer moms” like that! I didn't
base Patrice on anyone, I just had fun creating her.
Q. Your character building was
fantastic, you really eased me right into a connection with them. Are
any based on people you actually know?
A. Yes and No. The character
Alexa was based on my daughter as she is a tough, fearless competitor
but she isn't nasty like that to other cheerleaders, straight forward
maybe, but not mean. The inspiration behind Valerie is a beautiful
cheer coach that coached my daughter early on in her career and she
is sweet like Valerie. For the most part I am a very creative
individual that loves to create character's that we somehow see
someone we know in them. To me that helps the audience connect.
Q. How many episodes do you have
plans for before the electrifying showdown at Cheer World?
A. Honestly to get to
Cheerleading Worlds it takes an entire year of conditioning, practice
and many local and national competitions to even be considered for a
bid. We will follow the cheerleaders to their first national and
touch on other local or bid comps as well as get a real, gritty look
at what it takes to get that bid. I will keep it as real as possible
even though we have made up character's, gyms and competitions.
Q. Something tells me we can
look forward to more than one huge upset on that day. Is that right?
A. Just as in life...anything
can happen at Cheer Worlds and has happened!
Q. Do you have a release date for
LeveL5Cheer, Episode 3, yet?
A. It is ¾ of the way written
and I have already outlined Episode 4.
Great! I'm definitely looking
forward to seeing what the girls and boys of LeveL5Cheer are up to
next!
Q. Aside from the next Episodes for
LeveL5Cheer, are you working on any other projects we can look
forward to in the near future?
A. I directed a web series that
I wrote called Spirit Hunters-The Series. Our series aired on local
television, ran for two season, and had a following on YouTube. I
have already started penning that series as it follows Hunter, a boy
who can see and talk to ghosts, and what his life is like when he
becomes the new kid in town.
I can see all kinds of scary plot
twists coming from a plot like that! Thanks again for joining me
Tracie! You can find Tracie's books here:
