In the first few chapters of Welcome to Mintland, it was important to share the culture Peppermint was surrounded by. In the first few pages, I share the legacy of the 8 time World Champion Stingray Allstars Orange. In youth sports, it is important to have people to look up to. This Mini team each had their favorite teams in the gym, but the positive culture starts and ends with watching and being surrounded by the Orange team legacy.
The success of Orange has built a culture of keeping your head down, working hard to do your best, staying humble and believing in yourself. The legacy that hovers around the gym is a strong force you can feel. Not only by the current Orange teammates but also the Alumni that enter the building and follow the team on social media. It helps drive all of the teams in the building. It is why I firmly believe the success of the gym will be driven by building the legacy of not only Orange, but all of the Worlds teams at the Stingray Allstars. Having strong mentors in life is a very powerful force. When you have multiple mentors to look up to and pair that up with an incredible leader or coach, magnificent things can happen. Peppermint was fortunate enough to be surrounded by multiple teams that were lead by fantastic leaders who extracted the most out of their athletes. To build an incredible team at the beginning of a new year, the expectation and bar needs to be set and understood by all.
Earning the right to watch the Stingray Allstars Orange Practice
Peppermint was fortunate enough to be surrounded by multiple teams that were fantastic leaders and mentors, including their own coaching staff. The acceptance of a work hard and “do your best” culture is significant in building powerful relationships and bonds that will last a lifetime. It is why I firmly believe that the relationship between Peppermint and the 2015 World Champion Stingray Allstars Peach was so strong.
The 2015 Cheersport Champions Stingrays Peppermint and Peach
In my opinion, one of the most important aspects of being successful in life is being surrounded by incredible mentors that have built a strong positive culture. This is one of the first life lessons I wanted to establish in the book.
Over the course of the next few blog posts, I will continue to outline the many life lessons in Welcome to Mintland in sequential order. How has a positive culture or mentor shaped your life? I would love to hear your thoughts and stories.
Allstar Cheerleading, Life Lessons and More 
I some how stumbled across your blog this morning and this post just made my day. Love hearing that the younger athletes still look up to us (Orange) just as much as I did when I was a younger athlete at the gym. 🙂
Taylor, Your team is the heart and soul of our gym. Being on the team, you know the legacy that is “Orange.” I wish you could hear all the Tinys, Mini’s and Youth cheerleaders that look up to you guys. My two come home from competitions and re-create routines being Orange, Peach and Steel. (I am sure Apple is soon to follow.) The way my girls fawn and look up to you is amazing. I am proud to call your team “role models” to my daughters. It is not only the World Championships, but also in the manner you conduct yourselves on and off the mats. You all should be very proud continued success to you in everything you do!