Shores' cheer team ready to shout

Thursday,
December 14, 2006

By
David Tomczak

CHRONICLE
STAFF WRITER

With only two seniors returning
to the team, you would think Mona
Shores' competitive
cheer team would be looking towards the future.

Not so says Krista
Whitaker, who co-coaches the team with Tanya Ramm.

"We're a junior
oriented team but we're pretty optimistic (about this year)," the coach
said. "Even though the team is young, it's talented."

After
finishing second in the O-K Green Conference last year, the Sailors expect to
compete with Holland Christian for this years title
and make some noise come state tournament time.

The state may have helped Mona Shores
with that by changing from classes to divisions. The Sailors switch from
Class A state competition to Division 2, which should make the finals a
little easier for the team to make.

And if they do, they will
be relying heavily on one of their seniors to help lead them.

Brittney Yabs returns for her third season on the Shores squad and
is as enthusiastic about the teams chances as her
coaches are.

"We'll do just as
good if not better than last year," the 17-year-old senior said. "The
team has improved tremendously in just three years since I've been on it.
It's bigger and it's gotten better."

Yabs, who began her career as a youth
football cheerleader at the age of five, has competed in all three rounds of
every competition for the last three years.

"She's very important
member of our team," Whitaker said. "She's a very nice girl but has
a very competitive side to her. On the day of the competition she's very
intense--she's a little firecracker out there."

"She definently
knows when to motivate," adds Ramm. "But
she also knows when to crack a joke, we chose her as a captain to lead the
team both on and off the floor."

With competitions consisting of
three rounds--jumps and motion in Round 1; tumbling and flexability
jumps in Round 2; and stunting and tumbling in the final round--Brittney made
sure to improve her all-around game in the offseason.

"For a team to be successful
you have to be good at tumbling," Whitaker said. "And in the offseason Brittney took her own gymnastic classes and
really has improved. She's one of the most naturally gifted girls I've ever
coached."

All that's left to do now is to
make sure the team finishes as well, if not better, then
it did last year.

"We'll do our best and make it
as far as we can," Yabs said. "My senior
season I just want to give it my all and set a good example for the other
girls. Hopefully, they'll learn something from me and the team will get
better throughout the year."

New programs

Grand Haven, Grant and Fruitport will
have new programs beginning this year while North
Muskegon has shut down its program due to numbers.

The Bucs,
led by co-coaches Jill Philipsen and Deb Johnston
will compete in the O-K Red while Grant and Fruitport will join the Coastal
Conference.

"For the last four years we've
been trying to talk the school board into (getting a team)," said Grant
coach Kathy Brackett.

"They finally voted and
approved it last spring. It'll be a building year and we'll see how it
works."

Katie Pendell
will coach the Trojans in their first year.

State tournament

Competitive cheer regionals will be March 3, with all of the state finals
on March 9-10 at the DeltaPlex in Grand
Rapids.

How it's scored

All competitive cheer competitions
are divided into three rounds, which are judged separately. The team with the
highest point total after all three rounds wins.

Teams are judged on floor mobility,
vocals, jumps, team coordination, difficulty and variety and general
impression.