Zeeland East cheer
hopes to develop consistency

Sunday,
December 24, 2006

By
Steve Vedder

The Grand Rapids Press

If there's anything
Zeeland East's competitive cheer team can accomplish in its inaugural season,
it's developing consistency.

It's not about wins and
losses or securing enough athletes to fill three teams. It's about
introducing basics, teaching fundamentals and learning about the sport. If
the team, which kicks off an abbreviated schedule Jan. 11, can accomplish
that, it'll be a successful three months, coach Erica Robinson said.

A lot of the kids haven't
cheered before at all, so we really need to have them step up to the plate.
And it's going to be quite a challenge," she said.

The idea
of a competitive cheer team began a year ago when Robinson, Zeeland East's
sideline cheer coach, received feedback from those players that there was
enough interest to form a competitive cheer team. She approached the
administration with the idea and it was accepted.

Zeeland
East opens its schedule at Mona
Shores. There are six
meets, including two in the O-K Green.

"We're looking
forward to it," Robinson said. "We've gotten a lot of support from
parents. It's been quite exciting."

It'll be a young team that
includes one senior in Tasha Lemmen and one junior,
Rebekah Taylor. There are two sophomores and 17
freshmen among the 21 on the roster.

A West
Ottawa grad who competed at the state competitive cheer meet in
high school, Robinson isn't expecting miracles in the team's first year of
existence. The goal was to have 20 players and the eventual plan is to have
enough athletes for freshman and junior varsity teams.

"The interest has to
grow. For the first year, this is going to be easier to manage," she
said. "Winning and losing is not going to be a factor at this point.
Maybe three years down the line when those freshmen are seniors, that's something
we can look at."