W. Ottawa cheer hopes to recreate old magic

Thursday,
December 28, 2006

By
Steve Vedder

The Grand Rapids Press

It'll take a few breaks,
but West Ottawa's competitive cheer team has
a chance at resembling the last Panthers team to make the state finals. That
one finished runner-up in the state two years ago.

With a veteran roster that
includes 14 seniors and 11 juniors among the 30 players on the team, West Ottawa won't be lacking experience. The Panthers
didn't make the state meet a year ago, but the current club more resembles
the team that was runner-up in the state in 2004-05, first-year coach
Kristine Brandt said.

The key, she said, is
learning tougher routines.

”Especially
with things like tumbling or stunts," she said. "The more you do,
the better you become."

Heading the team's
experience is senior Heather Fuglseth, who has been
on varsity since her freshman year. Seniors Jamie Overway,
Sam Mosier and Erica Sova are beginning their third
varsity season. Junior Amanda Janowiak is on
varsity for a third year.

West
Ottawa,
which has sponsored a competitive cheer team since 1999, was third in its
regional, third in the O-K Rainbow preseason meet and fifth in the postseason
meet a year ago.

The Panthers are on their
way to an improved season after placing second of 21 teams in last Saturday's
CCCAM Competition.

"We have some
well-rounded and talented girls," Brandt said. "And that was a very
good start for us. We have high hopes for the team. Our goal is to go to
state and there's no doubt we can obtain that."

West
Ottawa
will find out more about those chances next month when the Panthers compete
at a meet at the DeltaPlex on Feb. 10 and in the Chesaning Invitational on
Feb. 17. Before those meets, West Ottawa
will compete in a meet at Grandville on Saturday.

Brandt said she's wanted
to become a competitive cheer coach. A Hope College graduate, she coached
West Ottawa's junior varsity team last year and was a varsity assistant two
seasons ago.

"I definitely always
wanted to be a coach, but I didn't think anticipate it this early," she
said. "But it's something that arose and I accepted."