Cheers

North girls claim OAA title

Sunday, February 11, 2007

BY DAN O'MEARA

STAFF WRITER

The members of
North Farmington's competitive cheer team, which won the OAA Division III
championship, are (front row, left to right) Genevieve Jona,
Carly Simaan, Brittany Loussia, Jackie Efrusy,
(center) Nikia Washington, (second row) Rayven Crockett, Laura Sherbrook,
Amanda Katzman, Paige Norwick,
Shelby Thomas, Anna Rosenhaus, Leslie Spector, Taylor Young, (third row) Katie Applebaum, coach Amanda O'Neill and Kesia
Washington.

The girls on the North
Farmington competitive cheer team are not only blessed with
athleticism, but they also proved to be a quick study in the sport.

In the program's second
year of existence, the Raiders rose to the top, winning the Oakland
Activities Association Division III championship Feb. 3.

"Last year was a struggle, being
that it was the first year for the girls," coach Amanda O'Neill said.
"I knew what to expect. I've been involved in competitive cheer for a
long time.

"Until they
experience it, it's hard to get a grasp on what's going on. We had seven
girls back from last year and eight rookies. It was hard to know what was
going to come next, being that half the team was brand new.

"For us to come
this far in such a short time is really amazing. We set some goals at the
beginning of the year, and we didn't stop working until they came true."

The OAA conducts
separate competitions on three dates, and the results are combined at the end
to determine the overall champion.

North won the first two
meets and received five points for each first-place finish, but the third was
worth 10 with points awarded to other teams on a declining scale.

Farmington won the third
competition at West Bloomfield High School
a week ago, but North earned eight points for second place and edged Farmington in the final
tally, 18-16.

"I'm extremely
pleased, especially with such a young group that doesn't have a lot of
experience," O'Neill said. "They make up for a lack of experience
with a real genuine desire to do well and succeed.

"One of the
strongest points all season was an outstanding crowd, full of parents,
siblings, classmates and friends. Like they say in football, it's the 12th
man. When you have parents behind you, you have a great chance to
succeed."

Each competition
consists of three rounds, and each round has different requirements. North
won the third round Feb. 3 over runner-up Farmington to clinch second place and the
overall title.

The Raiders tied Berkley for first place in Round 1; Farmington won Round 2 while North was
fifth after being penalized for improper performance of skill.

The third round is an
optional round that involves a combination of running, tumbling, passes and
stunts. No music, dancing or props are allowed under MHSAA rules, and all
routines are performed to words.

"That's our best
round, and it pulled us through at the end," O'Neill said. "It was
very clean; everybody knew what they were doing. It's the girls' favorite
round, so you're always doing your best when you're performing your favorite.

"Our strength is
in the choreography. One thing you're judged on is execution. We kept our
Round 3 strong but very clean, not trying to do too much. We were doing what
we do best and doing it well."

The North team is
composed of junior captains Nikia Washington and
Anna Rosenhaus, fellow juniors Kesia
Washington, Shelby Thomas and Genevieve Jona,
sophomores Amanda Katzman, Rayven
Crockett, Laura Sherbrook and Jackie Efrusy and freshmen Taylor Young, Katie Applebaum, Paige Norwick,
Leslie Spector, Carly Simaan and Brittany Loussia.

The first round of a
competition is a leadership round that requires two different jumps and six
formation changes during the 1.5-minute performance. Round 2 is a compulsory
round in which every team must do a standard drill at the beginning followed
by five more skills in the cheer. Teams are judged on flexibility, tumbling
and jumps.

"The entire cheer
must be performed in unison," O'Neill said. "In the first round,
you can have people doing different things at different times. Everything has
to be the same from beginning to end (in Round 2)."