Holland Christian has
something to cheer about

Thursday,
March 01, 2007

By Cris Greer

The Grand Rapids Press

Fresh off winning its
fourth consecutive O-K Green title, the Holland Christian competitive cheer
team is ready to win the state finals.

The Maroons are ranked No.
1 in the state in Division 2.

"I'm very happy that
they were able to take home their fourth conference title," Holland
Christian coach Beth Cunningham said. "We've done very well this season.
We have taken a first at every meet except East Kentwood
and Grandville.

"This team is
excellent," continued Cunningham, whose Maroons knocked off formerly
top-ranked Mt. Pleasant twice this year. "Of the
16 girls that make up the team, eight are seniors. It's more of an
experienced team than we've ever had before. They know what the sport is
about and have a lot of talent."

The Division 2 regionals will be Saturday at Cedar Springs, and the
state finals will be Saturday, March 10 at the DeltaPlex in Walker.

"I'm just hoping that
the girls continue to work hard, stay focused and have fun and I think we
should be very successful these last few weeks of the season," said
Cunningham, who's going to the finals for a third consecutive year.
"They have the potential to do very well. They're well-trained and
well-conditioned and have a lot of ability."

The eight Holland
Christian seniors are Sara Woodwyk, Ashley Baumann,
Krissie Bartles, Katie Prins, Katlyn Prince, Anna Genzink, Meg Vogelzang and Liz Lambers.

"Obviously, my goal
as a senior is to win a state championship; we're hopefully pretty close.
We've got to keep working hard this year," Baumann said.

Cunningham said she's
looking for a top-three finish at state.

"Just to be there at
the state finals is an accomplishment within itself, but the girls' goal is
to win the state championship," she said.

The Maroons highest finish
was second place in 2005. Last year, they took third in Division 2.

"It's a tough part of
the season because girls are having those injuries that you get at the
end," Cunningham said. "They've been working and pushing themselves
so hard this season so right now we just need to keep them healthy."

At the O-K Green post
conference meet, Holland Christian won with a score of 703.3, followed by Mona Shores
(665.7), Unity Christian (632.9), Reeths-Puffer (605), Zeeland East (535),
Zeeland West (532.5) and Muskegon
(437.9).