Bobcats, Bucks end cheer season at regionals

March 8, 2007

The 2006-07 competitive cheer season ended for both the Houghton Lake Bobcats and the
Roscommon Bucks Saturday in Class B regional competition at Houghton Lake. Out of 11 teams, the Bobcats
placed fourth and the Bucks placed eighth.

Headed for state competition are the
Remus-Chippewa Hills Warriors (2006 Class B champs) who took the top spot
with 736.6 points, and the Gladstone Braves, who scored 661.8.

Houghton Lake
scored a half-point more than the third place Kingsford Flivvers,
178.5-178, in Round 1, and bested the Upper Peninsula
team 182.4-180.8 in Round 2. However, a 14-point penalty in the second
round dropped the Bobcats’ score to 346.9.

“Round one was strong,” Bobcat Coach Celeste Kubiak said. “Round two was our best yet.”

Judges scored the ’Cats at 182.4 in Round 2, but then deducted the
penalty points because the girls were facing the wrong way when they did
their round-offs, for which Coach Kubiak admitted
fault. Even without the penalty, Houghton
Lake would not have
caught up to Kingsford because the Flivvers outscored the Bobcats in Round
3, 290.5-282.5.

“Round three was great,” Kubiak said.
“They did a great job.”

The Bobcats use three flyers in their grand finale stunt, which calls for
four-year cheerleader Sarah Lockhart to brace herself
against two other flyers before releasing one leg for a backward kick
toward the ceiling.

“We improved a lot,” Lockhart said. “We came together
well as a group.”

Adrian Kearns, also on the team for four years, agreed. “I think this
is the closest team we’ve had,” she said.

“It’s like my family,” four-year teammate Kelly McGurk said.

The Bobcats may not have advanced to state competition, but two ’Cats
were named to the 2007 All-Region Team: Senior Sarah Lockhart and junior
Stephanie Foster.

As for the Bucks, Coach Vickie Alexander said, “They worked really
hard. They had an awesome day today.”

Roscommon senior Megan Barton said her teammates bonded during the season.

“It’s a lot of hard work,” she said, “and
it’s a lot of fun at the same time.”

“We’ve changed everything,” fellow senior Jessica Romancky said. “We’re proud of what
we’ve done this season.”

The Bucks bested the Grayling Vikings, the Saginaw Swan Valley Vikings and
the Oscoda Owls.

Chippewa Hills led the competition in every round. The Warriors, wearing
gymnastics slippers, cheered to an energetic cheering section of their own.
Last year’s state champs performed synchronized toe touches, Herkie jumps, back walk-overs,
back flips and standing back tucks in Round 2. In Round 3, they tumbled,
twisted and flew to a score of 315.5, for a total of 736.6.

U.P. competitors Gladstone and Kingsford both scored 290.5 in Round 3, but
by then the Gladstone Braves had secured their lead over the Flivvers and
ended with 661.8 points, 12.5 points ahead of their rivals.

Final scores were: Remus-Chippewa Hills, 736.6; Gladstone, 661.8;
Kingsford, 649.3; Houghton Lake, 629.4; Midland-Bullock Creek, 598.7;
Harrison, 575.7; Shepherd, 517.8; Roscommon, 508.6; Grayling, 498.6;
Saginaw Swan Valley, 483.2; and Oscoda, 442.

Chipp Hills and Gladstone
will compete March 9-10 at the Class B State Finals at the Deltaplex in Grand
Rapids.