Braves seek state cheer
crown

Friday,
March 09, 2007

By Brandon Veale - [email-masked]

The Gladstone High School
cheerleaders will compete in the MHSAA state competitive cheer tournament
Saturday in Grand Rapids.
Gladstone won a state title last year, in a different sanctioning group.
(Photo courtesy of Gladstone
High School)

GLADSTONE — The Gladstone
competitive cheer team will attempt to nab a second straight state title
Saturday, but will do so under the auspices of a different sanctioning body.

Last year, the Braves won the Michigan Cheerleading Coaches Association
crown. Now they competing in the Michigan High
School Athletic Association Division 3 State Finals at the Deltaplex in Grand
Rapids.

The MHSAA decided this season any member school with a competitive cheer team
must use their rules and format or face sanctions, bringing competitive cheer
in line with rules governing other MHSAA-sanctioned sports.

“In the beginning, I was reluctant to have to make the change, because
from a spectator standpoint, they would miss the pom-poms, music, flairs, and
added bonuses you could have in MCCA,” coach Kristie Nevala said. “As the year went on, I’ve
learned to like the MHSAA format.”

Last year, the second of two rounds was a creative presentation that could
involve music, pom-poms, flags, signs and other materials. Now, Gladstone will have
three presentations.

Round one is a clean cheer (no stunts), round two a skills/compulsory round,
including five skills from three categories including jumps, tumbling and
flexibility, and round three a free round with stunts and tumbling.

“From a coaching standpoint, there’s more strategy
involved,” Nevala said.

Creativity was a hallmark of Gladstone’s
presentation last year en route to the state title, and Nevala
said her team will be pushing the envelope again this year, even with the MHSAA
regulations.

“We have a couple things we’ve been doing that, every time, the
safety judge is constantly looking in their book to make sure they’re
legal,” she said.

The Braves qualified for the finals by finishing second at regionals in Houghton
Lake last weekend. Four
girls, Erin Loman, Cathy LeGault,
Miranda Miron and Alicia Jacques, were named to the
all-regional team.

The team that beat them, Remus Chippewa Hills, should figure in the final
results, as well as Chesaning, Nevala said. Three
Rivers, Otsego, Grosse Ile, Onsted, Richmond, Comstock Park
and Wyoming Park fill the Division 3 field.

Nevala said her team’s strengths are floor
presence, leadership and stunting.

“They need to be tight, they need to be clean, and they need to leave
every ounce of energy and everything they’ve worked for the past four
months on that mat to be successful,” she said.

Nevala said the team’s goal for the finals is
simple.

“Their goal this weekend is to have three clean rounds, and whatever
happens, happens,” she said.