Gladstone cheerful about state finals finish

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

ESCANABA
— The Gladstone Braves competitive
cheer team finished sixth at the MHSAA Division 3 Finals at the Delta Plex in Grand
Rapids, but they accomplished one of their main
goals: performing three clean rounds.

“It was an unforgettable experience for this team,” Nevala said Monday. “They are definitely motivated
for things to come.”

Chesaning won the state title, finishing with 727.6 points. Remus Chippewa
Hills (708.3) and Grosse Ile (682.6) rounded out the top three. Gladstone had 666.9.

The Braves were seeded ninth of 10 going into the finals, but got off to a
good start in the first round. Their clean cheer was judged on seven
categories, including floor mobility, vocals, jumps, team coordination,
difficulty, variety and general impression. Gladstone had 187, good for fourth in the
round.

In round two, the skills/compulsories round, the MHSAA format to which the
team switched this year, puts a premium on team tumbling skills, Nevala said. Her team posted similar scores to what they
have all year, but other teams performed more challenging routines.

Chesaning, in particular, wowed the crowd.

“They put 10 girls on the floor, and it’s all about precision and
being exactly the same,” she said. “It looked like there was one
kid on the floor.”

Gladstone went
for a tough routine in round three, the open round, and performed flawlessly.
Their point total of 298 was third.

“They nailed it,” Nevala said.
“The tumbling was on, the stunts, the timing was perfect. They did
really, really good.”

Under the bright lights of state competition, the Braves shined.

“Execution is a huge factor, which is something we have struggled with
all year,” Nevala said.