Rochester Post

Photo
by Keith Emmerich

Rochester
High’s varsity cheerleading team poses with its Division 1
championship trophy March 12 at the high school. The Falcons won their
third straight state title March 10 at the Deltaplex
in Grand Rapids.

Three cheers to the Falcons

Rochester High
claims third straight state cheerleading title

By Susan Shanley

C & G Sports Editor

ROCHESTER HILLS
— If Rochester
High cheerleading coach Susan Wood didn’t have a lucky number before
she led the Falcons into competition March 9-10 for the state finals, she
has one now.

Three.

When the Falcons won
the Division 1 title, it was a three-peat. It was the third time in Wood's
tenure that her team had accomplished at least three straight state title
wins, including a run of five straight from 1998-99 through the 2002-03
season.

And in which round
did they clinch the title and have their best performance this year?

You guessed it, round
No. 3.

When the Falcons
tallied 320.5 points in that third and final round, they put the title out
of reach for anyone but themselves.

They had the lead
heading into the final round by a little more than 11 points, but after the
stunting round was complete, there was little doubt that the Falcons
deserved the state title for the 2006-07 season.

“It was our
best round, but it’s also the most dangerous round,” Wood said
of the stunts. “They nailed it. They really deserved this
title.”

The state
championship was the 11th Michigan High School Athletic Association title
for Rochester High since 1994, when the organization began sponsoring a
season-ending tournament. The Falcons won a Michigan Cheerleading Coaches
Association title in 1989 and four straight from 1994-1997, as well.

For Wood and her
Falcons, winning never gets old. Since she doesn’t bring any freshmen
up to varsity, her student-athletes get only get three years to make their
mark.

“We have a lot
of new kids every year,” Wood said. “This year, 18 of our 33
are returnees, which means that a good majority of
them have never won a state title — that’s what makes it so
exciting every year.

“This was a
very low-maintenance group. They worked really hard.”

The Falcons won all
three rounds en route to their state title, accumulating 750.1 points;
Grandville was second with 737.4 points, and Southgate Anderson was third
with 722.2.

Though there’s
plenty of hard work that goes into being the best team in the state year in
and year out, there’s still time for fun and school spirit with this
particular squad. In fact, the Falcons are one of the few competitive teams
that cheer on the football team in the fall and the boys
basketball team, during home games, in the winter.

“We believe in
school spirit,” Wood said. “But the girls know that this
(competitive cheer) is their sport.  They need their own sports; they
can’t just be part of the boys sports.
It’s healthy for girls to have their own sports. When they graduate,
they have to compete for jobs, so why not compete in your own sport?”