Music moves Hastings cheerleader Lepard

Tuesday,
December 11, 2007

By
Steve Vedder

The Grand Rapids Press

Brittany Lepard's
idea of heaven is a microphone and a sheet of contemporary music.

The Hastings senior hopes to transform a hobby
she can't remember ever being without into a career. Based on recent history,
the 17-year-old Lepard, a member of the Saxon
competitive cheer team, may be onto something.

She has placed in several national
singing competitions, earned several thousand dollars toward a college
scholarship and eventually plans to turn singing into a career.

"It's my life, my hobby, my
favorite thing," she said.

Lepard comes from a musically inclined
family. Her mother, Sue, sang in the same fine arts competitions in which Lepard has competed since seventh grade. Her sister,
Amanda, sings in a choir and her father, Ron, plays the French horn.

The fine arts competitions are
organized nationally through churches, with Lepard
competing as a member of the Hastings Assembly of God. Participants compete
in three categories at the state level, then move on to the national level.
The categories include all participants at the first level, then the top
singers move in front of judges. The best are then judged individually.

Lepard twice has qualified for the
second level at nationals, which includes only about 100 people. She made the
third level, which is cut to up to 20 participants, once.

The songs must be contemporary
Christian music. Lepard's choices have come from
such Christian artists as Joi Williams, Jaci Velasquez, Stacie Orrico, Cece Winans and Anna Laura.

Lepard, who has been in competitive
cheer since middle school, said that sport and singing actually have traits
in common.

"I think the adrenaline of
being in front of people makes me perform better," she said.

The toughest part of singing, she
said, is harnessing that adrenaline and overcoming a natural fear of
"putting yourself out there." But she has put aside those concerns
to raise more than $12,000 in scholarship money with her appearances at the
fine arts competititions. It's
money she's going to use for college at either North Central Minnesota or Cornerstone University.

"Becoming a
music major is hard," she said. "The idea of getting that
and putting yourself out there is the hardest part of singing."

But a long musical resume has
helped put her in position to become a music major
in college. In addition to the competitions, Lepard
has sang in musicals through her church, been involved in an outreach program
through the Alpha Women's Center in Hastings, sang in the Michigan Honors
Choir through Hastings High School and helped raise money through solo jazz
performances.

Whatever apprehension she had of
performing in front of people is shrinking, she said.

"The first time I ever did it
I remember I was nervous," she said. "But every year I've gotten
better. They began judging harder (at the fine arts competitions), but I've
still gotten to nationals so you can see the progress."

Competitive cheer

Coach: Amy Hubbell, second
year

Conference: O-K Gold

2006-07: Ninth in the
conference

Top returners: The Saxons
have five four-year athletes -- Sara Radant, Brittany
Lepard, Molly Koutz,
Tiffany McCloud and Nichole Moser.

Outlook: Six girls either
didn't come out or graduated from last year's team, but it's still
experienced.

Coach's comment: "We've
worked on refining our precision and our jumps and the little things
that we need to be better."

Key date: Saxon Fest on Jan.
19