Gaylord
cheerleaders take top trophy

“We
let everybody know what Gaylord cheering is all about today.”

-- Ronda Davis

Wednesday,
January 16, 2008

Blue Devil gals
outscore all competitors in Saturday’s 14-team tourney at Gaylord gym

By Mike Dunn

GAYLORD – It was a mission accomplished for the Gaylord competitive
cheerleading team on the home mats Saturday. The girls came together in the
way that veteran head coach Ronda Davis and assistant coach Jessica Davis
hoped and gave the crowd (and the judges) quite a show.

Gaylord was the class of the 14-team tournament, billed as the Big North
Cheerleading Competition. The Blue Devils scored nearly 730 points, by far
the highest total of any other team, enabling the girls to win the trophy for
their pool and also the trophy as overall champion.

“We let everybody know what Gaylord cheering is all about today,”
Ronda Davis said after the tourney, a big smile covering her face.
“We’re a young team this year and we’re still learning some
things. But it all came together today. Their tumbling was amazing.”

Gaylord outscored all of the other teams in each of the three rounds of the
competition Marion,
the team that was closest to the Blue Devils in overall points, won the
trophy in its pool with 633 points, nearly 100 points behind Gaylord.

“There was some strong teams here today; Marion, Manistique and
Bellaire were all really good,” Ronda said. “I just liked the way
we were focused and performed in all three rounds. We didn’t have a
drop off in any of the rounds.”

There are only two seniors, Andrea Heumann and
Jessica Henry, on Gaylord’s 12-team roster and only three juniors, Amanda
Wagner, Lindsey Fourman and Stephanie Renkiewicz. Six of the other seven girls are sophomores:
Hilary Puroll, Megan Esson,
Ashley Reininger, Alicia McNamara, Taylor Miner and
Chelsey Williams. Danielle Olson is the lone
freshman.

“The girls are building an identity now,” said Jessica Davis, who
was a standout for Gaylord in the early 2000s before graduating and cheering
for Ferris State University.
“They showed team unity today, which was really nice to see. They were
competing as one team and not as 12 individuals. Their confidence level was a
lot higher today than it has been.”

Gaylord, which finished fifth in the Division 2 regional tournament last
year, returns to the mats on Saturday in a tournament at Farwell.

Manistique won the trophy as top team in Pool 2, edging Cheboygan and
Pellston, which both performed well and finished in a near tie for second
place. East Jordan was fourth in that pool.

Marion and Bellaire were 1-2 in the Pool 3. Onaway gave a good showing in
that pool also.