Sports

Pep in their step: Dragons take second

Colin Baumgarten

The team poses with their second place hardware. Photo by
Cathy Kimmel.

January 30,
2008 - A strong third round performance helped the Lake Orion
cheer squad move from fourth to second place Saturday in the annual Lake
Orion Invitational.

Their 314.5 round three score was the state's third highest score all season,
as the team leapfrogged both Grandville and Stoney Creek.
Rochester
took first place, with their 783.1 total score, nearly 16 points ahead of the
Dragons.

"We had personal best scored in all three rounds," Coach Nancy DeAvila said. "The third round cheer was just
terrific. The girls really built on the excitement from the crowd."

In all, 66 teams (including 12 Division 1 varsity squads) came to Lake Orion
for the competition.

"Everything
flowed smoothly," DeAvila noted. "All of
the Lake Orion teams (middle schools, freshman
and junior varsity) performed really well."

DeAvila said the direct competition with Stoney
Creek was a focus in practice for the team, as they fell by less than a point
at last Wednesday's league meet to finish in third place (Rochester again
took first).

"Saturday, we closed the gap from the first two rounds in half,"
she said. "The kids can see that every round matters."

DeAvila said that Stoney Creek
has one of the state's best second round routines. Her team was close enough
over the weekend to make up the difference with their strong closing routine.

It was also just the second time that the squad had beaten Grandville, and
the first time for anyone on the current squad.

"They're a powerhouse team in the state," DeAvila
said.

The team heads to Troy Athens for the final OAA I meet this Saturday, an
event worth half of the final league standings.

"They do have something to fight for and prove there," the coach
said, noting the team has finished third in both previous league meets.

The following week, they'll head to the Delta Plex
in Grand Rapids
for a meet with most of the state's elite teams, at the site of the state
finals in early March.

"Every single region will be represented by at least one team," DeAvila said, adding that as many as eight of the
eventual 10 finalists could be there.

She added that because of the regional draws, that meet could end up being
tougher than the state meet.