Bobcats
cheer to new heights

January 31, 2008

KICKING
IT UP A NOTCH The Roscommon Bucks (front row, left to right) Cara Johnson,
Kristen Pearce and Star Thomas and (back row) Becka
Meadows and Autumn Smith, ratchet up their score Jan. 24 at Houghton Lake. Roscommon scored 457.128
overall. (Photo by Cheryl Holladay)

As if
breaking the schools' competitive cheer record
once this season weren't enough, the varsity Bobcats shattered it Jan. 24
at home, scoring 723.172 points. The girls are now ranked 9th in Division
3, according to MHSAA Girls Competitive Cheer Rankings the week of Jan. 28,
as voted on by coaches and officials of Michigan.

"Thursday
night was amazing," Varsity Coach Celeste Kubiak
said. "That was a special night."

Kubiak added it helped
that the team was on its home turf in front of a supportive crowd.

"And
it was fun to break the record again," she said.

The
Bobcats led the scoring in every round, topping its closest competitors,
the Harrison Hornets, by more than 100 points.

In Round
2, where scoring has become more complicated due to Michigan High School
Athletic Association changes (see "Scoring change brings fairness
between teams"), the Bobcats earned 202.172 points. That Round 2 score
is higher than the one they received Jan. 10 when they first broke the 700-
point barrier.

REACHING
HIGHER Alexis Bechill, supported by bases
Miranda Gardner, Stephanie Foster and Patsy Gardner, performs a scale
in Round 3 Jan. 24 at home. The Bobcats surpassed their previous record
(set Jan. 10) by scoring 723.172 points. (Photo by Cheryl Holladay)

The 'Cats
earned almost 300 points- 297.5- in Round 3, their best ever. The Hornets,
who perform toe-touch basket tosses, back walk-overs
and creative stunting, finished the night with a 614.218, and the Meridian
Mustangs, who let a flyer fall to the mat, finished with a 551.116.

Rounding
out the competition were Farwell with 509.104 points, the Roscommon Bucks,
who performed solidly in Round 3, with 457.128, and the Inland Lakes
Bulldogs, who competed with only four and five girls (depending on the
round), with 389.079.

The
night was plagued by penalties, however. Besides Houghton
Lake varsity, the small Inland Lakes team was the only one that was
not penalized.

In Round
3, a Houghton
Lake JV
cheerleader touched out of bounds, resulting in a 2-point deduction, and a
back spot was not looking at her flyer, resulting in an 8-point deduction.

Despite
those mistakes, however, the junior 'Cats still came out on top, with a
score of 572. Meridian JV placed second with 480 points, followed by
Harrison JV with 476.

HOT AT
THE HIVE Both Houghton Lake teams outcheered
their competitors at Harrison's Cheer at
the Hive invitational Jan. 26.

Houghton Lake
varsity, scoring lower compared to the performance of Jan. 24, topped Harrison 689.8-650.9. Third through ninth place went
to the following, respectively: Meridian,
570.7; Cheboygan, 523.7; Oscoda, 501.3; Bridgeport,
482.9; Pine River, 470.8; Roscommon, 469.3; and
Kalkaska, 380.3.

The JV
Bobcat team scored 550.9, ahead of Harrison's
JV squad at 530.7. Meridian's final score
was 529.5, while Traverse City scored 457.2
and Pine River scored 427.

Kubiak said she is proud
of her varsity team and that if the girls keep up the level of their
performances, they will reach their goal of going to the State competition.
At Regionals March 1, they will face, among other teams, Chippewa Hills, Kingsford and Gladstone.