Otsego
follows lead of its coach, wins title

Sunday,
February 03, 2008

BY DAVID DREW

Special to the Gazette

KALAMAZOO -- If it weren't for the khaki pants and dark blue polo
shirt, Otsego competitive cheer coach Nicole Durr
easily could've been mistaken for one of the team members out of place during
a competition.

At the Greater Kalamazoo
Competitive Cheer Invitational Saturday at Loy Norrix, the energetic and
enthusiastic coach could be seen behind the judges table jumping, clapping
and smiling just as much as her team performing on the mat.

``I'm obsessed with
cheerleading,'' Durr said. ``Cheerleading is my
passion. It gets me excited to see their hard work pay off.''

Otsego took first place in the
competition with a total score of 716.76, reaching 700 for the first time all
year.

Mattawan finished second with a
total of 705.9 points. Portage Northern, which was without three girls
because of illness, took third place (695.538).

Durr said that Otsego's victory can be
credited to a newly born sense of confidence that had been missing all year.

``That's something we've been
struggling with,'' Durr said. ``Today they just let
go of everything and put on a show.''

Durr said the past week's practice was
one of the best all year. After watching a lot of tape of themselves, Durr said she had one simple message for the team: ``I
told them, `Don't be afraid to let yourself succeed,''' she said.

It paid off.

As Round 3 concluded, all eight
teams took the mat to await the final scores. But Otsego didn't have to wait
long.

Durr, who said she usually doesn't
tell her team its scores before the announcement, made a quick stop at the
scorer's table to take a peek and then headed for her team's camp on the big
blue mat. She took a seat and told her team the score.

When the Bulldogs teams members learned of their victory, they couldn't help
themselves. A loud scream of excitement came from Otsego's huddle on the
quiet and seemingly nervous mat.

``Today was probably the best
overall performance of the year,'' Durr said.
``Last week we got a 698, so we've been right there; 700 was our goal.''

However, Durr
wasn't the only one overly excited after the invitational.

``I'm so excited, it's
ridiculous,'' said Keisha Johnson, one of Otsego's leaders on the mat.

Johnson said Durr's
energy and attitude have boosted the Bulldogs all season.

``She's the best coach ever. If
she didn't believe in us, we wouldn't be here,'' Johnson said.

Otsego's Samantha Murphey summed up Durr in one
word: Powerful.

``She's perfect,'' Murphey said. ``When we're at competitions, she'll bring
out the best in us.''

However, Durr
wasn't the only coach seeing the best in her team.

Northern coach Heather Prentice
was proud of her squad, which competed with a number of younger girls.

``Today was a mental
improvement,'' she said. ``Our performance was fabulous. This isn't the type
of sport to just throw someone in in the fourth
quarter. This is a choreographed routine.''

Prentice said Saturday's
performance was another building block for the Huskies' season. She said it
wasn't about skill or talent. Rather, it was about the team coming together
mentally and emotionally to get done what it needed to get done.

``As a team it showed we were
stronger,'' Northern's Amy Overheul
said. ``With three people out, we still managed to keep our scores high.''

Mattawan used a strong third round
to climb into second place. The Wildcats scored 296 in Round 3.

``Round 3 today was phenomenal,''
Mattawan coach Nicole Cerutti said. ``I teach my
kids to improve every round. I have an amazing group of girls that love
cheerleading.''