Return of
Terry helps Michigan
Center advance

Friday,
March 07, 2008

By
Jason Barczy

[email-masked]
-- 789-1250

When the Michigan Center
High School competitive
cheer team won its first Division 4 regional championship last Saturday, a
lot of the credit went to Nicolette Terry.

The Michigan Center
senior missed last season when a temporary move from the district caused her
to be ineligible for her junior season.

That disappointment has motivated
Terry to help put Michigan Center over the top as the Cardinals prepare for
the Division 4 state meet, which is set for 6 p.m. Saturday at the Delta Plex in Grand
Rapids.

``I think in a way it was a
blessing for (Terry) to come back to the team, because she's added a lot to
the team,'' Michigan Center coach Jessica Trefry
said. ``She brings a different element to the team, and when she's out there
she gives 150 percent.''

Michigan Center
beat Hudson
by less than half a point for the regional championship. Last year, the
Cardinals finished 50 points behind Hudson
in the regional.

``Knowing that all the years I've
worked toward this, finally, (it's) a reality my senior year,'' Terry said.
``It's going to take a lot of determination to win this weekend.''

Terry made the all-regional first
team and ranked third on the all-Cascades Conference team just behind
teammate Rachel Miller.

Terry has been in competitive
cheerleading since she was in seventh grade along with teammate and best
friend Megan Wilber.

``(Terry)
is amazing, and she is a lot of fun to be out there with and very
hard-working,'' Wilber said. ``She has a hard-working spirit to get
everything done for us to win this weekend.''

Michigan Center finished fourth in the state meet
the past two seasons, and this will be the Cardinals' sixth consecutive
appearance in the state finals.

This time around, the Cardinals
are expecting to move up.

``I expect to bring home a
trophy,'' Trefry said. ``First or second, but I
expect a trophy. The girls have been groomed for this for a long time, and
they know what's expected of them.''