Improbable champs

by Jeff Meade

last modified March 20.
2008 11:27AM

The
Gibraltar Carlson competitive cheer team performs during the Division 2 state
meet at the Deltaplex in Grand Rapids. The Marauders scored 777.280
points to hold off Mega Red rival Allen
Park for the title.

Gibraltar
Carlson's cheerleaders could have subscribed to Murphy's Law for much of this
season.

The Marauders had the misfortune of being in the toughest competitive cheer
league in the state and finished no better than third in the Mega Red meet.

At Regionals, two of their cheerleaders bumped faces while warming up,
leaving one with a split chin and the other with a split cheek. Samantha
Martinez came out the worse, needing eight stitches.

But Carlson finished second behind Allen
Park in that Regional, good enough to be among the
10 teams to qualify for the Division 2 state meet. A week later, the
Marauders captured a most improbable state title.

They finished the state meet with 777.280 points. That was just good enough
to beat out the 775.903 by Allen
Park, the team Carlson had finished behind at
Regionals and in their league meet.

The state title - only the third by a competitive cheer squad in Monroe
County Region history - was not a surprise to the Marauders and their
coaches.

"Going in, we knew it was going to be a four-team battle for
state," said Christina Wilson, who shares coaching duties with Danielle Jokela. "We had to tell them this year, just because
you got second in Regionals doesn't mean you can't win state."

For the second straight year, there were no seniors on the squad. The roster
included five juniors, seven sophomores and six freshmen.

All 18 girls competed in at least one round at state, with 12 competing in
all three rounds.

‘"We knew we had been back and forth with Allen Park all year," said Jokela, whose team ended up beating the Jaguars in five
of seven competitions. "We knew DeWitt and Mount Pleasant also were very strong and
that any one of us four could be state champs."

Carlson had finished third behind Allen Park
and Southgate
in the Mega meet, but four teams from the league wound up qualifying for
state.

"We had an off-week then and we had some girls out," Jokela explained. "We were missing three with all
kinds of injuries. We had two girls (Alex Heinzerling
and Bailee Gregg) compete with fractured feet all
season. Two others had shoulder injuries."

But the Marauders were calm and at their peak at the state meet.

"We always just tell the girls to be comfortable out on the floor,"
Jokela said. "If you're nervous, you're not
going to do well."

Carlson has a great tradition in competitive cheerleading, which did not
become an official MHSAA sport until 1994. The late Pat Christiansen led the
Marauders to their first state title in 1995 and to runner-up finishes the
next three years. Flat Rock won a state title under Jann
Stahr in 1998.

Wilson was a
senior and Jokela a freshman when they cheered
together for Carlson in 2000-2001. They have been friends ever since. Both
coached at Shumate
Middle School before
becoming co-varsity coaches last year and leading the Marauders to a
fifth-place finish at state.

They both attend Eastern
Michigan University.
Wilson is
majoring in elementary education and Jokela is
studying business education.

"We share the responsibilities," Wilson said. "We're on the phone a lot
with each other talking about what we're going to do. Danielle is with the
girls a lot more than I am because she also works with them at Downriver
Gymnastics."

Jokela added, "Christina and I were brought up
the same way with the same love for cheerleading. It's a way of life at
Carlson. Once you become a cheerleader it's an amazing experience. The girls
do things like sleep-overs, go to the movies
together, go to gymnastics together."

The girls practice five days a week, including Sundays. They go to the
gymnastics center once a week during the season, but many can be found there
working out up to three days a week.

"The girls are just so excited. They work so hard together," Wilson said.
"They're always positive, always hard-working. always
wanting to do better. We ask for the girls input (on routines)."

Jokela and Wilson never cheered for Christiansen
but recognize her as the lady who built Carlson into a state power.

"I did know her, and she expected the best," Jokela
said. "She was very strict and she had a passion for the sport of
cheerleading. We've kind of brought it back to a more military style like Pat
Christiansen had and the way we were taught. It's faster paced,
a lot of moves, a lot of excitement."

The Marauders had no captains this year, but the five juniors took on the
biggest leadership roles. Wilson
said that Sara Jokela (Danielle's younger sister)
and Delayna Herndon really stepped up and led the
team.

Herndon, Jokela, Rachel Sarkody
and Laney Williams earned all-league, All-Region and first-team All-State
honors. Brittany Gaynier and Martinez also were All-State.

Courtney McCaray, Alex Heinzerling,
Ronni Slonina and Desiree
Baron were second-team All-State. Jessica Dhans,
Lisa Lewis and Becca Cleary made the third team.

Since winning state, the Marauders have been feted at the board of education
meeting and were honored Saturday with a party at the Rockwood Community Center.

"Everyone is just shocked, talking about how we've become like town
celebrities," Danielle Jokela said. "It's
never going to get old."

Courtesy photos The Gibraltar Carlson competitve cheer team (top) performs during the Division
2 state meet at the Deltaplex in Grand Rapids. The Marauders scored 777.280
points to hold off Mega Red rival Allen
Park for the title.