Brighton, Hartland cheerleading
look to extend state finals streaks

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Jason Deegan

Teammates
lift Howell senior Anna Pierce in the air during cheerleading practice. - (ANGELA SPOONER, THE LIVINGSTON COMMUNITY NEWS)

The Brighton and Hartland competitive cheerleading teams have grown
accustomed to competing at the Division I state finals.

One of them has advanced to the Michigan High School
Athletic Association state finals every year since at least 1998. The Eagles
have been among the state's top six teams six straight years. The Bulldogs
boast a four-year streak among the state's top 10.

Both streaks could be in jeopardy through no fault of
their own. The MHSAA has restructured the post-season by adding a district
level, making it tougher to qualify. The MHSAA has cut five regionals down to two qualifying sites, shrinking the
number of qualifiers from 10 to eight. The top four teams from each regional
will compete for a state championship March 7 at the Delta Plex in Grand Rapids.

The Bulldogs will host a regional Feb. 28 with top teams
like defending state champion Grandville, third-place finisher East Kentwood, along with Jenison, Rockford and Lake Orion.

"It's going to be like a state final to get out of
our region," Hartland coach Paula Cunningham said. "It's in the
back of my mind."

Here's a look at the upcoming season for the seven area
teams:

Brighton Bulldogs

Key cheerleaders: Elizabeth Harzdors (sr.), Jenel Sladewski (sr.). Kelsey Forgacs
(sr.).

Comment: Coach Kim
Klaus has six seniors, six juniors, six sophomores and two freshmen to mold
into a cohesive group. She said her team has a good attitude and strong work
ethic, led by the seniors. "I love my seniors. They all are great
leaders," she said.

Hartland Eagles

Key cheerleaders: Jessie
Tierney (sr.), Katie Cummings (sr.), Lydia Quella
(sr.), Haley Bourdeau (sr.).

Comment: Cunningham
has 14 seniors who have tons of experience. She said the team chemistry and
tumbling skills are strong. "We are trying to build off of last year and
just get better," she said.

Howell Highlanders

Key cheerleaders: Anna Pierce
(sr.), Kara Richardson (sr.), Kylee Sprague (sr.).

Comment: Coach Juli Brown instituted a weekly gymnastics training
session last summer that should help the Highlanders, who didn't win a
Kensington Valley Conference dual meet last year. A large group of 23
returnees, including seven seniors, have Brown believing the Highlanders
could finish among the top 10 in the new 23-team Kensington Lakes Activities
Association. "We will have good leadership," Brown said.

Pinckney Pirates

Key cheerleaders: Erika Hagglund (sr.), Caitlyn Cook (sr.), Jessica Rogers (sr.).

Comment: New coach
Sherry Hewett is using her gymnastics coaching background to help the Pirates
improve their skill set. "We want to beat our scores each week and
progress on stunting and tumbling and overall floor presence," Hewett
said.

South Lyon Lions

Key cheerleaders: Amanda
Delgado (sr.), Kelsey Kiernen (sr.), Amber Washko (sr.).

Comment: Coach Jen
Combest said she ran the football cheer season just like competitive cheer,
practicing hard five days a week to push her athletes. She has eight seniors,
four juniors, four sophomores and two freshmen on her roster. "We lost a
lot of seniors who were tumblers," she said. "This year we don't
have as much of that. These girls have more heart. The potential is even
stronger."

Fowlerville Gladiators

Key cheerleaders: Kaleigh Reed (sr.), Brittany Bolling
(sr.), Kate Barron (sr.), Annmarie Gorecki (sr.).

Comment: The
Gladiators have better numbers this year with 17 girls, six more than last
year, and have really worked to improve their tumbling skills. Coach Cindy
Champagne said this is the best team she's had. "We are going to be
doing our standing back tucks in the second round for the first time,"
she said. "Our skill set has improved immensely. Our hopes are to really
be up there in the league (the gold division of the Capital Area Activities
Conference)."

Whitmore Lake Trojans

Key cheerleaders: Olivia Smid (sr.), Olivia Vansickle
(sr.), Jennifer VonVoightlander (jr.), Chantel Silvia (jr.), Emily Taylor (fr.).

Comment: The Trojans have doubled in size from four cheerleaders last
year to eight this winter. Their off-season training regimen increased, too,
under the guidance of new coach Cindi Lees and her
daughter, Ashley. Both are former Whitmore Lake cheerleaders. Cindi Lees led the
program for 13 seasons before stepping aside in the mid-1990s. She's thrilled
to be back. "We believe in maximizing personal potential. That will
maximize the team potential," she said.