Kentwood cheer wins first
event of season

Sunday, December 14, 2008

By Dean
Holzwarth

The Grand Rapids Press

COMSTOCK PARK -- The unofficial beginning of a
new competitive cheer season took place Saturday in front of a packed house
at Comstock Park High School.

Early indications show that the O-K Red Conference could
be stronger than it's ever been.

Six teams from the O-K Red comprised Division 1 at the
Competitive Cheer Coaches Association of Michigan's Scholarship Invitational.

East Kentwood finished first among them all
with a three-round score of 743.64, but the parity across the board was
noticeable.

"All of the teams did well, and it's going to put a
lot of pressure on us," East Kentwood assistant coach Nettie Rogers said. "We've
never been in such a tight spot where it's come down to the minor details for
us. It's going to make this year's competition even more exciting."

Rockford placed second behind the Falcons,
with a score of 738.34. Jenison (732.58) was third and West Ottawa (731.21) was fourth.

Defending Division 1 state champion Grandville (727.35)
stumbled in round 3 and fell to fifth.

Rams' co-coach Kelly Jo Resseguie
was ecstatic with Rockford's early performance.

"We're floating on air right now. We're very
excited," Resseguie said. "We've had a
lot of obstacles to overcome already this season, but the fact that they got
through it was our biggest goal. And that's why we were more proud of them
than anything."

Comstock Park 'awesome'

Comstock Park, second in the state Division 3
last year, picked up where it left off with a superb outing.

The Panthers registered a score of 736.616 to take top
honors in Division 3.

"It was awesome to be able to come out, and just all
the way around have a great day," Comstock Park coach Kathy Felty
said. "It was the first time out for us and the scores were great. These
were the scores that we finished last year with so it's only up from
here."

Cedar Springs (717.487) took first in Division 2, while
Grand Rapids Christian (705.034) was runner-up.