VanDenBerg brings cheer to Calvin Christian

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

By Lukas
Cimbal

The Grand Rapids Press

Crystal VanDenBerg is back where she belongs. The Calvin Christian High School sophomore decided to skip
competitive cheer last year to focus on performing in a school musical, but
she missed competing more than she could have imagined.

"I'm very interested in music, but I just love being able to be in a
sport," she said. "Cheer just gets me going and makes me feel so
active. It gives me a feeling that I can do this and be successful."

VanDenBerg, who plays the piano and violin in
addition to singing at church, is someone her teammates can look to for
constant motivation, said Calvin Christian coach Lindsey Wallace.

"Crystal's got a very positive energy, and she's an extremely
hard-worker," Wallace said. "She also displays a lot of patience
because we have a lot of flyers on the team, and she won't ever complain when
she's not involved in a particular stunt during practice. She keeps
everyone's spirits high and is always encouraging the team to get
better."

As much as she enjoys being on the cheer team in the winter, VanDenBerg does have a sort of "ulterior
motive" to staying active during Michigan's cold months.

"I've been playing softball since I was about five years old," said
VanDenBerg, a catcher and outfielder. "Working
as hard as we do in our practices and our competitions, cheer truly helps me
stay well-conditioned once the spring rolls around."

VanDenBerg, who plans to be a middle school or high
school History teacher, is proud of how much effort her team puts in and
would like to see competitive cheer get more respect.

"Competitive cheer takes a lot of effort, and we're actually more prone
to injuries because of all the different stunts we attempt," she said.
"You have to make sure you have your whole mind and body focused on what
you're trying to accomplish in order to be successful. We work just as hard
as the athletes in any other sport."

Calvin Christian

·
Coach: Lindsey Wallace, first year

·
Conference: O-K Silver

·
Top returners: Seniors Annamarie Koster and Danielle Ziel and
juniors Jackie Gill, Emily Vegter and Lindsay Ziel

·
Newcomers: Sophomore Lacey Kremers and freshman
Whitney Buchan

·
Outlook: The roster is small with just nine athletes. However, the
team has displayed a positive attitude in early-season practices.

·
Coach's comment: "We're really looking forward as a team to
getting out on the floor and competing. The girls who haven't competed are
really excited to experience it, and the older girls are patient with the
underclassmen, yet they still expect great things out of them."

·
Key date: Feb. 21, Marion district