Wearing orange for MS

Cheer teams unite for
hope

By
BILL MCLEOD • Sports Writer • January 18, 2009 • From Clinton County News

Bill McCleod

More that 120
cheerleaders from the CAAC Red Division teams were decked out in orange
T-shirts, showing their unified support for Multiple Sclerosis research at
a league competition cheer meet held in St. Johns.

ST. JOHNS — Five competitive cheer
teams from the CAAC Red Division left their school colors behind for one
night. All came to St. Johns wearing orange T-shirts, showing
their willingness to join together to battle a deadly foe, Multiple
Sclerosis.

A portion of the ticket sales from
the league meet, along with donations before and after the event netted
between $400 and $500 for MS research.

The fundraiser was the idea of the
Redwing competitive cheer team. Redwing Coach Jen Brewer said the team was
looking for a community service project, and the girls came up with the idea
of raising money to fund MS research. One of the mothers of a teammate has
MS.

More than 120 girls filled the St. Johns gymnasium, wearing orange
T-shirts symbolic of MS, much as pink is the color
for breast cancer awareness. The front of the T-shirt said "Orange, not just a color of a ribbon, a
promise of hope." On the back of the shirt was written "Someone I
love has MS."

Also on the back were names of
family members from the five teams who have or had MS.

Brewer and St. Johns Athletic
Director Chris Ervin had to get a special MHSAA waiver to have the T-shirts
worn at the league meet. The T-shirts had to be purchased by individuals, not
by the schools.

"All the coaches got right on
board," Brewer said. "They were more than happy to do it."

"What we put together tonight
was a community service project that was a way to give back to the
communities by doing what we love to do," Brewer said.

The girls also came to compete in
the first league meet of the season.

Mason took top honors with 759
points. St. Johns was second (739); Owosso, third (602); Lumen Christi,
fourth (516); Waverly, fifth (466).

Three junior varsity teams also
competed, with Mason taking first place with 533 points. St. Johns was second (484) and Waverly,
third (453).