Competitive cheerleading season kicks off

Nick
Buckley • The Enquirer • January 23, 2009

Battle
Creek Central´s Alex Hawkins, 16, left, and
Camille Brown, 18, cheer during the second round of the Cheerleading
Competition at Battle Creek Central on Saturday. (The Enquirer)

The
Pennfield varsity competitive cheer team hits the floor for a routine in a
recent invitational. The Panthers are one of several competitive cheer
teams in the area this season. (The Enquirer)

If you haven't seen a competitive
cheerleading competition, don't expect to hear the 'Rah! Rah! Sis boom bah!'
of the past.

The Michigan High School Athletic
Association annually releases its glossary of competitive cheer terms. Among
the 80 terms listed, some are familiar cheerleading staples such as the
handstand, pyramid, and splits. Others — like the arabesque, the power
press, and the suspended splits — reveal a more technical and athletic
brand of cheerleading. And since 1994, when the MHSAA made it a certified
varsity sport, competitive cheer has continued to grow and separate itself
from sideline cheering.

The 2009 competitive cheerleading
season is already under way, and it figures to be one of the most exciting
yet.

Around the area, Colon has solidified itself as a state
power, finishing third in Division 4 last season. Currently, the Magi are
ranked No. 4 in the state.

In the city, Battle Creek Central, Lakeview and Pennfield are back on the
cheer mat.

Here's a closer look at some local
competitive cheer teams:

BATTLE CREEK CENTRAL

Coach: Stefanie Miller (ninth
season)

Roster: Camille Brown, sr.; Ashlee
Cable, sr.; Alexandria Hawkins, so.; Casey Smith, fr.; Shilaniqua Taylor, jr.; Afiya Webb, so.

Notable performances last season:
Second in SMAC Central Division.

Coaches outlook: "We are off to a
great start," said coach Miller. "We are a small team, but full of
heart and drive. This year our goal is to be the Big 16 SMAC East Division
Champions."

LAKEVIEW

Coach: Bailey Grimm (second
season); Samantha Dougherty (second season)

Roster: N/A

Notable performances last season: First
in SMAC East.

Coaches outlook: "We're a very young
team," said coach Grimm. "It's kind of hard to get people to get
focused, but when we do, we work hard. We're just basically trying to better
ourselves. We don't want to focus on scores, but we want to put a lot of
people on the mat, which is a hard thing to do. We really think we have good
routines."

PENNFIELD

Coach: Holly Olmstead (first
season)

Roster: Ashley Heffernan, sr.;
Lacey Cobb, so.; Chani Jones, jr.;
Olivia Lawson, jr.; Kassi
Smith, jr.; Ashley Mitchell, so.; Katie Baggerly, so.; Sam Greger, sr.;
Ashley Laymance, jr.;
Rachelle Reeves, jr.; Britney Clute, sr.; Christian
Swanson, sr.; Amanda Wilkey, jr.;
Savannah Westner, sr.

Notable performances last season:
N/A

Coaches outlook: "It was rough our
first competition because we canceled practices due to weather," said
coach Olmstead. "But one of the goals is to be a well-bonded team
— a team that works well with each other, and we just keep improving at
every position."

AROUND THE AREA

ALBION

Coach: Alycia
Williams (10th season)

Roster: Nicole Claucherty,
sr.; Mariah Smith, sr.; Earle Pledger, sr.; Brianna
Benedict, sr.; Cecelia Torres, jr.; Tre' Washington, jr.; Mercedes
Alford, so.; Courtney Watkins, fr.

Notable performances last season:
Second in SMAA conference; first at Wildcat Invitational; ninth in region;
academic All-State honorable mention.

Coaches outlook: "This year our team
is very small," said coach Williams. "However, they are extremely
talented and motivated. I expect this talented group of ladies will continue
to get stronger, and improve each meet. We are looking forward to great
things this season."

BRONSON

Coach: Charissa
Bailey (second season)

Roster: Ariana
Yoder, so.; Britney Martin, jr.; Victoria Draper, jr.; Lucy Cardenas, jr.;
Katelyn Mercer, sr.; Breana Miller, sr.; Ashley
Meyer, sr.

Notable performances last season:
Second at Portage Northern Invitational (Division 4)

Coaches outlook: "Their scores are
so much better from last year, and all the emotions look so much better,"
said coach Bailey. "We absolutely have a better team," said coach
Bailey. "We want every competition to be better than the one before.
They want to try and go really far into regionals."

COLON

Coach: Jayne Sabaitis
(fifth season)

Roster: Kayla Boals,
jr.; Mary Grace Decker, so.; Rachel Green, sr.; Chante Harris, sr.; Alisha Leitzke,
jr.; Natosha Leitzke, jr.; Alyssa Stoll, jr.; Paige Thornton, jr.; Kaitlynn Tredway, so; Danielle
Walkup, sr.

Notable performances last season:
Regional champions; third at Division 4

Coaches outlook: "After a
third-place finish at the state meet last year, we are looking to take it up
another level and going for the win," said coach Sabaitis.
"With nine returning starters, we hope to finish at the top."

GULL LAKE

Coach: Angie Brown (third season)

Roster: Maggie Klein, sr.; Melissa
Woodward, sr.; Luciana Silva, jr.; Chaina Cogwell, jr.; Chelsey Harkness, jr.; Alyssa Casten, so.; Jessica Crittenden, so.; Rachel Dingman, so.; Corinne Roller, fr.;
Courtney Schloesser, fr.;
Chelsey Webb, fr.; Kristi
Desmess, fr.; Stephanie
Cochran, fr.; Mandy Bryant, fr.;
Taylor Bradford, fr.; Brandie Lewis, sr.

Notable performances last season:
Third at Division 2 regionals; third in Wolverine
Conference

Coaches outlook: "The girls
set goals for the season and its to make it to state
finals and be conference champs," said coach Brown. "We don't have
a J.V. so there is a lot of young talent."

UNION CITY

Coach: Christine Hanson (third
season)

Roster: Jessy
Howe, sr.; Shelby Miller, sr.; Olivia PeLong, sr. Delaina Holloway, sr.; Alysha Swartout, sr.; Kelsey Villamore,
sr.; Emily White, jr.; Alyssa Cole, fr.

Notable performances last season:
N/A

Coaches outlook: "My seniors have a
couple seasons under their belt and are looking forward to big things,"
said coach Hanson. "We hope that we have a good chance at regionals. In our district, we have some really good
teams. But I'm really proud the progress we've made so far."