Competitive cheer season sees
further expansion

By DAN
STICKRADT • ECCENTRIC Staff Writer • February 1,
2009

For competitive cheer teams, the
road to the state finals will has taken another turn.

The Michigan High School Athletic
Association has changed up the state tournament format once again for the
sport, in its 15th season, to include a district round.

"I think it might be harder
to get to the state finals," offered veteran Rochester coach Susan Wood, whose team is a
perennial powerhouse. "I think, in some ways, you have to be a very good
team to make it (to the state finals). In the past there have been some very
tough regionals and some good teams didn't make it.
Then there were some other regionals where some
weaker teams got through."

That may just change.

In the past there were usually
14-18 per teams per region and five regions per division. The top two teams
from each region qualified for the state finals.

With the new format, districts
will have anywhere from 12-16 schools each and the top four from each
district will advance to the regionals. The top
four teams from each region will advance to the MHSAA state finals in March
at the DeltaPlex in Grand Rapids.

There are now four divisions of
six districts and two regions each. There will be eight schools in each
division that qualify for the state meet, down from 10 in recent years.

The state finals for cheerleading
- which drew the biggest state finals attendance for a female sport in
2007-08 school year, according to the MHSAA - will all take place on a
Saturday this year, unlike the past two years, when Division 1 was contested
on Friday and the other divisions on Saturday.

"There will still be some
loaded districts and a couple of good teams won't qualify even for regionals this year," offered Troy coach Beth Campbell. "There
are a couple of weak districts in my opinion. And when you get to regionals, there will only be eight teams making it to
the finals instead of 10. I guess you will have to earn it."

ECCENTRIC AREA COMPETITIVE CHEER
TEAMS

Division 1 - North Farmington, Rochester, Rochester Stoney Creek, Rochester Adams, Royal Oak, Troy, Troy Athens, Walled Lake Central, Walled Lake Northern, Walled Lake Western, West Bloomfield.

Division 2 - Berkley, Bloomfield Hills Andover, Bloomfield Hills Lahser, Farmington, North Farmington, Ferndale.

Division 4 - Auburn Hills Oakland Christian, Rochester Hills
Lutheran Northwest.