Cheer teams
prep for regional – Injuries, stiff competition are barriers to state
meet

By Dan Strawser, DAILY PRESS
& ARGUS, February 27, 2009

There is no 'I' in t-e-a-m.

That's what Hartland cheerleading coach Paula Cunningham
has been telling her girls this week.

The Eagles were dealt a blow Tuesday when senior Katie
Cummings suffered a severely sprained ankle during practice.

Cummings is a four-year varsity cheerleader and was a
central part of all three rounds for the Eagles.

"We're trying to scramble and put together a solid
three rounds," Cunningham said. "They really are coming together as
a team and working together to push past this. It's really nice to see them coming
together. This was the last thing in the world you want to see happen,
especially to a senior.

"It's been a rough road."

Cunningham had to redesign several of the elements in all
three rounds because of the injury.

"She was doing more of the elite stunts so we have to
regroup and do some quick choreography," Cunningham said. "One
thing I always tell the girls is that a team doesn't exist with just one
teammate. It takes everyone. We've got to rise above this and carry on."

Brighton, which hosts Saturday's regional tournament, was also hit
with some personnel issues this week.

"I've got kids out with the flu," Brighton coach Kim Klaus said. "That
will happen during the flu season. I'm trying to keep them healthy and get
them through this weekend."

Of the 12 teams in the Brighton regional, six are ranked in the
top 10 in the state in Division 1. East Kentwood, West Ottawa and Grandville are ranked 2nd,
3rd and 4th, respectively. Hartland is 7th, Lake Orion is 9th and Rockford is 10th.

Grandville, the defending state champ, posted the
second-highest overall score this season behind Rochester, which is competing in a regional
at Wayne.

The top four teams from each of the two regions advance to
the state finals on March 7.

"We have the toughest region," Klaus said.
"If you make it out of this region, you need to be really proud of your
team. Even making the regional was tough so you have to be happy with the
opportunity.

"With the changes (made by adding districts), you
have to earn a spot for regionals. I think that's
good. Before, all the teams would go to regionals
and you'd try for a trip to the state finals, and now there's one more
step."

The Eagles haven't missed the state finals since 2002.

"I hope everybody's on top of their game and I hope
we come in and beat everybody," Cunningham said. "It'd be nice if,
because of everything that's happened this week, we get a break. But that's
how I like to win, when everybody's at their best."