Otsego cheer falls
short at regionals

By Jason Wesseldyk

Wednesday,
March 4, 2009

COOPERSVILLE—The
Otsego competitive cheer team put together the highest-scoring performance in
school history at the Division 3 regional in Coopersville on Saturday, Feb.
28.

That was the good news for the Bulldogs.

The bad news was that Otsego’s best wasn’t quite good enough to
earn a third straight trip to the state finals.

Despite racking up a score of 739.3640, the Bulldogs finished fifth, leaving
them one spot away from qualifying for the Division 3 finals.

Less than one point—0.9288, to be exact—separated Otsego from
fourth-place finisher Grand Rapids Catholic Central.

For Otsego coach Nicole Durr and her team, coming
so close only to fall short was a difficult pill to swallow.

“It was a very
bittersweet day,” Durr said. “The girls
had the best day of the whole season. All three rounds were spectacular, and
there was really nothing we could have done differently. I was very proud of
them. It was a pressure-filled meet, with every team giving high-caliber
performances in all three rounds. The girls definitely stepped up and made a
name for themselves.

“Still, it’s hard to come so close—especially for my three
seniors (Chelsie Johnson, Kaila Schmitt and Emily
Stack)—but not go back to state after having gone the last two
years.”

Schmitt and Stack both ended their Otsego careers by being named honorable
mention All-Regional. Teammates Rebekah Greene
(first team), Alex Watkins (second team) and Jordan Reeber
(second team) also garnered All-Regional recognition.

“Once again, I have to give a big acknowledgement to my seniors for
their leadership this year and their contributions over the last four
years,” Durr said. “They’ve
really helped propel Otsego into the top level of competitive cheer in Michigan.”

Defending state runner-up Comstock Park won the regional
title with 800.5104 points, while Holland Christian was second (768.5338) and
Remus Chippewa Hills was third (746.7638).

Otsego was in fourth after round one behind Comstock Park, Holland Christian
and Remus Chippewa Hills before falling to fifth
behind Kelloggsville in round two. While the Bulldogs leapfrogged past
Kelloggsville in round three, Grand Rapids Catholic Central jumped from sixth
to fourth with a strong final round.

“I stressed to
the girls to not let the outcome of the day overshadow the great season they
had,” Durr said. “Repeating as
conference champions, receiving the highest scores in school history in all
three rounds and the receiving the highest overall score in school history is
awesome.

“And most importantly, the girls showed great sportsmanship to everyone
they came in contact with along the way. They are a very genuine group of
girls who are great representatives of Otsego High School.”