Cheerleaders come up short

Andrew Moser

March 04, 2009

After making positive strides during the
season, the Wildcat Varsity Cheer team came up just short in their quest for
Regionals, finishing seventh with 671.4304 points.

The Wildcats were only seven points behind fourth place Clio, and four points
behind fifth place Lapeer East.

"When you score over 670 points total, seven
points seem almost like nothing," said Oxford Cheer Coach Shari Russell.
"It is unfortunate that we ended up in seventh place because we worked
very hard the entire competition and had a very strong beginning."

The Wildcats started the competition with a solid score of 207.7, finishing
fifth after the first round. Their second round score of 187.9304 bumped them
into the fourth and final spot for qualifying for Regionals. Even with a
final round score of 275.8, they were not able to hold off their opponents,
dropping to seventh.

Brandon won districts, followed by Lapeer West
and Linden.

"Overall, we were very happy with our finish," Russell said.
"We had one of the highest scores of our season and the girls had fun. I
can't say enough how proud I have been to coach these athletes. They are such
a young team and through the entire season, they have worked hard to improve
their scores. They have grown so much individually and as a team, improving
in skill, confidence and determination…I see a very bright future for
this team of seven freshman, three sophomores, two
juniors and a senior."