Ithaca shines in first-ever cheer final

By Drew
Ellis

Saturday, March 8, 2009

GRAND
RAPIDS – Ithaca may not have won the Division 4
state championship for competitive cheer on Saturday, but the Yellowjackets certainly earned “rookie of
year” honors.

Behind a squad composed of six sophomores and one freshman, Ithaca made its
first-ever competitive cheer state finals appearance at the DeltaPlex and
finished in third place with a total of 707.6254.

“We are absolutely delighted,” Ithaca coach Jill Davenport said.
“We had three of our top performances of the season. We did what we had
to do and hopefully we left a mark here.”

While state champion Michigan Center (759.9160) and runner-up Hudson (756.9670) ran away from the rest
of the pack, Ithaca surprised all with its
third-place finish, as the Yellowjackets entered
the final round in sixth place.

During
the final round, Ithaca scored a 299.2, which was the
third-best round three score for all eight teams in
competition. It propelled the Yellowjackets just ahead
of defending champion Pewamo-Westphalia for third place.

“I know that our third round is strong and if we hit it, we can really
score some points,” Davenport said. “If you have a solid
third round, you can really make a jump in the standings and we were able to
do that.”

Ithaca scored a 212.6 in the opening
round to start in fourth. Michigan Center set the bar with a 221 in the
opener, while Hudson was a close second with a 220.8
and Pewamo-Westphalia came in third with a 214.5.

In round two, Ithaca dropped back after a 195.8254
score, which was sixth for the round and dropped the Yellowjackets
to sixth overall with a 408.4254 total.

As Michigan Center accepted its championship trophy
Saturday afternoon, Davenport looked on, hoping to find herself
in that position some day.

“That is the goal,” Davenport said of winning the state
championship. “We didn’t really have any expectations today, we
just wanted the girls to get the experience and have a good time. I think
this instilled a little fire in them to want to come back and any day, anyone
can win if they put their best rounds together.”

Davenport knows something about winning
championships as she comes from Breckenridge under the coaching of seven-time
state champion, Deb Gaines.

Gaines was on hand Saturday and has helped the Yellowjackets
throughout the season.

“I couldn’t do this alone and Deb has been my mentor,” Davenport said. “She is so
knowledgeable and helpful and hopefully we can start something here at Ithaca like she had at Breckenridge.”