A team to remember

CHS cheerleading makes first trip to D-3 state final

By Sue Teggart

C & G Sports Writer

March 11, 2009

When the
season got under way, the Clawson High cheerleading team was determined to
make it a year, a team, to remember. In fact, the Trojans spent their entire
season working toward that goal.

By
employing the motto, "Remember our name," the Trojans made their
mark in the world of prep cheerleading by making it to the March 7 Division 3
state finals, eventually finishing in eighth place with 701.7488 points.

"We
want people to know us," Clawson coach Courtney Kettlewell said. "When we show up, we want teams to
know who we are."

Clawson flew under the radar throughout
most of the season, but emerged on the official state cheer rankings during the final week of the season, receiving honorablemention status.

The squad
collected 699.3708 points at districts to qualify for regionals,
and 752.4300 points at the regional to punch its ticket to the big show.

"The
girls were really excited to be there," Kettlewell
said about the state-final berth. "Just making it there was huge for Clawson.

Understandably,
the unique atmosphere of the roaring Delta Plex
crowd took some getting used to, but Kettlewell
said more than anything, her squad was just eager to be apart of it.

"It
was a really awesome experience for them," Kettlewell
said. "They were proud of themselves."

"I
think it was incredible going to states," senior Chloé
Streetman said. "We've never been to a state final before. Even though
we were going up against the top teams, we knew we were one
them."

Kettlewell said what her girls cherished the most about the
experience was just the overall feeling of being one of the state's eight
elite squads in Division 3.

"All
week long, you could see a sense of pride in their faces when they showed up
to practices," Kettlewell said. "I asked
them their most memorable parts, and they said when they were called out team
by team before the national anthem - it was the best feeling to stand out
there with those other seven teams. …Clawson was a part of that. They were
really excited."

Kettlewell said if there was any sadness to the weekend, it was
because it was the final competition for eight seniors.

Reaching
the state finals was something special to the seniors - Michelle Columbo, Lia Hale, Amanda
Shumaker, Chelsea Donna, Samantha Peasley, Chelsey Bruner, Streetman and Jessica Colston
- who were all four-year varsity members and a part of Clawson's squad when
it became a Michigan High School Athletic Association sanctioned competitive cheer team three years ago.