Thursday,
December 30, 2004

Constant improvement.

It's all any high
school sports coach can hope for - from the first practice as freshmen to the
last competition of senior year - to see team members improve.

This year's
area competitive cheerleading teams are no different.

Each of their
coaches begin the season with a sense of hope,
encouraged by the thought of eclipsing last year's successes, or reversing
their shortcomings.

They are all
striving toward the same goal of reaching the state final at the Delta Plex in Grand
Rapids.

The paths
they will take to get there will be quite different, however.

Hartland
enters the 2005 season looking to defend last season's Kensington Valley
Conference title and sixth-place finish at the state tournament. The Eagles
will be tested by an experienced Brighton
squad and a Howell team led by first-year coach Melanie Sietman.
Fowlerville, meanwhile, will be shooting for the top of its division in the
Capital Area Activities Conference.

Here's a look
at the upcoming season:

Brighton

After
finishing tied last season with Novi as KVC runners-up, and a fourth place showing at the regional
tournament, the Bulldogs have high expectations as this year kicks off.

Getting the
team to the state final is the ultimate goal, according to Kim Klaus, Brighton's coach for the past 16 seasons.

"Last
year we had a good season, but didn't end up where we wanted to be," Klaus
said.

In order to
go far, Klaus said she will lean heavily on her group of eight seniors.

"The
drive and motivation of the seniors will take the team where it needs to go,"
Klaus explained. "Their leadership will determine the outcome of this
season."

Klaus said
she would be very happy for her team, should they make a run at a title this
year.

"It
would mean the world to them to accomplish that after all the hard work,"
Klaus said.

Brighton
opens its season at home against South Lyon on
Jan. 5.

Hartland

After last
season's sixth-place finish at the state tournament, Hartland coach Paula
Cunningham has similar goals in mind for the 2005 season.

"We're
hoping to make it again to the state finals," she said. "We'd like to
finish in the top four."

The Eagles
lost just two seniors to graduation, and a full boat of current 12th-graders -
16 in all - will help carry the load this season.

"It's a
big advantage not losing teammates," Cunningham said. "Everybody
knows what needs to be done, and in creating material, I think overall it is
easier.

The Eagles
will compete against Novi on Wednesday for
their first taste of competition.

Howell

The
Highlanders have a very young squad this season, featuring just two seniors.

Yet,
first-year coach Melanie Sietman was pleasantly
surprised by what she saw when she arrived at Howell - a very determined group.

"The
girls have a lot more talent that what I thought they'd have," Sietman said. "They've had to deal with a lot of
coaching changes."

Sietman's goals aren't quite as lofty as some of her KVC peers,
which will probably benefit the relatively inexperienced Highlanders.

"I
really want to focus on doing better in the league," Sietman
said. "I'd like to have a strong showing at regionals
as well."

Howell opens
it season on Jan. 5 when it travels to Milford.

Fowlerville

Fowlerville's
Cindy Champagne can't help but be optimistic about the upcoming season. The
second-year coach has seen her team start to perfect the finer points of their
routines.

"We're
trying hard to accomplish our goals by working on the little things," Champagne explained.

"There's
a lot we need to clean up, but we feel like we're doing everything we can to stay
competitive and it's paying off."

The
Gladiators also will be counting on its senior core for stability, and a better
finish in the CAAC.

"We've
got seven seniors who are at the top of their game right now," Champagne said.
"We're in a tough league, but the girls have a strong outlook and they
want to do well."

Fowlerville
opens the season against Leslie on Jan. 8, before facing rival Dewitt on Jan.
12.