Monday, February 14, 2005

Cheerleaders cry after ovation at Munising meet

Mike Dunn

The applause was long and it was loud. It was also quite
unexpected. The people in the stands at Munising last Saturday were on their
feet showing their appreciation for a fine performance by the Gaylord
competitive cheerleading team. The standing ovation lasted less than a minute,
but the impact of the moment is something the Blue Devil athletes will remember
fondly for the rest of their lives.

"A lot of them were crying because they're not used to
receiving that kind of recognition," GHS coach Ronda Davis told me this
week. "It was such a great experience up there. The people in Munising
recognized the difficulty of the routines and really appreciated what we were
doing. It was encouraging for everybody."

Not many people realize the countless hours of sweat and
preparation that go into the routines that the Gaylord cheerleaders perform (or
that most high school competitive cheerleader teams perform for that matter). Because the nature of cheerleading is to be a catalyst for fans to
"cheer" for another team, typically a football or basketball team,
the work that the cheerleaders do has all too often been overlooked through the
years.

Slowly things are changing. Cheerleading is gaining in
popularity as a sport in its own right, as the invitational meet in Munising
reveals. The routines are becoming more sophisticated as more time is invested
by coaches and athletes. More parity can be seen between teams at every level
than ever before. In Otsego County, for example, St. Mary and
Johannesburg-Lewiston have strong cheerleading programs and the program at
Vanderbilt is growing as well. There is a trend toward involvement and improvement
among Class C and Class D schools throughout Michigan.

Teams like Gaylord, which take the sport
seriously and have strong numbers (including more and more guys like the Blue
Devils' Danny Williams), are blazing a trail for other programs with complex,
cutting edge routines that require precision timing and hours of practice.

The cheerleaders don't want or expect an easy road. They're
willing to put in the time and effort because they believe so deeply in what
they're doing. For them, the sport is a labor of love.

What the cheerleading athletes do want sometimes, though, is
just a little recognition and appreciation. And when it comes, as it did last
Saturday at Munising, you'll forgive them for being a little emotional about it.