Competitive cheer is gaining steam

Sport is
more than clapping, cheering

Thursday,
February 10, 2005

BY JEFF
ARNOLD

News
Sports Reporter

With arms tightly wrapped
around one another, they stand in a huddled circle, hips swaying, feet
stomping.

"Let's go red,"
they chant in unison before stomping twice. "Let's go white." Stomp.
Stomp.

Finally, they are ready. In
seconds, they will step onto a red gym mat where, in front of a legion of
faithful fans and judges prepared to evaluate a series of jumps, tumbles and
rhythmic chants, they will compete to win.

"Whitmore Lake, you may approach the mat,"
the event announcer says Wednesday night, giving seven high school girls
dressed from head to toe in red and white the green light to proceed.

As they make their way to
their field of competition, Whitmore
Lake High
school competitive cheer coach Wendy Lemons

delivers one final instruction to her squad.

"Let's go," Lemons
says. "Clean. Sharp."

In the next 21/2 minutes, Whitmore Lake will complete its third and final
round of competition in its competitive cheer invitational. After two rounds,
the Trojans trail Bishop Foley by one point for first place. Six other squads,
including Manchester,
follow behind.

In the world of competitive
cheer, it is now crunch time.

Sport busts stereotypes

Like other sports, preparation
ended with one final grueling practice the day before. Now, eight cheer squads
will leave everything they have on the floor. Within an instant of when they
finish their routine, they will know if they have done well. Or
if they haven't.

"It's what we do, and
what we love to do," Manchester
junior Holly Staten says. "I think we should get the same recognition as
any other sport out there. It's hard work. There's still people out there who
make fun of us and say (competitive cheer) isn't a sport, but we just blow it
off and do our best."

Since being sanctioned as a
sport by the Michigan High School Athletic Association in 1994, competitive
cheer's popularity and level of acceptance have soared. But not without years
of hard work - both on routines and in overcoming stereotypes about what
competitive cheer is - and what it's not.

To even fit into a small
group of squads that will compete for a state title, year-long training is a
must. Between two-hour practices and competitions that take squads around the
state, squads surrender six days of their week. During weekday practices, Whitmore Lake's squad run
through the halls, reciting lines of cheers with every step.

"It's very competitive,
very grueling," Brighton coach Kim Klaus
says. "But you ask the average layman and they say, 'What - cheerleading
hard?' "

More than standing and
clapping

This isn't the traditional
style of cheerleading. Instead, imagine a blend of athleticism, tumbling and
creative movement. Each competition consists of three rounds - the first two of
which last 90 seconds and that must include a predetermined number of level
changes, jumps and stunts. The final round lasts 21/2 minutes and is all about
combining the first two with a choreographed routine that blends creativity with
technical expertise.

"I think a lot of
people have this idea that all the girls do is stand
there, clap their hands and cheer," Howell coach Melanie Sietman says.

Think again. As her team
performs Wednesday night, Manchester
coach Katie Ray positions herself behind the judges table, directing the
routine like a symphony conductor. She displays a broad smile and then points
to the corners of her mouth, insisting she needs to see more smiles. She then
holds her hands to her ears, requesting more volume.

The entire time, she'll
barely breathe.

"I'm just there right
now for moral support, but once we hit the mat for competition, it's up to them
and they're great," Ray says. "But I tell them that I take all of
their nervous energy and hold it for them."

To ease the competitive
tension, squads prepare in the stands by snapping their arms into place,
mouthing words to cheers.

Once on the floor, the
spirit of the sport takes over. Standing in front of fans shaking cardboard
megaphones decorated with names of cheerleaders and parents armed with
camcorders, the performance begins.

Whitmore Lake places third

"(People are very
shocked) - they'll say, 'Wow - I didn't know you could jump that high or do
things that seem impossible,' " Whitmore Lake
senior Jenn Hartenberger
says. "I used to be nervous with this, but now it's just really exciting,
and I'm pumped to do it every time."

By the end of their final
routine, Whitmore
Lake's cheer squad exits,
displaying a combination of exerted energy and one last ounce of excitement.
And as she was before they started, Lemons is there once again.

"Awesome job,
ladies," Lemons says. "That was awesome."

But when the final scores
are tallied, Whitmore
Lake is assessed a
14-point penalty for a move Lemons choreographed into the final routine. The
penalty drops the Trojans from first to third, 12 points behind Livonia
Franklin, which scores 643 points. Manchester
(553) takes fifth in the field of eight.

"It was a definitely a
coaching error," Lemons says. "This is our seventh competition and
we've used that stunt six times before and none of the judges have ever said
anything about it. But better now than at regionals."

Jeff Arnold can be reached
at [email-masked] or at (734) 994-6812.

© 2005 Ann Arbor News. Used with permission