Penalty helps Grandville to competitive cheer title

Sunday,
February 13, 2005

By Steve Ungrey

The Grand Rapids Press

WALKER -- Grandville's competitive cheer
team expected a close contest with Rochester
at Saturday's DeltaPlex Invitational, and it wasn't disappointed.

You could say the Bulldogs
won by a hair.

Rochester outscored the Bulldogs in the third
and final round, giving the team enough points for a victory. But a seven-point
penalty on Rochester
reversed the standings and gave the Bulldogs the win.

The penalty was assessed for
a safety hazard, as judges caught one of the Rochester cheerleaders stepping on another
girl's hair during the stunt round, in which cheerleaders are stacked on top of
each other. That meant the Bulldogs' 734 points was good for a three-point
victory.

"Those things
happen," Grandville coach Julie Smith-Boyd said. "This was such a
close meet. We're doing well here at the DeltaPlex. It's a lot like home-field
advantage."

Rochester held the No. 1 ranking in Class A
entering the competition, with Grandville in No. 2. This meet and next
weekend's Chesaning Invitational will serve as a warmup,
a dress rehearsal for another likely showdown between these two teams at the
March 12 state finals.

"It felt just like the
state finals today," senior Betsy Roberts said. "This just shows this
is our house. This is such a boost today for us."

In the Class B varsity
competition, a third-year program emerged and surprised two more established
rivals.

Holland Christian took
advantage of a strong third round to hold off Grosse Ile and Chesaning. The
Maroons scored 301.5 points in the third round, the only team to go over 300,
and finished with 688.5.

© 2005 Grand Rapids Press. Used
with permission