Maroons competitive cheer team qualifies for state

Tuesday,
March 08, 2005

By Steve Fox

The Grand Rapids Press

HOLLAND -- Sometimes, it is good to be young
and have fun.

The Holland Christian
competitive cheer team heads into the state finals at 10 a.m. Saturday for the
first time and with few expectations. The Maroons have been ranked No. 1 in
Class B all season after finishing second in the regional competition Saturday.

"Our program is only 3
years old," coach Peggy Lintemuth said.
"Their first goal was to win conference, and we did that; and the second
goal was to make it to state, which we did by the skin of our teeth."

Despite the lofty state
ranking, the Maroons barely eked out the state berth, scoring 697 points --
just one-half of a point ahead of third-place Otsego for one of the two state
berths. Allegan, last year's state runner-up, was first with 717 points.

"I don't put a lot of
credit in the rankings. I don't even know who votes in those things,"
Lintemuth said. "We have had a very successful season, but even to compare
scores is very difficult to do because different judges in different areas of
the state tend to score differently. That's just not something I ever think
about or let the girls think about."

Learning as they go

In fact, with such a young
program, the Maroons really are learning as they go. Lintemuth said that is the
way they are approaching the state finals, which will be held at DeltaPlex
Entertainment &amp;Expo Center
in Walker.

"I would say I really
want them to savor this trip to state," Lintemuth said. "I think
they're capable of going out there and just doing an amazing job. But the big
goal was to get there.

"I'm sure they're
competitive enough that, when they get there, they're going to want to show
everybody what they can do."

Ten teams will compete at
state in a format similar to the regional, with scoring in three rounds. The
first round includes required motions, making it the most technical.

The second round, or
compulsory, involves team-chosen skills that are judged based on point values
and execution. The third round is open, featuring more exciting tumbling.

"I think we play well
across the board. We're strong in every round," Lintemuth said. "We
really have been consistent in all our scores in all three rounds."

Holland Christian struggled
in the third round at regional, but still managed to hold off Otsego.

"We were really strong
in our first two rounds. (In) our third round, probably nerves and pressure got
to them a little bit. It wasn't our typical strong third round," Lintemuth
said.

The 20-member squad features
seniors Lauren Betten, Lindsey Miles, Casie Brink, Stefanie Head, Erica Deur
and Kelsey Van Dyke. Betten, Miles and Head have been
on the team all three years.

Betten, Brink, Deur
and Miles were named to the all-region squad.

Lintemuth, named Region 9
coach of the year, is assisted by her daughter, Beth, a 2002 graduate of West
Ottawa High and a junior at Hope
College.

As for any state
predictions, Lintemuth said the competition is wide open. Ovid-Elsie is the
defending state champion, while Chesaning has won four state titles since the
competition started in 1994.

"On Saturday, it's
going to be whoever goes out there and is the most flawless across the
board."

© 2005 Grand Rapids Press. Used
with permission