Friday, March 11, 2005

Sports

Cheer teams ready for Class A state meet

By Tim Robinson

daily press & argus

The Brighton and Hartland competitive cheer teams, while
being rivals, have achieved a level of friendliness not often seen in the
rivalry between schools.

That is,
until they begin to compete.

Asked if
her team roots for Brighton to do well, but
not too well, Hartland's Victoria Mah laughed.

"We're
rooting for them, yes," she said, "but we're focusing on
ourselves."

The schools
will compete in Saturday's 6 p.m. Class A competitive cheer meet at the Delta
Plex in Grand
Rapids.

It's the
fifth time in the last six years, the last three in a row, that Hartland has
gotten to the state meet, while it's the first time in three years for
Brighton.'

As a
result, the teams' coaches have different goals.

Hartland,
with 16 seniors, is one of the teams which could have a shot at the title.

The Eagles
had the fifth-highest point total among the finalists, but Brighton
coach Kim Klaus says that isn't necessarily an accurate indicator.

"It's
hard to judge because scores on the west side of the state are generally
higher," she said. "I think it will be close, a tight race for the
top spot."

In the 11
previous state meets, Rochester
has won eight title and Grandville three, including last year.

"After
all these years, we all feel it's time for a new champion," Hartland
coach Paula Cunningham said. "Of course, we'd love to be it."

So far, she
said, her team has been showing signs that it's ready.

"It
all comes down to who's having the best day," Cunningham said.
"It's a nice place for us to be. We're going in with nothing to lose. We
don't have a state title to defend. We have everything to gain. If we go in
and show what we're made of on Saturday, it will blow the judges away. But we
have to wait and see. Once we hit the floor, there's no turning back."

The state
meet is in its second year at the Delta Plex, a
facility located on the north side of Grand
Rapids.

Cunningham
believes that last year's experience - the Eagles finished sixth overall -
should be a big help come Saturday night.

"We
have a lot more experience," Mah said. "I
think we'll take the mat with more confidence. We should be more comfortable
there."

Brighton, meanwhile, is looking to gain experience.

"The
girls are really excited to be a part of this," Klaus said. "It's
been a while since we've been to the state finals, but we're going in with
the same attitude as any other competition. We want to go in and command the
floor and do the very best we can possibly do. Whatever happens,
happens. We're going to give it our best shot."

All joking
about who's rooting for who and when aside, both the Eagles and Bulldogs are
happy they both qualified.

"This
season has been really nice," Klaus said. "When we get on the
floor, we're competitors, but off the floor a lot of the girls are really
good friends. Going to the state meet, we feel we're representing the
(Kensington Valley Conference), not just Brighton
and Hartland, so we want to show what we've got.

"You're
a competitor," she said, then joked, "I mean when you're on the
mat, it's Hartland who? But off the mat you want them to do their best."

For the
Eagles, though, Saturday has the potential to be a day to remember.

"I
feel like everything is in place," Cunningham said. "It all comes
down to who has the best day on Saturday."