PUBLISHED:
Sunday, March 13, 2005

Warriors finish fourth in first trip

By DREW
ELLIS

Sun Sports Writer

GRAND RAPIDS – This season in
competitive cheer, Chippewa Hills is the rookie of the year.

Some
teams take years if not decades to reach the state finals in any sport, but the
Warriors didn't care to wait that long, vying in the Class B state championship
Saturday at the Deltaplex, in their first year of competition.

The Warriors were in contention all day long, but in the end,
finished fourth overall with a 685.5 total score.

"We set a goal to finish in the top five, so we met our
expectations,“ Warrior coach Jenna Ruddell said.
"Overall we had a strong day. We came out solid and performed to our
ability.“

Ovid-Elsie won the championship for the second-straight year,
scoring a 705.5 total, beating out runner-up Holland Christian, which scored
702. Grosse Ile came in third with 697.

For Ruddell and the Warriors, making it to the highest level of
competition in their first go-around was as enjoyable as competing in the
event.

"We really focused our day on stopping and breathing it all
in,“ Ruddell said of the overwhelming experience
that comes with the state finals. "The girls were really excited to just
be here. During the National Anthem, some of our girls had tears coming down
their cheeks, so I know it meant a lot to them to compete in this.“

Chip Hills was in fourth after round one, scoring a 189.5. In round
two, the Warriors hit a snag, scoring a 195.5 to fall to fifth. The Warriors
rallied in the final round to score a 300.5, and jump back into fourth place.

"Our round two was a little disappointing,“
Ruddell said of the 195.5 score. "We have a goal to improve every meet in
round two, and today we didn't do that.“

Throughout the entire competition, the Warriors seemed to be the
fan-favorite earning cheers from opposing teams for their phenomenal
accomplishments in just their first season.

"I loved it,“ Ruddell said
of the support from other teams. "We have camps together and have
supported each other throughout the season. It is nice to have those teams
backing us. I think that is what makes cheering such a great sport, is that you
can support other teams.“

With the rookie experience all wrapped up for Chip Hills, the
focus now turns to making sure that this season was not a fluke.

"I think in the offseason we need
to work hard on round two,“ Ruddell said. "If
we really hammer down our round two, I think the rest will fall into place. Our
underclassmen were saying at the end, that we know what we have to do for next
season, and getting our round two down is it.“

The Warriors return all but two members of this season's
groundbreaking squad, and will look to improve on their fourth place standing
from Saturday.

"We lose just two seniors, so things are looking good for
the Chip Hills cheer program,“ Ruddell added.
"We are working on building a strong tradition here, and this season was
the first step toward that. We expect to be back here next year, and bring some
hardware home next time.“