Holland Christian cheer team thrilled with
runner-up finish

Sunday,
March 13, 2005

By Jayson Bussa

The Grand Rapids Press

WALKER -- When Peggy Lintemuth took the
reigns of the new competitive cheer program at Holland Christian, she never
dreamed of the success three years would bring.

In Holland Christian's third
year of competitive cheer, the Maroons grabbed a runner-up finish in the Class
B state finals Saturday at DeltaPlex. The Maroons sat in third place going into
the final round, where they gained 17 points on second-place Grosse Ile to
finish with 702.

"This is just a huge
accomplishment," Lintemuth said. "I can't speak kindly enough of the
work ethic of these kids. They really continue to impress me."

With only two years under
their belts, the Maroons went into their first state finals competition not
expecting to place high in the 10-team pool.

"Personally, I came in
hoping to finish in the top five," Holland Christian cheerleader Kelsey
Van Dyke said. "I wasn't sure if it was possible."

As a whole, the Maroons were
happy just to make an appearance.

"We joked all week that
our goal was to finish in the top 10," Lintemuth said. "Even if we
got last, we still are one of the top 10 teams and that's pretty good in itself."

As the Maroons got their
feet wet in the first two seasons with the program, they learned from the
experience of Lintemuth.

Lintemuth has been a
competitive cheering head coach for 18 years and came to Holland Christian
after an eight-year stay at Fowlerville. Lintemuth has made 12 state finals
appearances and led her Fowlerville squad to a pair of back-to-back state
runner-up titles. Lintemuth had her work cut out for her in the new program.

"These seniors came in
two years ago, working hard, as we started from scratch," Lintemuth said.
"I knew we were a better team this year but I didn't necessarily know what
that would bring us."

For the Maroons, they can
truly say it has been a team effort. Over the course of the season, all 20
cheerleaders on the Maroon's roster saw experience in competition. During the
finals, all but two Maroons competed.

"People have stepped in
when they needed to," Lintemuth said. "We've had injuries where other
girls would come to fill that empty spot, work it to the best of their ability,
and then drop back out."

Sparta accompanied the Maroons in
representing O-K Rainbow Conference finishing sixth with a score of 680.5

A three-point difference
held the Maroons from obtaining their first state title as Ovid Elise won with a
final score of 705.5. This is the second consecutive year that the Marauders
won the state title.

© 2005 Grand Rapids Press. Used
with permission