Panthers, Maroons competitive cheer teams take second at
state finals

Tuesday,
March 15, 2005

By Jayson Bussa

The Grand
Rapids Press

WALKER -- For one team, it
was the replication of a previous feat. For another, it was the making of
history.

The competitive cheer teams
of West Ottawa and Holland Christian finished as runners-up in their respective
divisions at the Michigan High School Athletic Association State Finals
Saturday at the DeltaPlex Entertainment and Expo Center in Walker.

The Panthers managed to rope
their second Class A second-place finish. The first came in 2001. The Panthers
mustered scores of 193 in the first round, 216 in the second and 307 in the
third for a total of 716. That placed them behind the Falcons, of Rochester
Hills, who took the competition by storm with a score of 742. The Falcons
pulled away from West Ottawa with their gutsy 322-point final round.

"I am extremely pleased
with how the girls did," West Ottawa head coach Kelli Polinskey said.
"We just feel so fortunate to even be competing against teams at this
level. Rochester is a great team, and they showed it tonight. They got a
standing ovation from the entire crowd in the last round, so that says
something."

The Panthers locked their
second-place position from the first round, rising above such tournament
fixtures as East Kentwood (which placed sixth with 700 points) and the reigning
state champions, Grandville. The Bulldogs ended in fifth place after miscues in
their final round.

Holland Christian finished
as runner-up for the Class B finals, the best finish in their four years of
existence.

The Maroons hung toward the
top of the leader board with scores of 190 and 201.5, respectively, in the
first two rounds.

Holland Christian made its
final move to second place with a 310.5-point third round that raised them
above Grosse Ile, finishing the Maroons' afternoon off with a 702. Reigning
champion Ovid Elise was crowned once again with a score of 705.5.

"I never expected this
high of a finish," Maroon's head coach Peggy Lintemuth said. "These
girls have such a strong work ethic. Some days during the season, they looked
great, and other times, we realized we needed a lot of work. Tonight, they
looked phenomenal."

The fourth-year Maroons are
guided by Lintemuth, who carries 18 years of head coaching experience, coming
to the Maroons from Fowlerville, where she spent eight years and captured two
second-place finishes in the state finals.

"We have really great
coaches," junior cheerleader Abbey Zwagerman
said. "We learn so much from them, and they help us to work hard."

The pair of performances
comes in light of equally successful regular seasons, where West Ottawa finished
first in the O-K Rainbow conference and Holland Christian held first place in
the O-K Gold.

© 2005 Grand Rapids Press. Used
with permission