Five cheers for Breckenridge

Thursday,
March 17, 2005

JOHN POZENEL
JR.

THE
SAGINAW NEWS

What has become an annual
parade made its way through the heart of Breckenridge once again last weekend,
as the Huskies' competitive cheer team returned home with yet another state title.

Breckenridge emerged from
the DeltaPlex in Grand Rapids Saturday with a team score of 694-1/2 and its
fifth Class C-D state title in the past six years.

"We have a police
escort through town," Breckenridge coach Deb Gaines said. "The girls
love it. They hoot and holler out the bus windows and the residents flip on and
off their porch lights."

The
team and its fans then meet at Anschutz, a local
restaurant, for a celebration. It's been that way since 2000, when Breckenridge
won its first title.

"We used to just stop
for malts," Gaines said. "Now, we have a cake and celebrate the
season."

Breckenridge won state titles
from 2000-2002, before falling to Pewamo-Westphalia by a 12-point in 2003. The
Huskies won again the past two years and appear primed to continue their
success, as this year's 14-member team included just one senior.

"The girls work hard
and want to be the best," Gaines said. "They put in their time with
weight training and gymnastics."

Which is
how Breckenridge has managed to stay on top of the competitive cheer scene.

"The aerial cartwheel
is sort of our trademark move," Gaines said. "There are only three
teams in the state that execute the move, and the other two are in Class
A."

The move, which is a
cartwheel without using your hands, garners the maximum number of points and
each member of this season's 10-person compulsory team nailed it.

"It takes time,"
Gaines said of the move. "We drill, drill, drill. You can't rush it. When
you're ready, you'll do it. You have to be patient."

The compulsory round is the
second of three rounds and where Breckenridge historically has made its move.

"The first round is the
clean round, and every one does pretty well," Gaines said. "The
second round is the compulsory round, where everyone has to perform each move
exactly the same. The third round is the creative round, and that's where there
are stunts and tumbling."

The first two rounds last 1-1/2
minutes, while the third round is two minutes.

After the opening round,
Breckenridge was in second place with 185 points. The Huskies made their move
with 207-1/2 points in the second round, taking a 10-point lead into the final
round. Breckenridge also won the third round with 302 points for a total of 694-1/2.
Pewamo-Westphalia, which has finished second in each of Breckenridge's state
championship seasons, was second with 677-1/2.

"Our strength is in the
second and third rounds," Gaines said. "Ten points is a pretty big
margin for competitive cheer, and knowing our third round, we felt pretty
good."

That would also describe how
Gaines and assistant coach Stephanie Willman feel
about the future of Breckenridge competitive cheer.

"I'm assuming all the
girls will come back, so we should be in great shape to win it again,"
said Gaines, who has coached the Huskies since the inception of the sport in
1994. "This is a real solid team and I'm extremely proud of them. They
accomplished their goal this year."

John Pozenel
Jr. is a sports writer for The Saginaw News. You may reach him by calling
776-9772.

© 2005 Saginaw News. Used with permission