Hartland
cheer coach: Youth won't stop us Despite graduating 15 seniors, Eagles expect
to fly again this season

Friday,
December 30, 2005

BY
JASON DEEGAN

News
Staff Reporter

The Hartland High School
competitive cheer program lost more than half its varsity team and the
majority of its leaders with the graduation of 15 seniors.

So what are the chances the Eagles
can fly high again? Coach Paula Cunningham says the expectations haven't
lowered from last year, when the Eagles finished third at the Class A state
meet, the team's highest finish during her long tenure.

"We are sure going to try (to
beat last year),'' she said. "Every year we try
to focus on being better than the year before. I think they can do that. I
think they can give a better performance.''

The Brighton Bulldogs, who cheered
their way to eighth place at states, plan on pushing the Eagles for top
billing in the Kensington Valley Conference. The dual-meet season in the KVC
heats up the first week of January. Teams perform three rounds of routines
and skills, accumulating points from judges to determine a winner.

Here's a look at the competitive
cheer season for the six area programs:

Brighton Bulldogs

Key athletes: Katie Spring,
Jessie Dowell, Becky Salter, Vanessa Moretti.

Comment: The Bulldogs return their
core group from a year ago. Nine seniors (out of 22 athletes) give Brighton a chance to dethrone the Eagles. "They
are a really driven group,'' coach Kim Klaus said. "They
work well together. They have the desire to be good. They have to put the
talent, desire and work ethic together and they'll be a good team.''

Hartland Eagles

Key athletes: Kendra Hitchens, Rachel Ford, Kristy Stajkowski.

Comment: Cunningham says the team
is focused to bring its round one score up. Ten seniors make up the core of
the team's talent. "They are probably the most fun-loving team I've ever
had, but they also know how to get the job done,'' Cunningham said.

Howell Highlanders

Key athletes: Aubrie
Bayer, Tiffany Wubyka, Morgan Wray, Ashleigh Cipta.

Comment: The Highlanders plan on
challenging Novi for third-place in the KVC
after finishing fourth in coach Melanie Sietman's
first season. Private tumbling lessons have improved the team's routine.
"We've been focusing to get our stunt timing and tumbling together,'' Sietman said.

South Lyon Lions

Key athletes: Amy Berry, Danielle
Schultz, Stephanie Troy, Amanda Scavo, Kelly Shopp.

Comment: Coach Stacie Soroka has a larger team than normal with 26 athletes to
choose from, including six seniors. The Lions, fifth at regionals
last season, believe they're ready to move up in the KVC standings after
attending team camp over the summer. "We have new and tougher
routines,'' Soroka said. "We
are stronger in our gymnastics skills.''

Whitmore Lake Trojans

Key athletes: Emily Stratton,
Courtney Beard.

Comment: Assistant Tracy Mausolf, a Whitmore
Lake graduate, takes
over for Wendy Lemons as coach. Of the 10 Trojans on the team, only Stratton
and Beard have experience. The Trojans have a strong tradition, finishing in
the top 10 at the Class C-D state meet five of the last six years (including
fifth place last season), but qualifying is a long shot this season. The
Trojans host a home meet on Feb. 8 and also the Class C regionals
on March 4. "We're rebuilding,'' Mausolf said.

Fowlerville Gladiators

Key athletes: Alyssa Swails, Catherine Roley, Kaela Stilson.

Comment: The Gladiators, fourth in
the six-team Capital Area Activities Conference, are young with 10 new cheerleaders.
Still, in their first competition, the Gladiators finished third at the
Ovid-Elsie Invitational Dec. 10 and scored higher than most of last season's
performances. "Our strengths this year, we will feature a lot more
tumbling than year's past,'' coach Cindy Champagne said. "We are adding
more creativity this year. That will stand out.''

Jason Deegan
can be reached at [email-masked] or at (810) 844-2012.