Friday, January 20, 2006

Panthers' Ross enjoys cheering, teammates

By
LEO MARTONOSI Senior correspondent

West Ottawa's Melissa Ross was
encouraged by some friends to give competitive cheer a try in middle school.

The Panthers, who
are ranked sixth in Class A by the state coaches association, are glad she
listened to her friends.

"(Ross) brings
a lot of enthusiasm and energy to our team," said West
Ottawa coach Kelli Polinskey. "We
are fortunate to have a lot of girls like that."

Ross, 18, said she
is enjoying her senior year of competitive cheer.

"We have a
great group of girls and a great coach to work with," said Ross, who may
continue her education at Western Michigan University
or at the University
of Nevada next year.

Ross said she
enjoys the camaraderie with her teammates and many of West
Ottawa's opponents.

"Our team is
very, very close, but I also have a lot of close friends from other
teams," she said. "You want to do well when competing and you want
them to do well. It's not a dog-eat-dog type of thing."

The Panthers, who
placed second in the state last year, are aiming for another trip to the
Class A state finals this season.

"It would be
nice to win state this year," Ross said.

The hardest part
for the Panthers might be just getting out of a regional filled with quality
teams.

"Our
conference and our region are very, very tough," Ross said. "Only
two teams out of our region will qualify."

"The
expectations are very high," Polinskey said.