Sunday, January 22, 2006

Maroons win home invite

By
LEO MARTONOSI Senior correspondent

TAKE IT TO THE TOP: Members of the Holland Christian High
School Competitive Cheer team perform in a home invite Saturday.

Sentinel/Dan Irving

Members of the Holland Christian High School Competitive Cheer
team perform in the first round of the Competitive Cheer Invitational Saturday
afternoon at Holland
Christian High
School.

Sentinel/Dan Irving

The state girls competitive cheer rankings don't mean a thing
at this time of the season, according to Holland Christian co-coaches Peggy
and Elisabeth Lintemuth.

"It really
doesn't matter what you are ranked. It's how you are focused and how you
compete," said Peggy Lintemuth, who led the
Maroons to a state Class B runners-up position a year ago.

Elisabeth Lintemuth added, "It really all comes down to
qualifying. That's really the deciding factor."

The current state
Class B fourth-ranked Maroons not only won their own invitational and
division Saturday, but finished ahead of No. 7 state Class A rated Rockford.

Holland Christian
captured its home invite for the second year in a row with a 703.5 score. Rockford took the Class
A portion of the meet with 690 points.

Pewamo-Westphalia,
a Class C powerhouse, was first in its division and third overall with a
660.7 score.

"There were a
lot of very good teams here," Elisabeth Lintemuth
said. "To win our invitational for the second straight year is exciting
for the girls.

"I'm very
happy with our performance, but there's always room for improvement. There's
still a lot of work to do."

Elisabeth Lintemuth and two of her top athletes -- senior Abbey Zwagerman and junior Katlyn
Prince -- said state is the furthest things from their minds.

"We don't even
talk about state," said Zwagerman, a four-year
varsity performer, who competes in all three rounds. Zwagerman
thought about trying out for competitive cheer at Michigan State
University.

"I may have
gone out if I was going to Michigan State, but I won't now that I'm going to Grand Valley," said Zwagerman,
who thinks highly of the Maroons coaching staff.

"We have a
great coaching staff," said Zwagerman.
"Peggy Lintemuth and her daughter are great
coaches. They know their stuff. Elisabeth Lintemuth
used to cheer at West Ottawa."

Prince, a
three-event standout, agreed.

"I've learned
so much from our coaches," Prince said. "They are very focused. They don't talk about state. We feel very
fortunate to have two great coaches like that."