East Kentwood cheer team off to
best start ever

Thursday,
January 26, 2006

By
Steve Vedder

The Grand Rapids Press

Maybe sometime soon, East Kentwood competitive cheer coach Stacy Sheler won't be nervous heading into a meet.

Considering her team's torrid
start, Sheler doesn't seem to have much to worry
about.

The Falcons have won one
invitational while placing runner-up in three others in the program's best
start since competitive cheer became a varsity sport in 1995.

Still,
she's nervous about the team's ultimate goal: qualifying for state.

"I'm already nervous about it
because one bad day and you're not going," Sheler
said of the state meet scheduled for March 11.

First things first, however, for
the Falcons. They sandwiched their first championship at the Grandville
Invitational around runner-up finishes in Allegan and at the Jenison
Invitational.

The Falcons also placed second in
the O-K Red Conference pre-season meet, which is important because the
conference uses that finish and the post-season league meet to determine an
overall champ.

Two years ago, East
Kentwood won the post-season meet, but was denied the overall
title.

Sheler said her current team is better
than the 2004 club that finished runner-up in the state.

"This is the best team I've
coached," said Sheler, entering her fourth
year. "It has the most talent, the most athleticism and the most
confidence. It's meshed real well together. Every time they step on the mat I
get chills."

Only one of the team's nine seniors
is a four-year veteran in Danielle Mowry, who
competes in all three rounds. Seniors Katie Bell, Shaima
Smith, Melissa Heitmier and Thea
Thom also compete in all three rounds.

As successful as the team has been,
it could be tough to make the state meet. Two teams from East
Kentwood's regional will qualify.

Before the March 4 regional, the
Falcons will compete in the Feb. 25 conference meet.

Five O-K Red teams currently are
ranked, including East Kentwood, which has
been either second or third all year.