Sports

Cheerleaders have strong showing at
home invite

Colin
Baumgartner

Dragon cheerleaders stand tall in
performing a third round routine that coach Nancy DeAvila
called their best of the season to date. Photo by Colin Baumgartner.

February 01, 2006 - Lake Orion High School played host to one of the biggest cheerleading competitions in
the state, bringing in over 20 school districts on Jan. 28.

"It was amazing," said LOHS head coach
Nancy DeAvila. "We put 44 teams through this
building and ten more at the middle school."

The 22 teams that competed in the four categories
of the varsity competition put on quite a show.

Clio won the Varisty
Novice competition, Chesaning took first in Varsity B-C/D and Chippewa Valley was tops in the Varsity A
"White" category.

Lake Orion competed
in the Varsity A "Green" category, which was won by overall point
winner Southgate Anderson.

The Dragons, who finished third at both the Oxford and Brighton
competitions earlier this year, finished out of the top three against tough
competition, but that didn't dampen DeAvila
spirits.

"It was our best performance to date,"
the coach said. "They nailed their third round performance for the first
time."

The team will travel to Berkley for their league meet on Feb. 4.

Facing tough competition such as Southgate
Anderson, Grandville and Rochester
should only help the Dragons as they hit the stretch run of their season.

Not to mention the team is now well-seasoned at
performing in front of large crowds.

"It was the biggest invitational on this
side of the state this year," DeAvila said of
the invitational.

She credited all of the volunteers for making the
day a success.

"It was a huge undertaking," she said.