Freshmen lift
Bulldogs in cheer

Thursday,
February 09, 2006

By
Steve Ungrey

The Grand Rapids Press

Byron Center's sideline cheer program had won
three straight regional championships between 2001 and 2003.

But coach Amy Hass' comfort level
initially was tested by the competitive-cheer era.

"Since
we were very successful with sideline cheer and made it to the state finals,
I didn't want to switch to competitive," Hass said. "Now I'm so
glad he made us do this. I never would have imagined it'd be this fun.

"I feel like we've been really
successful so far. We've had seven competitions. I don't really look so much
at placings but I know we haven't been below fourth
in any competition so far."

Their scores haven't been below 600
points, either.

At the start of the season, Byron Center scored 618.5 points in three
rounds of competition, and that score has since increased to 658.4 in the
team's first conference meet, which it won.

The Forest Hills co-op program is
in Byron Center's
conference, along with Middleville, Hamilton,
Kenowa Hills, Caledonia, Lowell
and Wayland.

Even more impressive is the fact Byron Center is scoring these points without
a single junior or senior on the squad. Hass's 20-cheerleader roster is all
freshmen (Abbigail Bylsma,
Laura Cogswell, Jessica Devormer,
Andrea Dykstra, Chelsie Hernandez, Alexus Mendez, Erin Murphy, Rachel Reynolds, Raquel
Robinson, Savannah Smith and Kristen Toombs) and sophomores (Brittany DeHaven, Jill Gress, Amanda Loehle, Emily Marcinek, Amanda
Merritt, Alysse Palazzolo,
Lauren Patterson, Emily Ray and Kayla Shaddeau).

"I was very nervous about
having a young team, but there are no older-kid attitudes with this
group," Hass said.