Hartland
takes KVC cheer title

By Tim
Robinson

DAILY PRESS & ARGUS

Photo by GILLIS BENEDICT/DAILY PRESS &
ARGUS

Howell's competitive cheer team leaps in unison during
Saturday's Kensington Valley Conference meet at Milford. The Highlanders finished fourth
overall, while Hartland won for the third year in a row.

Photo by GILLIS BENEDICT/DAILY PRESS &
ARGUS

The Hartland High School cheerleaders cheer for themselves as
their first place standing is revealed in the competition held at Milford High School Saturday.

MILFORD — Needing to be near-perfect in
the third round, the Hartland competitive cheer team was just that on
Saturday, in the process wrapping up their third consecutive Kensington
Valley Conference title.

The Eagles knew it,
too, celebrating as they went off the floor at Milford High School, joined by
coach Paula Cunningham, who ran from behind the scorer's table around to the
east side of the gym and hugged the first girls she got to.

"It felt like we
were on in that third round," she said. "You couldn't have asked
for more today. They executed it beautifully."

It was a performance radically different than
a much more difficult routine the team had a couple of weeks ago. At a
competition in Grand Rapids,
the Eagles were heavily penalized for what judges there termed illegal
maneuvers, prompting the overhaul.

"We took out the
things we got penalized for," Hartland senior Jillian Jankowski said.
"We went back to fundamentals."

That proved to be
enough for the Eagles, who won with 672.2 total points, holding off
second-place Brighton, which had 651.5.

"They're ranked
seventh in the state, and we're ranked eighth," Brighton
coach Kim Klaus said. "We know we're going up against one of the best
teams in the state."

Brighton had an eight-point
lead after the first round, but minor mistakes cost the Bulldogs in the
second and third rounds.

"In the second round
we didn't stick our tucks," Klaus said. In that round, cheerleaders
attempt flips without using their hands while trying to land on their feet.
If their feet move after the initial landing, then points are deducted.
"In our stunt round (the third), they hit it and we were a little
shaky."

It was enough to
thrill a boisterous Hartland following, as well as team members like
Jankowski.

"We worked so
hard, practicing for this meet, to make things perfect," she said.
"It feels good to win three years running. But we've got more to work
for. We won the KVC, but we want to work for the ultimate — the perfect
score."

Failing that, the
Eagles will shoot for a berth in the March 11 state finals in Grand Rapids, which go
to the teams that finish first and second in the March 4 regional.

Novi finished third
with 624.2, followed by Howell (556.4), Milford
(526.6) and South Lyon (513.5). Pinckney and
Lakeland do
not have competitive cheer teams.

"I thought we did
good," Howell coach Melissa Seitman
said. "I'm proud of our team. It was the best of our nine performances
this year. We're improving every day."

The next clash between
Hartland and Brighton, two traditional powers in competitive cheer, will be
March 4, when they compete in a Michigan High School Athletic Association
regional at Brighton.

"We're going to
work hard and get our skills to the point where we're flawless," Klaus
said. "We have to push to be flawless. But I'm proud of the girls because
today was the first time they performed, rather than just competed. It was a
big step, and we've shown a lot of improvement. Now, we have two weeks to
step up even more."

Hartland and Howell
will compete at an invitational in Wyandotte
next Saturday, while Brighton travels to Grass Lake.

"It gives us one
more chance to make sure everything's perfect," Cunningham said.
"It's a good meet before the regional, to make sure everything's up to
speed."

Originally
published February 19, 2006