Sparta cheerers in state finals

Thursday,
March 09, 2006

By Jeff
Chaney

The Grand Rapids Press

The Sparta competitive cheer team returns to
the state finals for the third straight year Saturday.

The Spartans stamped their ticket
to the Class B finals at The DeltaPlex by taking second at Saturday's
regional at Comstock
Park. Sparta scored 712.8 points, nearly nine
points behind champion Holland Christian.

"We are working really hard
and getting better," senior Kami Cowden said.
"We are hoping to get fourth or better."

Hoping for top-four finish

Added senior Tomi
Tomson: "We would like to place in the top four, that is our goal. But we are just excited to be
there."

So is coach Kensey
Doolittle.

"I'm excited," Doolittle
said. "The girls are doing an excellent job. They are turning on the
heat, and really want it."

Tomson believes that a little experience
of competing on the sport's biggest stage may help the team.

"We have first-year girls who
never went to state, so they are a little nervous, but we are mostly excited,"
Tomson said.

Not nervous about competing

"I'm, confident in my team
that we will go out there and do our best. I'm not nervous, not yet
anyway."

Doing their best is all Doolittle
wants.

"As long as the team tries for
the personal best I'll be happy," Doolittle said. "We want to make
sure that the girls are putting their whole hearts into it. I just want them
to show me that they want it, and wherever we end up I'll be happy."

The defending state champions in
Class B are Ovid Elsie, but won't be defending its title because it was
knocked out at regional competition. Chesaning, Richland Gull
Lake, Allegan and
Holland Christians make up a strong field.

"The whole field will be
good," Cowden said.

"We have beat
a couple of teams at past competitions, but it was close. And things can
change."

The Class B competition is slated
to begin at 6 p.m. Class A starts at 10 a.m., and Class C at 2 p.m.