Cedar Springs Varsity Cheerleaders in their winning routine.
Cedar Springs Cheer teams won championships at all levels: Middle School, Junior Varsity, and Varsity.
Cedar Springs Competitive Cheer traveled to Lowell for their annual “Arrowfest” Cheer Invitational this last Saturday.
Eight teams competed in the Middle School division. Cedar Springs White took the mat and earned a score of 83.50 after Round 2, giving them a 6th place overall. After the completion of Round 3, they gained an additional 256.40 points. This score gave them a total of 339.90 points, ending their season with a third place overall. “Another great performance from this team,” said Head Coach Cassandra Chartier. “Round 3’s score was the highest score all season. These girls have grown and learned so much; it has been great to watch their improvement this season. I had a proud coaching moment when I was stopped by a judge after the competition to compliment my team on how great they looked and how much they have improved this season.”
Cedar Springs Red took the lead with a score of 135.78 points after Round 2. Earning an additional score of 247.90 after Round 3, secured another Championship title for Cedar Springs Red with a final score of 383.68. Forest Hills’ took second place with an overall score of 341.60. “We ended the season with another Championship and I couldn’t be more proud of these girls,” said Head Coach Amy Arnold. “They work extremely hard and always give 100 percent.”
Cedar Springs brought the only Junior Varsity team to compete. Round 1 earned a score of 184.70. After Round 2, they gained an additional 164.94 points bringing their subtotal to 349.64. Round 3 gained an additional 211.90 points giving them a final score of 553.54 points and securing another Championship for the Junior Varsity team. “We achieved a new highest score in round 1, (and I’m) proud of the girls for pushing through on Saturday with all new material for Round 1 & 3!” said Head Coach Katy Baird. “Round 3 was a little rough, but the girls rose to the challenge. The new Round 3 has a lot more difficulty and I am proud of the way they handled and executed the changes. Time and practice will only make it better.”
Seven teams competed in the Varsity Division. The Cedar Springs Varsity Team dominated this competition and took the lead after Round 1 with a score of 213 points. Round 2 gained an additional 206.46 points bringing their subtotal to 419.46 points, keeping their first place position. The completion of Round 3 gained an additional 270 points and secured another Championship with a final score of 689.86. Belding came in second place with an overall score of 648.28.
“We had our entire program at Lowell High School this past weekend—Varsity, JV and both middle school teams,” said Head Varsity Coach Anne Olszewski. “It was great to stand there and look at the sea of red and black and watch them perform so well. Cedar Springs took first at all three levels, Varsity, JV and Middle School. It is a very proud moment as a varsity coach in a program the size of Cedar Springs.
“Our JV Coach has done a wonderful job pushing these girls,” added Olszewski. “They are hitting more difficult stunts and the creativity is starting to be there! We want to increase our strength and gymnastics ability. Saturday was also the last middle school competition for both teams. Their seasons ended well with improvements in scores and skill level.”
But the Varsity season is not finished. “Varsity has been working on standing tumbling a lot,” she explained. “We had two injuries this past week, so we knew stunt round would be weak with missing bodies. We have two more competitions this coming week, one being a conference meet at Grand Rapids Christian High School. We would really like to place well there so we can continue into post-season play. Our final conference meet will be February 11 at home. We really need to place well there!” she said.
