The Saline Reporter
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Hornet cheer team works to improve
Varsity finishes second at first-ever Saline Cheer Invitational
By Jerry Hinnen, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: February 8, 2007
Some sports fans might not take competitive cheerleading seriously as a sport.
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But that doesn't mean that coach Launie Aben and the Hornet cheer team don't take their sport seriously —or aren't serious about their progress during this year, their first in Michigan High School Athletic Association competition.
"We're trying to keep our mindset on just improving our scores each time," Aben said of the team's goals for the 2007 season. "It's a transition year for us. We feel we'll be a success as long as we continue to improve."
The Saline competitive cheer program is now in its third season, but this is nonetheless a year of firsts for the team. The Hornets are adjusting to MHSAA cheer rules after two years participating in the Michigan Cheerleading Coaches Association.
Aben admits that the transition to the MHSAA's "different style" hasn't always been as smooth as she might wish, but there have been plenty of high points as well, including Saline's first-ever home cheer competition, Saline Cheer Invitational Jan. 31. Hornet teams took the top two slots, with the JV first and varsity second, and teams from Romulus and Tecumseh next in line.
"Hosting our own competition was exciting, and I think the excitement of that helped our team" Aben said. "They just looked really good. We had worked on our tumbling and they did a good job."
Aben said the adjustment from MCCA to MHSAA is made more difficult by the differences between the two styles of competition. While MCCA meets were somewhat looser and consisted of two longer rounds, MHSAA guidelines are more direct and feature three shorter rounds: a first round of a "flat" cheer and a pair of jumps, a second round with five "skills" like gymnastics and jumps, and a third longer round that combines guidelines from the first two.
"Round 3 is very exciting," Aben said. "It's non-stop stunts and lots of energy."
In each round, the team is judged in a number of different categories, like choreography, execution, vocals and general impression. Aben said the subjective nature of the sport can be frustrating at times.
"It's like figure skating," she said. "Sometimes I'll think 'Wow, they just had a really great round' and the judges won't see it that way at all."
After a competition at Tecumseh this Saturday, the Hornets will have two weeks to prepare for regionals at Southgate-Anderson.
"We're just looking to perform to the best of our ability," Aben said. "Every competition, we want to get a little better."
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