Grandville Cheer Raises Bar in Repeat Bid
December 23, 2015
Dean Holzwarth
Special for Second Half
GRANDVILLE – Grandville has had one of the elite competitive cheer programs in the state since the sport became MHSAA-sponsored in 1994.
Six championships in Division 1/Class A and eight runner-up finishes over the past 21 years provide undeniable proof of the program’s success under longtime coach Julie Smith-Boyd.
Grandville enters this season as the defending Division 1 champion after notching a narrow victory over another perennial power, Rochester, at last season’s MHSAA Final. It was the Bulldogs’ first title since 2011.
Smith-Boyd, in her 35th year at the helm, said a key to last year’s run was a commitment to conditioning and weight training.
“Last year was the first year that we lifted throughout the season,” Smith-Boyd said. “We have lifted in the past, but once the season started we stopped. It was amazing to me how much stronger they were at the end, and now that we’ve been doing it for over a full year they are so strong.”
The hiring of strength and conditioning coach Tully Chapman has made a world of difference to not only the competitive cheer squad, but other sports at Grandville.
“Everything is so much better and stronger, even with their tumbling,” Smith-Boyd said. “They are showing more athleticism, and it has benefited us so much. The lifting has made them more mentally tough, to get through some things that they didn’t think they could do. We are doing some hard things this year and really mixing it up.”
The added element to the program, combined with the return of several key performers, has the Bulldogs primed to duplicate last year’s accomplishment.
Grandville has 13 back, including Ingrid Vredevoogd, Kelsey Russell, Mackenzie Brower, Carly Landstra, Rachel Anglim, Skyler Stauffer, McKenzie Wezeman, Daelyn Weir, Kaley Schuitema, Olivia Calvin, Jaycie Schultz, Claire Baker and Paige Gkekas.
“We’re not as experienced as last year’s team was, but they looked amazing in Rounds 1 and 2 at the first meet at Comstock Park,” Smith-Boyd said. “I looked at the scores and they were almost identical to the same time last year. We do have the target on our back, but I just want them to do their best.”
The Bulldogs are vowing not to be satisfied with last year’s memorable feat.
“We’re just really powerful, and I feel like we have this drive to do it again,” Weir, a junior, said. “And since we’re state champs, we feel like we have to work even harder at it to be champs again.”
Vredevoogd, one of eight seniors, echoed those sentiments. She said the team understands the challenges awaiting it in defending the title.
“We talked in practice how for teams that didn’t win last year it’s almost easier to reach for it because there is something to strive for,” she said. “It’s almost harder to stay at the top, so our focus is to work hard to stay there instead of taking steps back. We have girls back who know what the state finals felt like, and the girls from the JV have jumped right in. We’ve hit the ground running.”
Within the program, expectations never change. Smith-Boyd doesn’t allow it.
“I don’t really lower the bar; I just don’t,” she said. “And the girls coming up know that. The bar keeps going up and up the more talented and the more skilled they become. They just rise to the occasion, and we keep getting girls to come out for it. They work so hard, and I really like this group.”
The tradition of the program motivates each team member. They don’t want to disappoint previous teams and are focused to live up to the high standards.
“A lot of the alumni will come back, especially during state week, and they will talk to us about their experiences,” Vredevoogd said. “It just motivates us to carry on what they’ve built up, and especially Julie. There is a lot to be proud of and a lot to be excited to be a part of.”
Said Weir: “I feel like we always have the pressure, only because we’ve always had so many teams in the past that have been really good so we all feel like we have to be like that.”
A close bond also has formed among this year’s group.
“We all love each other and love to be around each other,” Weir said. “We’re a family, and being at practice is fun.”
While the opportunity to contend for another MHSAA title would be ideal, Smith-Boyd simply hopes for the best from her team.
“That would be super cool, but if we don’t get it I want them to have a great year,” Smith-Boyd said. “For it to be exciting, memorable and fun.”
Dean Holzwarth covered primarily high school sports for the Grand Rapids Press and MLive for 16 years and more recently served as sports editor of the Ionia Sentinel and as a sports photojournalist for WZZM. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Allegan, Kent and Ottawa counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Grandville competes during Round 3 of last season's MHSAA Division 1 Final at the Grand Rapids DeltaPlex. (Middle) Coach Julie Smith-Boyd prepares to guide her athletes during competition.
D1 Preview: Adams' Title Streak Up Against Field of Past Champions
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 3, 2022
Rochester Adams has risen above the rest of Division 1 to win the last two Finals championships, and few would argue with the Highlanders as at least one of the favorites heading into Friday’s season-ending competition.
But the Grand Rapids Delta Plex also will welcome back the two most successful championship winners in Division 1/Class A history, plus four more teams that have finished first or second at this event over the last decade and an eighth team that came in third only two seasons ago.
Division 1 competition begins at 6 p.m. Friday. Tickets cost $10 and may be bought at the Delta Plex, and all four Finals will be broadcast live on MHSAA.tv and viewable with a subscription. More information, including the spectator seating chart, is posted at MHSAA.com.
Below is a look at all eight finalists:
GRAND BLANC
League finish: First in Saginaw Valley League.
Coach: Christina Swansey, 11th season
Championship history: Seeking first top-two Finals finish.
Top score: 790.92.
Team composition: 24 total (six seniors, eight juniors, six sophomores, four freshmen).
Outlook: The Bobcats finished fourth last season, their fourth straight finish among the top five in Division 1, and they could make another run this weekend at a first top-two finish after coming in third in 2020. They won their District and Regional the last two weeks going over 786 points at both. Seniors Adrianna Fuller and Isabella Haber are returning all-state first teamers, senior Jackie Kloph made the second team last season and junior Nevaeh Keller earned honorable mention.
GRANDVILLE
League finish: Third in Ottawa-Kent Conference Red
Coach: Julie Smith-Boyd, 41st season
Championship history: Six MHSAA titles (most recent 2015), 10 runner-up finishes.
Top score: 785.6.
Team composition: 25 total (eight seniors, two juniors, 14 sophomores, one freshman).
Outlook: Grandville returned to the Finals after a season away in 2021 and claimed its 16th top-two finish, placing second – its highest since 2016. This season’s team has posted its top two scores over its last two competitions, winning its District and finishing third at its Regional. Senior Elyse Friberg made the all-state first team last season, seniors Cece Duffy, Santana Duffy and Ashley Lam made the second, and senior Alexis Parker and sophomore Lexsee Pawloski earned honorable mentions.
HARTLAND
League finish: First in Kensington Lakes Activities Association Gold
Coach: Candace Fahr, fifth season
Championship history: Division 1 runner-up 2013.
Top score: 787.16 at Regional
Team composition: 26 total (one senior, nine juniors, 12 sophomores, four freshmen).
Outlook: Hartland missed the Finals last season but is back for the third time in four years – contending this time but also likely building for the next few with large junior and sophomore classes anchoring the roster. The Eagles have scored 782 or higher four of their last five competitions. Junior Lily Pies earned an all-District honorable mention in 2021.
HUDSONVILLE
League finish: Second in O-K Red
Coach: Andrea Crowley, fifth season
Championship history: Division 1 runner-up 2012.
Top score: N/A but did score 783.94 at Regional
Team composition: 29 total (12 seniors, 13 sophomores, four freshmen).
Outlook: Hudsonville is back at the Finals for the first time since 2017, following a sizable senior class after just missing with a fifth-place Regional finish last season. The Eagles finished only 38 hundredths of a point off the lead at their District two weeks ago, also scoring better than 780 points at that meet. Seniors Jadyn Jarosch, Ava Ham and Amanda White all earned all-Regional recognition in 2021.
PLYMOUTH
League finish: Third in KLAA Gold.
Coach: Samantha Koehler, seventh season
Championship history: Division 1 runner-up 2020.
Top score: 787.98 at District.
Team composition: 31 total (11 seniors, eight juniors, eight sophomores, four freshmen)
Outlook: Plymouth has been in the championship mix the last two seasons finishing third last year and second in 2020. The Wildcats won their District two weeks ago by nearly eight points, and their 787.16 at the Regional was their second-highest score this winter. Senior Allison Cassar is a returning two-time all-state first teamer, while Avery Maruszewski and Natalia Muzquiz Inda made the second team in 2021 and senior Hailey Tocco and junior Lexi Macyda earned honorable mentions.
ROCHESTER
League finish: Third in Oakland Activities Association Red
Coach: Susan Wood, 41st season
Championship history: 14 MHSAA titles (most recent 2017), four runner-up finishes.
Top score: 789.9 at District
Team composition: 25 total (nine seniors, nine juniors, four sophomores, three freshmen)
Outlook: The MHSAA record holder for most Finals championships in this sport is back after a 2021 season derailed by COVID-19, and with plenty of power having nearly reached 790 points at both the District and Regional. The Falcons are made up mostly of upperclassmen and do have Finals experience on which to draw, with senior Holly McDonald an all-state second teamer and senior Isabella Olivares earning honorable mention when the team finished fifth in 2020.
ROCHESTER ADAMS
League finish: First in OAA Red.
Coach: Brooke Miller, eighth season
Championship history: Division 1 champion 2021 and 2020, three runner-up finishes.
Top score: 792.16 at District.
Team composition: 25 total (nine seniors, 10 juniors, six sophomores).
Outlook: Adams has moved from a back-to-back runner-up in 2018 and 2019 to a back-to-back champion the last two seasons, clearing the field last winter by nearly eight points. And that said, they have two scores this season higher than their highest heading into Finals weekend a year ago, posting them to win District and Regional titles. Senior Gigi Schultz made the all-state first team last season, while seniors Christina Truszkowski, Sabrina Lee and Destini Dorkins made the second team and junior Emma Maynard earned an honorable mention.
ROCHESTER HILLS STONEY CREEK
League finish: Second in OAA Red.
Coach: Tricia Williams, 19th season
Championship history: Division 1 champion 2019 and 2010.
Top score: 790.30 at District.
Team composition: 21 total (nine seniors, three juniors, eight sophomores, one freshman).
Outlook: Stoney Creek returned to the Finals last season and finished eighth, and its best score this season is nearly two points better than this time a year ago. The Cougars have scored 781 or better at eight competitions and 787 or higher three of their last four. Seniors Ella DeGraw, Rachael Kim and Jenna Lanfear earned all-Regional recognition last season.
PHOTO Rochester Adams competes during Round 2 of last season’s Division 1 Finals at Breslin Center. (Click for more from Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)