Hudson Completes Championship Climb
March 3, 2018
By Dean Holzwarth
Special for Second Half
GRAND RAPIDS – The Hudson competitive cheer team has been a staple at the MHSAA Finals for nearly two decades with 19 appearances, including 18 straight.
But the Tigers had been unable to reach the pinnacle of the sport.
A long time in the making, Hudson’s perseverance finally paid off when it captured that seemingly elusive Division 4 title Saturday at the DeltaPlex.
The Tigers delivered three solid rounds en route to a season-high 769.26 total and the program’s first Finals victory.
Sanford Meridian (756.86) edged Adrian Madison (756.56) for runner-up honors by three tenths of a point.
“I knew it was going to be when the opportunity came,” Hudson coach Kelly Bailey said. “We’ve had great teams in the past, and I knew one time luck would meet with our opportunity, and we would do it. This was the year, and we had a great group of girls.”
The Tigers placed runner-up at the Finals five times, including three straight years from 2008-2010.
They finished a close second again last season to Breckenridge, which didn’t field a team this year after winning three consecutive Finals.
“I’m on cloud nine right now,” Hudson senior Payge Leathers said. “The feeling is unexplainable. This is my fourth year at the state finals, but finally breaking through and winning a state title has been the most overwhelming and exciting experience of my life.”
The Tigers, who won the Lenawee County Athletic Association crown, were ranked No. 5 entering the postseason.
“I knew it from the beginning this year,” Hudson senior Shiann Martinus said. “We clicked so well all year, and I’ve never had a team so bonded. We all wanted the same goal and we did anything to get it, and we got it.
“We were three points away last year so we definitely didn’t want to cut it close this year, and we practiced like crazy.”
Hudson held a slim two-point lead entering the final round, but pulled away from the field with an impressive Round 3.
It capped the meet with a high score of 316.60, eight points better than the next closest team.
“They did a fabulous job in Round 3, and you can’t ask for anything more,” Bailey said. “They were under the most pressure they could be going last and everybody had stuck their cheers. There was two points separating us, and they nailed it.”
Bailey took a different approach to this year’s Finals and didn’t put extra pressure on the team with high expectations.
“We tried to really focus on celebrating our year today, that it wasn’t a competition,” she said. “It was a celebration of our year from the start, and we really focused on having fun. All the work was over, and this is what the hard work was for. They just needed to have a blast today.”
The squad, which featured five seniors, didn’t concentrate on anything but its own effort.
“The whole time nobody focused on a state title,” Martinus said. “We focused on going out to do our best. This (title) comes with it when you do your best.”
Sanford Meridian also had a breakthrough performance in earning its first top-two finish at the Finals.
This was the Mustangs’ third appearance, and they didn’t qualify last year after placing sixth at Regionals.
“We knew we could either take it or be within the top three,” longtime Sanford Meridian coach Val MacKenzie said. “I think our goal was met, and it was a goal we constantly worked toward.”
The Mustangs, who had no seniors on the roster, jumped into contention with a stellar Round 2 that accumulated the highest score of the day, 224.16.
“The girls have worked really hard this year and we’ve really concentrated on our Round 2 with our tumbling and getting back tucks, because we knew that’s what it was going to take to get us where we needed to be,” MacKenzie said. “I’m very proud of how they bought into the program, and they are so dedicated. They are just a good bunch of girls.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Hudson performs a routine on the way to winning the Division 4 title Saturday. (Middle) Sanford Meridian raises its runner-up trophy after its first top-two finish.
Carlson 'Legends' Build Record Streak
March 5, 2016
By Dean Holzwarth
Special for Second Half
GRAND RAPIDS – The Gibraltar Carlson competitive cheer team entered Saturday with the opportunity to make MHSAA history.
The pressures involved with the astounding feat didn’t faze the Marauders at all.
Gibraltar Carlson led from start to finish during the Division 2 Final at the DeltaPlex and became the first cheer team to win six consecutive MHSAA championships, regardless of class or division.
The Marauders previously were tied with Rochester (1999-2003) for the longest streak. They snapped the deadlock with a convincing win ahead of runner-up and Downriver League rival Allen Park.
“Going for six in a row, which had never been done in cheerleading, was a lot of pressure,” second-year Gibraltar Carlson coach Ayrn Ziesmer said. “I’ve done a lot of things in my life that I’m proud of, but I will never be a living legend, and that’s what they are today. They will go down in history as the first team in cheerleading to win six in a row, and that is something that can never be taken from them.”
The Marauders posted a final score of 786.26, while the Jaguars finished at 777.62 to edge third-place Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills (774.80).
Gibraltar Carlson’s historic effort was accomplished with a youthful group. One senior and one junior combined with 11 sophomores and seven freshmen to spark the top-ranked squad.
The lone senior, Mary Miller, became the only girl to be a part of the team’s last four MHSAA championships.
“It’s so relieving to go out on top, and this is unreal,” Miller said. “When I was a freshman and we three-peated, I never thought it would be my senior year and the only one doing it for six and making history. I’m very proud of my team right now and the coaching staff.”
Miller said the pressure to carry on the tradition was intense.
“There’s a lot of pressure walking in here and knowing that everyone wants to see you fall because they want a new champion,” she said. “But for me, that fueled my fire and made me want to prove everybody wrong.”
The string of titles for Gibraltar Carlson began in 2011 under coach Christina Wilson and then transitioned to Danielle Jokela in 2013. She passed the reins to Ziesmer last season, and the success never wavered.
“There are a lot of expectations for this program, and they are expected to be better than everybody else every day,” Ziesmer said. “They are held to a higher standard, so I’m extremely proud that they were able to live up to it and win by the margin that they did today.”
The Marauders held a six-point advantage heading into Round 3. They cemented their place in history by posting a 319.40.
“It’s our money round,” junior Jordyn Hodge said. “It’s my favorite round to compete in, personally, and we just have fun. Hitting it just makes everyone want to do it over and over again.
“This season has been amazing, and it means a lot for all of our hard work to pay off. Working hard for nine months, getting here and then doing it.”
The Marauders posted high scores in each round, something they didn’t produce a year ago.
“We lost Round 2, so when we left last year it was a kind of a we-wanted-more feeling,” Ziesmer said. “But this year they won all three rounds by a pretty big margin, and that is such a satisfying feeling. To know that I, or the team, couldn’t have done anything better. They have no regrets.”
Allen Park placed in the top-two for the first time since winning a Division 2 title in 2010. The Jaguars also were young, boasting a bevy of underclassmen.
“I have a very young team, and they were hungry,” Allen Park coach Julie Goodwin said. “They’ve been working hard, and they did an outstanding job today. Our goals today were to just put out our best rounds, have fun and make memories. We knew it was going to be a battle today, and our Round 3 was awesome.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Gibraltar Carlson holds a stunt on the way to winning a record sixth straight MHSAA cheer championship. (Middle) Allen Park finished second, its highest since winning Division 2 in 2010.