By Dan Shriner
Review Editor
Lake Orion’s competitive cheer team has again established itself as one of the elite teams in the OAA Red Division with sights on being one of the top squads in the state.
Coach Nicole Hills? Dragons have won two of the three competitions they have entered this season, most recently topping seven other teams in the OAA Red Jamboree held in Oxford. They also won an invitational in Novi and finished second at another invitational in Troy.
They resume competition on January 10 and have a home meet on January 14.
Hills said she has been happy with the team thus far, even though it is smaller than in recent years.
‘We are smaller but very competitive and the girls have stepped up and performed well. They have competed at my expectations,? she said.
Halls is in her first year as varsity coach and the team is the defending OAA Red champions.
In competitive cheerleading, the girls perform synchronized cheers in three rounds. Each round is progressively more difficult and by the final round, the girls are making pyramids and performing other difficult flips, contortions and tosses into the air.
The girls are excellent athletes and competitions resemble gymnastics more than what many people think of as cheerleading.
Hills said the team is fortunate to have some girls who have competed in all three rounds for several years. Junior Morgan Duerden and senior Julia Waelchi are both three round competitors and are team leaders.
Senior captains Emma Berkal, Amber Gorman and Sara Blodgett are also among the team leaders who being a great deal of experience to younger team members.
‘We have a well-balanced team, with upper and lower classes,? Halls said. ‘We have great senior leadership and some very strong sophomores. We have a good mix of experience and youth.?
Two of those sophomores are Sydney Johnson and Savanah Sester, Halls said. There also are three freshmen on the team.
Halls said one of the goals for the team this season is to repeat again as OAA Red champions. The Dragons are already a third of the way there. Winning the OAA Red is determined by the team’s position in the three OAA Red Jamborees held during the season.
The lady Dragons won the first Jamboree held in Oxford. The next one is scheduled at home on January 14. The final league meet will be at Troy High School.
District championships also will be held at Lake Orion.
‘Another of our goals is to do well there and move on to the state level and place high there, too,? she said..