Cheerleaders first at regionals, host state finals

The Lake Orion High School varsity competitive cheerleading squad will aim for the top three in this weekend’s state finals at LOHS, after taking first in the regional competition on Feb. 22.
“That’s our goal,” said head coach Nancy DeAvila. “They want to finish in the top three. In regionals, the girls weren’t nervous. It was excellent.”
Lake Orion took first with 728.5 points. Oxford finished third and failed to qualify for the finals.
In the first round, Lake Orion scored 194.5 DeAvila said it was probably one of the best performances she’d seen from her team all year.
“We were first going into the second round…we scored 211.5. It was an excellent round, skill-wise,” said DeAvila.
“Oxford was in second …in the third round they went first and had some troubles,” she said. “We went fourth and it was phenomenal.”
The team had no errors in their cheer and got their highest third round score of 323.5.
“It was a solid performance throughout the entire day,” DeAvila said. “The girls are not nervous (about the state finals). We’re very excited. They want to have their best performance in each round.:”
DeAvila said she believes her team has an excellent chance.
“There are 10 Class A teams,” she said. “Only three of them have scored about 720 points,” she said. “It’s a great opportunity for us, having the finals at home.”
The 2003 State Competitive Cheer Finals will be held at LOHS on March 1, with competition for classes C and D beginning at 1 p.m., and competition for Class A at 4 p.m.
The cost to attend the event is $4 per person, and $1 to park. For more information, contact the LOHS athletic department at 693-5458.