MU8KEGON TWP. - Reeths-Puffer competitive cheer coach Lisabeth Smith knew she would need a little bit of patience to start the season, with 15 sophomores and freshmen on the 22-girl roster.
But Smith also knew there was a lot of talent on the team, and eventually it would lead to some pretty great results.
Her patience paid off on Monday night when the Rockets put on a strong performance in all three rounds and won their own event – the Reeths-Puffer Competitive Cheer Meet – by outpointing second-place Fruitport, a team that won all five of its prior events this season.
R-P finished with 733.7 points in the final standings, followed by Fruitport (716.8), Mason County Central (661.3), North Muskegon (608.9) and Western Michigan Christian (472.1).
The Rockets celebrate with their first-place trophy. Photo/Joe Lane
The title pleased a big crowd of R-P fans who packed into the gym and made a lot of noise to support the Rockets.
“We’ve just been getting our freshmen conditioned to be able to do what it takes,” said Smith, whose team has taken second place in both of its conference meets to far this season, and finished as low as third or fourth in several non-conference meets. “Before today it was about getting them exposure. But the girls fought tonight to win their home competition and they did great.”
Reeths-Puffer had to come from behind to win the championship trophy. Fruitport won Round 1 (execution) with 225.9 points, just ahead of the Rockets, who had 223.3.
R-P took control in Round 2 (overall skills), easily outpointing second-place Fruitport 212.9-195.3.
Photo/Joe Lane
The Rockets nailed down the trophy in Round 3 (stunts) with a 297.6-295.6 edge over Fruitport.
Coach Smith said her team has advanced skills in Round 2, more so than many other teams, and that made all the difference.
She specifically mentioned the Rockets' success in pulling off the standing back tuck, when they start in a standing position, throw themselves backward in the air and land on their feet.
“That’s tough to do, and when you look at the score separation, that’s what did it," Smith said. "We are the only team that had those.”
Photo/Joe Lane
Smith said the team members worked very hard to perfect their overall second-round performance, and they knew they would probably win first place as soon as that round was over.
“We haven’t felt like that after a Round 2 this season,” the coach said. “It was a real come-together moment, with coaches crying, kids celebrating. We finally gelled as a team, because they learned what it was like to be successful.”
Smith said the Rockets still have a lot of work ahead of them if they hope to keep pace in the O-K Green conference race or do well in postseason competition.
“We’re going to be making a lot of adjustments so we can gain another 15 to 25 points,” she said. “We’re going to have to score in the 740s or 750s to win a district championship.”
