BY RYAN O'CONNOR
John Stark was a leaping, kicking, flipping example of the old adage, “Save the best for last.”
Of the 38 competing squads at the New Hampshire Fall Spirit Championships, the Lady Generals were one of the final groups to take the floor.
Competing against 12 fellow Class I schools on Sunday, Nov. 4, at the University of New Hampshire’s Whittemore Center in Durham, John Stark showed those who had already competed what it takes to win a state title.
Stark scored 152, defeating second-place Bishop Brady by 2.5 points and third-place Bedford High by seven.
Each team’s four-minute routine was scored on jumps, tumbling, stunting and dance.
But becoming the best unit in Class I didn’t come easy, said head coach Jen Middlemiss.
It took months of hard work, dedication and “lots of practice,” to create the necessary team unity, she said.
And there is still plenty of time for the young squad to improve.
The Lady Generals are led by two seniors, Jackie Blacker and Courtney Dawson, but the rest of the squad is likely to return next year.
Also representing this year’s state champs are juniors Kara Blevins, Heather Krajenka, Kristen Scarneo, Tiffany Taugnay and Brittney Turcott; sophomores Ashley Dichiara, Julie Elwood and Lyndsey Myredek; and freshmen Jessica Barrasso, Brianna Compagna, Stephanie Croatti, Bianca Green, Becca Labrahche and Bridgett Vallancourt.
John Stark defendw its title in February, when many of the same teams meet again at the same venue for the winter championship.
Goffstown
One day after the Goffstown High School spirit squad cheered its football team in the final game of the season, many of the same players from the gridiron showed up in Durham to return the favor.
Though the Lady Grizzlies finished 12th in Class L among 18 competing teams with a score of 143, head coach Keri Belanger was elated with their performance.
“They did a fantastic job, especially considering they obviously are going out there really nervous competing against other Class L teams,” she said. “They really held it together, and I think they did the best they could considering the circumstances.”
Senior Amanda Schneider separated her shoulder two days before the event, prompting Belanger and assistant coach Lori Simons to change much of Goffstown’s planned routine.
Though Scheider still competed, she was limited in her tumbles and stunts.
The 19-member team made Goffstown one of the larger units in Class L.
“There were a lot of girls that tried out, and many of them I thought would be best for varsity, so we ended up with a pretty large team,” said Belanger.
The Lady Grizzlies are represented by seniors Samantha Auger, Kayla Chase, Brittany Duperon, CarolAnn Duval, Hannah Josephson, Melissa Lovett, Lindsay Paradis, Schneider and Jessica Trudeau; juniors Alyssa Brown and Shelbye Schlange; sophomores Melissa Daigle and Karen Mitchell; and freshmen Tiffany Chapdelaine, Kailah Donovan, Alicia Gagne, Paige Girardin, Zoe Moskwa and Lauren St. Peter.