By Rryan O’connor
The 25th annual Kiwanis cheerleading competition at Southern New Hampshire University
featured dozens of high-caliber routines from top-notch squads. Neither John
Stark nor Goffstown placed on Saturday, Jan. 26, but the event proved a chance
to fine tune routines in preparation for states.
Class L
“They did good, I’ve seen them do better,” said Goffstown coach
Keri Belanger. “But it’s a whole different team this season. I took
15 girls because we wanted all tumblers, and all but two can tumble, so we’re
pretty excited about that. It’s our first competition, so there’s
no doubt we’ll improve on this for next time.”
The hype and setup of the Kiwanis competition – with the big stage and
bright lights – made the experience especially nerve-racking for Belanger’s
athletes, but the coach said it makes the state championships seem less intimidating.
“They just need to calm down … and breath,” said Belanger
of her young squad. “They’re extremely excited, and they just need
to have more fun with it because they have a better chance at hitting a good
routine if they are enjoying it.”
Competing for the Lady Grizzlies are Jessica Trudeau, Brittnay Duperon, Hannah
Josephson, Amanda Schneider, Lindsay Paradis, Kayla Chase, Shelbye Schlange,
Lauren St. Peter, Courtney Cross, Kerry Cottle, Alicia Gagne, Zoe Moskwa, Paige
Giardin, Kailah Donovan, Catie Veilleux and Melissa Daigle.
Class I
Though John Stark failed to repeat its first-place effort from the fall spirit
championship, coach Jen Middlemiss said the quality of the performance at Kiwanis
wasn’t drastically different.
“It was close. We’ve had a lot of snow days and stuff like that,
so we haven’t had a lot of practice time,” she said. “Overall,
I think they did an awesome job. The girls love it here. It’s the competition
they look forward to the most each year.”
A similar showing at states, said Middlemiss, isn’t likely.
“We have a lot to work out, but our routine is going to be totally different,” she
said. “We’re keeping it close – nice and quiet – so no
one else knows what we’re doing.
“We’ll repeat as champs,” she added. “That’s my
goal for them.”
Representing John Stark spirit are Julie Elwood, Lindsay Myrdek, Ashley Dichiara,
Anne Davison, Heather Krajenka, Becca Labaranche, Stephanie Croatti, Bridget
Vallancourt, Brittany Turcotte, Kristen Scarneo, Courtney Dawson, Melanie Ferri,
Tiffany Tanguay, Jessica Barrasso, Brianna Compagna, Bianca Green, Tasha Desmond,
Jessica Desilvio and Leanne Blacker.