By John Raffel
Correspondent
Nora Jannenga is Farwell’s competitive cheer coach and expects to have a successful season.
“We had an extremely successful 2023-24 season,” she said. “Our highest overall score was 657.9 which is a 75 point increase from the year before Our biggest area of improvement was our round 3, but we still showed substantial growth in rounds 1 and 2. By the end of the season, based on submitted scores, we were ranked as No. 27 out of 87 Division 4 teams in the state of Michigan.
“We graduated two incredible athletes, Macy Campbell and Alysa Smith.
Both athletes were forces to be reckoned with. They were fearless and strong in stunts and had beautiful jumps. Both athletes were in all three rounds and definitely earned their spot. They brought so much energy and fun to the team, this year will definitely not be the same without them.”
Farwell has two stand-out athletes at the start of this season.
•Katelyn Middleton, Senior, Flyer
“Katelyn Middleton (lovingly nicknamed K-Money) has been an integral part of our rounds every season,” Jannenga said. “She is a fearless flyer and looks beautiful in the air. After graduating two backspots last year, we have found that we need to make some adjustments. Katelyn has jumped into a role as a backspot with enthusiasm, and she has proven to be really good at it.
“Her energy is contagious, and she will definitely still have some feature stunts for her to fly in round 3, but she will also be embracing her new role on the ground. You can find her front and center in rounds 1 and 2 with near-perfect jumps and a smile that lights up the room.”
•Jasmine Green, Sophomore, Base.
“Jasmine Green is a stand-out athlete because of the growth she has made between this season and the last. She is a BEAST base; she can do anything we ask her to do and she does it well. She is strong and charismatic, embodying what it really means to be a cheerleader,” Jannenga said. “She has crisp, sharp motions, a super loud voice, and facials for days.
“We know that we can count on Jasmine to be a strong, consistent force in all of the rounds. Her enthusiasm and dedication to growth–of not just herself, but her team–does not go unnoticed.”
The expectations of team are high this season.
“Our stunt groups are strong and ready to learn, so we expect to compete our strongest round 3 yet,” Jannenga said. “Our jumps and motions as a team have improved vastly, so we expect to see score improvements in rounds 1 and 2 as well.
“ This team is REALLY strong in round 2. They are always beautifully in sync with each other, and I think that comes partially from their amazing team dynamic. The girls in this round have the strongest jumps, motions, and standing-tumbling skills. With a couple new additions from years past, I think they will perform extremely well in this round, setting us apart from other teams.”
There are things to work on.
“Jumps and stunting are ever-evolving, and we will continue to work to improve them,” the coach said. “This is our first year being in a conference and we are excited to get started. The Meridian Mustangs are historically a fantastic team (with an amazing coach) that we expect nothing less from. “The Standish-Sterling Panthers are a new team and we are excited to welcome them. Overall, we feel that we will fit well into the upper-middle part of the league. We look forward to our first ever Jack Pine Conference competition on Jan. 10th at home. With new district assignments and our strongest team yet, we feel that we have great potential to advance to the regional finals in post-season competition/ We are shooting for one of the top four spots, and are hopeful.”
