BANGOR, Maine — It was not quite the showing they were looking for, but hopes of bringing back the state Class C cheering crown remain alive for the Houlton Shiretowners following Saturday’s regional competition at the Bangor Auditorium.
“The girls did an amazing job on Saturday,” Houlton coach Shari Good said. “They were pumped and ready to put their routine on the floor. They where full of energy when they stepped on the floor and carried that energy through the near perfect routine.”
Houlton finished fifth out of 12 teams in the event, which was good enough to move on to the next round. The top six squads advance to the state competition, slated for Saturday, Feb. 11 at the Augusta Civic Center.
Houlton has advanced to States 15 out of the last 16 years, according to Good.
“I have been coaching for 12 years and I think Julie is around 10 years,” she said. “1996 was the first year that we advanced to States. I am thinking that out of those 16 years that either Julie or I coached all but four or five years.”
Team scores for the event were: 1, Dexter, 134.6; 2, Central, 133; 3, Sumner, 129; 4, Orono 125.7; 5, Houlton, 123.2; 6, Calais, 110.9; 7, Penquis, 104.9; 8, Bucksport, 101.9; 9, Mattanawcook, 98.9; 10, Narraguagus, 97.5; 11, Lee Academy, 94.1; and 12, George Stevens Academy, 85.3.
The Shires executed a near perfect routine, so when they received the coach’s scoring and saw a five-point deduction, both coach Good and co-coach Julie Brown were left scratching their heads.
“The energy and spirit began to wane when we noticed that the judges were taking an unusually long time to score our routine,” Good said. “The two penalty judges and the lead official conferred for over 10 minutes and even brought out the national federation book during their discussion. That was when Julie and I began to realize that we must have done something illegal.”
When Houlton received its judge’s scoring sheet, those fears were confirmed as the Shires received a five-point penalty.
“A five point penalty is huge in the cheering world,” Good said. “In one of our recent competitions, we won by a tenth of a point.”
After the Shires received their scores, coaches Good and Dunn requested a conference with the two officials to get an explanation on why the team was given a penalty.
“The cheering season is set up so that each team gets a chance to compete at least six times before they go to regionals,” Good said. “The main reason for this is so that the judges can look at your routine and tell you if you have done anything illegal, so that you can adapt before the regional competition.”
Houlton had previously had two of the four officials judging Saturday at prior competitions, and neither judge had noted any illegal moves in the Shires’ routine. The illegal move, according to Good, was that the team’s “spotters,” who stand to the side during lifts or tosses, had their arms at their sides instead of raised above their heads.
“We expressed our disappointment and wondered why this move had not been noticed before, especially since we have seen (these judges) at four of our last competitions,” Good said. “The judges expressed their sincere apologies for not picking up on the illegal move prior. At that point we went back to the girls and told them that there was a deduction, which probably meant we would not be placing in the top two, but there was still hope for qualifying for States.”
That scenario played out exactly as the coaches feared, as the Shires finished fifth. Without the deduction, the team would have placed fourth.
Overcoming adversity is nothing new for the Shires. At States last year, the team was without one of its best cheerleaders, Marcy Hernandez, who was knocked out of action with an emergency appendectomy.
“The girls held their heads high and were happy to hear they had another chance at trying to defend their title at the state competition,” Good said. “The proudest moment for Julie and I was the sportsmanship that they displayed by being the first to jump up and cheer when the winners were announced. We have full confidence that they can go down to Augusta in two weeks and bring that state championship right back to Houlton again!”
Members of the Shire squad include Sarah Bouchard, Lauren Bragan, Jackie Condon, Emily Dee, Emily Dickinson, Kristen Farwell, Haley Flewelling, Elizabeth Flint, Taylor Forest, Madeline Good, Jaclyn Hodgkins, Erynne Howland, Autumn London, Ashley McNinch, Makala Miller, Crystal Nason, Jennah Rand, Marugerite Russell, Caleigh Sullivan, Mikaela Tuttle, Jasmine Hardy and Morgan Wotton. The managers are Brielle Boutlier and Emma Reed.
