Cheering squads now have one opportunity to make the grade.
One chance to shine, not a potential stumbling block.
That’s the way top local cheerleading teams are accepting major changes to the state qualifying procedure at today’s regional championship meets.
The most obvious new wrinkle to spectators and competitors at the Augusta Civic Center and Bangor Auditorium is the elimination of the second performance or “callback” round.
In previous regional meets, every team presented its three-minute routine, with the top 50 percent of teams in each class invited back for a repeat performance. The top four teams in the encore then advanced to states.
Now, there will be only one opportunity to impress the judges, with the top six teams advancing to the finals Feb. 7 in Augusta. That increases the number of squads qualifying for state competition from eight to 12, but it also presents the possibility that one spill could deny an otherwise accomplished team a chance to advance.
Tiffany Fortier, coach of the defending Western Class B and reigning Western Maine Conference champion Poland Knights, isn’t worried.
“We typically give our best performance in the first round, so it’s good for us,” said Fortier, whose team was runner-up to Rockland in its first-ever state meet appearance last winter. “Last year, we didn’t know what to expect. Now we have something to prove, and everyone’s eyes are on the top.”
Under the old format, Mountain Valley finished third in Western B last season. The Falcons would have been runner-up if the scores stood following the first round.
“You give it one shot and hope for the best,” said Falcons choreographer Kassie Burns, whose mother, Linda, is the team’s coach.
Look for two other major changes at the regional meets.
There won’t be any use in comparing past years’ final scores to today’s totals. Previously, scores were on a scale of 100, with the best performances ranking between the low 70s and mid-80s.
The new maximum score is 175, with new emphasis on degree of difficulty. Even with the larger number, according to Fortier, the margin of victory is likely to be smaller than ever.
“The judges used to score each category in whole numbers, and once in a while you would see a half-point,” Fortier said. “This year it’s 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, and so on. There could be one-tenth of a point separating the top two teams at the end of the day.”
In another twist, there is no defending champion at the Western A meet. That’s because the reigning Lewiston Blue Devils and riverside rival Edward Little have joined locals Oxford Hills and Leavitt in the Eastern division.
That might be bad news for the East, according to Fortier. Her sister, Deneka, is Lewiston’s coach and choreographer.
“They are 10 times better than last year,” Fortier said. “Nobody thought Deneka could outdo herself, but she truthfully did. I’m in stunned silence when I watch them.”
Competition in Augusta begins at 9:05 a.m. with the Western Class C meet, where defending champion St. Dom’s will attempt to continue their tradition under first-year coach Jessica Langevin. MVC schools Monmouth, Winthrop and Lisbon, the latter down from Class B, are among the leading challengers.
Class B begins at noon. Wells and Gorham will push their MVC rival Poland, while Mountain Valley expects to challenge with an experienced group led by six seniors and five juniors.
“Lewiston-Auburn and Poland have great feeder systems. Some of those girls start cheering at three years old,” Kassie Burns said. “We have a pretty good program up here. My mom coached the youth program and middle school program for years before she started coaching the high school team.”
The Western A meet concludes the day in Augusta at 3:30 p.m.
All Class D teams compete in Bangor beginning at 9:30 a.m. Eastern A takes the floor at 5:30 p.m., giving the Fortier family time to commute and catch both Poland and Lewiston.
“We’re fortunate. I’m glad it works out that way,” Tiffany Fortier said.
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