Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 03/15/06

It was standing room only, and there was no scarcity of excitement at the annual Monmouth County Athletic League Cheering Exhibition, which was held recently at Manasquan High School.

After a year of rooting for their school's soccer and basketball teams, it was the cheerleaders' turn to receive the adulations.

"This is my favorite event of the year because it spotlights the cheerleaders," said 13-year-old Chrissi Avitto, captain of the Neptune City Pirates. Her 15-member cheering squad's well-received routine was choreographed by 14-year-old Tyasia Cruz.

"I had originally created it as a dance for a talent show," Cruz said of the hip-hop-dance-influenced routine. "But we decided to use it for the team."

Organized by Don Neice, MCAL director, the Feb. 28 exhibition allowed each participating squad six minutes to showcase its routines.

"Their ability has improved every year," Neice said of the cheerleaders. "It's amazing how much these girls practice."

First on deck was the Bay Head Sharks, whose harmonized kicks and jumps to a music medley ended with cheers from not only the spectators but also the other squads.

"Ah, good job!" was the St. Catharine's Lakers' in-unison response to the Sharks and all of the other squads' performances.

With 18 girls on the junior varsity squad and 16 on the varsity squad, the Lakers had one of the largest contingents at the event.

"We meet two to three times a week for practice," said Kathy Cunningham, the squad's coach.

"I've been coaching for 25 years," Cunningham said. "This is my 13th year at St. Catharine."

With her mother as the school's cheering coach, it turned out to be inevitable that her daughter, Kaitlyn, would join the squad.

"I've been cheering for a long time," Kaitlyn said. "But this is my second year on the team."

"It's a good thing that she that she likes it," Cunningham said. "And thank God she's good at it."

Mackenzie Turner, 11, said she was inspired to join St. Catharine's team not only to follow in her older sister's footsteps, a member of the team 10 years ago, but also because her best friend Kaitlyn's mother was the coach.

"I always wanted to cheerlead," said Turner, who juggles cheering with softball and tennis. "My sister taught me how to do a cartwheel because I never took gymnastics. Now I can do round-offs and almost have a back handspring."

But challenges don't only come with mastering the physicality of the sport. For some, its a matter of mind over matter.

"Sometimes the hard part is if a girl is better than you and they are moved up," she said. "You feel let down."

Twelve-year-old Adriana Eteson of Belmar's Blazers agreed.

She said she needs a lot of focus as one of her team's front and back spotters.

"The hardest part for me tends to be memorizing everything and the counts," she said.

Michelle Gladden: (732) 643-4204 or mgladden@app.com