BIDDEFORD — Biddeford senior cheering captain Sarah Poirier said she was surprised on Saturday when it was announced that the Tigers had won the Western Maine Class A championship at the Augusta Civic Center, not because she didn’t think the team could do it, but because she didn’t think the team did enough to win.
“I think it was really amazing, because I know our cheerleaders had doubts after we came off the mat,” said Poirier. “They were thinking hopefully top three, and then hearing we won first was amazing.”
“When they finally called Biddeford, we were all really excited,” said fellow senior captain Alex Boudreau.
It’s not to say that the Tigers didn’t deserve to win the regional title, but according to head coach Debbie Lebel, the team’s performance was far from perfect.
“I wasn’t real happy, and I don’t think they were happy with themselves, to be honest with you,” said Lebel. “They were kind of disappointed, because our goal was to hit a perfect routine, and that didn’t happen.
“Nobody really hit their routine on Saturday; not perfectly. They were really, really sharp in a lot of other areas. We didn’t hit our stunts, but they didn’t fall to the ground. Their dance and their cheer and their voices, and everything else, were really, really crisp.”
“We didn’t hit it,” said Poirier, “but we know we’re good enough to go and move on.”
The first-place finish wasn’t an unexpected one for the Tigers, who Lebel called “very talented.” Poirier and Boudreau were part of a regional championship team as sophomores, and know what it takes to make it to the top.
“We worked really hard,” said Boudreau. “We spend many hours and days out here practicing, six days a week practicing, to be where we are today.”
Biddeford also had some motivation to take back the regional crown, after a hiccup last year in which the perennially contending Tigers missed out on states.
“I think last year really, well I know it motivated me a lot, not qualifying for states really pushed me. It really pushed us, and I kept reminding (the team) we don’t want it to be like last year,” said Poirier. “We want to make a new statement.”
Part of this year’s new statement involves a new addition to the team, an addition that Lebel said she hasn’t had before as Biddeford’s coach: a boy.
“It was kind of weird ”¦ having a guy on the team, because Biddeford’s always been known for football, and boys don’t cheer,” said Lebel.
That boy Lebel was speaking of is Dan Copeland, who joined the team this year, after some coaxing from his female counterparts. But Lebel said Copeland certainly proved he belongs.
“He’s a strong person, a great tumbler,” said Lebel. “He’s definitely been a great help to us.”
With Copeland in tow, and the motivation of last year’s failure and last Saturday’s less-than-perfect performance, the Tigers have set their sights on being perfect in two weeks at the state championships.
“We know that we have to hit it,” said Poirier. “And I think that we’re going to work really hard, especially knowing that, even by .5, we had the highest score in the state, is really going to push us to know that we can be the best.”
“I think us not hitting (it) on Saturday makes us want to hit it even harder for states,” said Boudreau.
— Staff Writer Wil Kramlich can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 323 or sports@journaltribune.com. Follow him on Twitter @WilTalkSports.
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