FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM Members of the Radford High School cheerleading team are: front row, left to right, Lawrence Lucius, Jessie Saville, Lasha Harris, Tiffany Threadgill, Kristina Salisbury, Kanani Kekuawela, Ashley Carter and Brittany Cash. Standing in back are Keisha Pamaylaon and David Carter. Missing: Brittiany Broadwater.

Rams want
to make a point

Radford coach Bo Frank
is questioning the scoring
system after last weekend's
OIA championships

The new scoring system that was meant to eliminate judges' personal views in high school cheerleading competitions isn't working, according to one coach.

The Target Point System, adopted this year, is a method in which teams are judged based on their skills, performance and execution. Teams must demonstrate and execute certain routine criteria to meet specific targets and earn points.

The point system is similar to a rubric, where particular skills and how they are executed fall into a point range. For example, in stunts and pyramids at the state tournament, which uses a 10-point scale, teams fall into a point range of two, five, seven or nine and receive points if the majority of the team (half of the total members plus one) demonstrate proper technique and execution of the skill in accordance to the target point definition.

Previously, there were no specific requirements such as stunts, pyramids or basket tosses for a team's routine, except for time limit, and teams were evaluated based on a judge's personal perception of the routine.

"The reason for the change is to keep judges' scores more consistent throughout the panel and award points for skills they (teams) demonstrate and how they execute them," said Kellie Mikami, co-coordinator of the Zippy's State Cheerleading Championships to be held Sunday at the Stan Sheriff Center .

"The Target Point System has proven effective, fair and consistent across the country and will help our judges correctly identify skill level and execution. It will allow judges some subjectivity while assuring the proper range of scores that is adequate for the performance demonstrated, regardless of personal opinion."

But after last Saturday's Oahu Interscholastic Association championships, Radford coach Bo Frank is questioning the new system, feeling his team was still being judged on its cheerleading style more than the requirements listed on the score sheet.

Radford was runner-up to Moanalua in a tightly contested event where Frank said his team hit its routine while the Menehunes didn't.

The Rams won the last two OIA titles and a national title last year, while Moanalua won a state title last season in the medium division.

"We need to relook at this system," Frank said.

"There's going to be glitches in the system when there's something new. I really had full confidence in it, but after talking to the judges and going through the OIA championships, I don't. I don't think they really scored the team on what they did on the floor.

"For me, it's about execution," Frank added. "If (both teams) execute on the floor, that's when sharpness comes into play. When two teams at the same level (are equal), and one doesn't execute, they shouldn't win."

Frank said Moanalua was sharper than his squad, but didn't fully execute its routine with "some bobbles and mistakes" while "we hit our routine." Moanalua finished with 256 points, while Radford totaled 245.

Moanalua coach Tammie Picklesimer said she was surprised at her team's point total, but didn't see any of the other teams perform. She tells her team to focus on themselves and not what other teams are doing.

"We can't accuse (other people for) our actions," Picklesimer said. "We have to be responsible for ourselves. We go out there and consistently try to better ourselves. If I try to worry about that, if we wobble or if we did this, then we're not teaching our athletes how to be responsible for themselves."

Frank said he spoke with some of the judges following Saturday's meet and got the impression the judges scored his team based on their personal preference for a particular style. He said judges are looking at a style synonymous with teams competing in the Universal Cheerleaders Association, one of several national cheerleading associations.

Radford is not a member of the UCA.

One concern about the new system is the lack of judges.

Frank questioned whether judges already have a preconceived notion of his squad, since some judged it during the preseason and again during the OIAs.

Aiea coach Liz Godinet, whose team won the inaugural large division title at the state championship in 2002, said the system is having problems finding qualified people to judge competitions.

"Eventually, it can be a really good change," Godinet said.

"Right now, they're still working out the kinks in it. Getting the judges qualified has been an effort, though it's getting better as the season has progressed."

The Rams are using the OIAs as extra motivation going into the states. The team has had to revise its routine in hopes it can win a state title.

Radford has been runner-up at all three state championships to Kamehameha (once in the large division and twice in the medium division).

"What we told our kids was Saturday is the past," Frank said.

"We need to focus on Sunday. We need to put on the floor what the judges want to see. Why should I change the style we created and developed here at Radford because the judges want to see something else? If we want to win in Hawaii, we want to put on the floor what the judges want to see."

Thirteen teams are competing in the medium division (11 or fewer team members), including Moanalua and Radford, while four teams are entered in the large division (12 to 18).

Cheerleaders SUCH As Brittiany Broadwater of Radford like the new scoring system, since everything is now equivalent.

"I like knowing that you can do a variety of stuff, (knowing) how much your skill is worth," said Broadwater, who was selected as the state's most valuable cheerleader last year. "It puts everybody on one level. It keeps it from being more interpretive."

"It includes more of a team effort than just one person," Aiea's Fergie Aguinaldo added. "It shows what you can do as a team."

For Broadwater and her Rams, second place simply won't do this time. The Rams have won several league and national titles, but have yet to claim a state crown.

"It'll be nice to have it in my senior year, not just for me, but for the program," Broadwater said.

"My personal motivation is the same thing for every competition ... (to win) for my teammates and all the people who put everything in.

"That'll be my motivation, to bring that home to school."