Yoder Proves 'I' Is in Team

Lauren Yoder (right) of St. Ignace, standing with her Cheer America coach, Mandy Layman, won third place in the Cheer America's Young Champions team competition in Lansing April 28. The performance was supposed to be for a team of seven girls, however, Miss Yoder was the only one from the team who was able to travel to Lansing and decided to perform by herself. (Photograph by Lynn Yoder)

Seven-year-old Lauren Yoder of St. Ignace proved that an individual can be a team, performing by herself to earn third place in the Cheer America's Young Champions team competition in Lansing's Hill Auditorium Saturday, April 28.

Cheer America is a nationwide program that encourages recreational cheerleading and pom pom programs for young girls ages four to 15. Miss Yoder has been involved for three years.

What was suppose to be a team hip-hop dance routine turned into a solo performance by Miss Yoder, who competed against 12 other teams in the four-through-seven age group. None of her seven teammates were able to make the trip, so Miss Yoder decided to compete by herself.

"It took a lot of guts for Lauren to go through it by herself," said her coach, Mandy Layman. "She was terrific, she was awesome. She proved to the state of Michigan that she was able to do this by herself."

"She was pretty excited," said Lauren's mother, Lynn Yoder. "She was extremely nervous right before the competition, but she did it. She said it gave her more confidence to be able to do something like this by herself."

She said her daughter was the lone "Yooper" representative, as the rest of the competitors were from lower Michigan.

"She brought the bronze home for St. Ignace," said Ms. Layman, who took over coaching in St. Ignace this year from Staci Nelson.

Coach Layman also took her Cheboygan team to the state finals, which finished second.