Cheer of a lifetime
BY RICK NEALE
DAYTONA BEACH - An energetic collection of 43 Brevard County girls experienced the cheer of a lifetime Sunday: They danced, pranced and bounced for an estimated television audience of 20 million.
Cheerleaders from Cocoa and Merritt Island high schools and Clearlake and Jefferson middle schools performed during "American Idol" star Kelly Clarkson's performance before the start of the Daytona 500. Dressed in white Nextel T-shirts, black warm-up pants and shoes, and surrounded by hundreds of colorful co-performers, the girls faced the grandstand crowd while Clarkson sang on stage behind them.
"Oh, it was awesome. Awesome," raved Nicole Buntting, 19, a 2006 Cocoa graduate who helped coach the squad. "It was unbelievable."
The routine proved to be a prelude to one of the most dramatic Daytona 500 endings in history. Kevin Harvick squeezed past Mark Martin in the blink of an eye at the finish line, narrowly avoiding a spectacular carnage of careening, out-of-control vehicles on the home stretch.
Anyway, back to the cheerleaders. Clarkson's prerace show featured volunteers waving dozens of red, white and blue banners and flags; rows of military personnel standing at attention; and rollerbladers in leotards whizzing in circles on the track.
The cheerleaders' color scheme matched the enormous Daytona logo painted on the infield grass beneath their feet. They waved white-and-silver pom-poms in synchronized sequence during the Grammy-winner's three-song set.
"It was fun -- but it was hard work," said 15-year-old Jessica Windsor, a Merritt Island sophomore.
Buntting said the girls practiced Saturday in Daytona for 12 hours: The group had only two weeks to learn their routine.
"For this being my first time in Daytona, and actually being in the middle of the race, it was great," said Cocoa senior Kelissa Cooperwood, 17. "This was such a fun event to be a part of. From the fans and drivers to dancing for Kelly Clarkson, this truly is a day I'll cherish."
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbc...702190338/1016
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