For the past several months, Eastern Maine’s varsity cheerleading teams have been appearing at their schools’ football, basketball and hockey games while practicing their own routines behind closed doors.

Those cheerleading squads will get a chance to shine on their own Saturday as the competitive season opens with the Penobscot Valley Conference and Downeast Athletic Conference meets.

The PVC Classes C and D schools will compete at Stearns High in Millinocket Saturday at 11 a.m. while the Classes A and B schools will compete at Hampden Academy Saturday at 6 p.m. The DAC meet will be held at Calais High at 11 a.m.

The order of competition for the PVC small schools will be determined at a coaches meeting Saturday morning.

Defending Class C state champ and last year’s PVC small schools winner Houlton will be among the teams competing. The roster also includes Penquis of Milo, Penobscot Valley of Howland, Sumner of East Sullivan, Katahdin of Stacyville, Schenck of East Millinocket, Bangor Christian, George Stevens of Blue Hill, Central of Corinth, Orono and Dexter.

Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for students. Registration for teams opens at 8 a.m. and the doors will open to the public at 9:30 a.m.

At Hampden, two-time defending Class B state champion John Bapst of Bangor will be first on the mat for the 14-team large school meet.

The rest of the lineup features MDI, Presque Isle, Mattanawcook of Lincoln, Foxcroft, Caribou, Ellsworth, Hermon, Bucksport, Old Town, Nokomis of Newport, 2006 PVC champ Bangor, Hampden and 2006 runner-up Brewer.

Teams can register starting at 3:30 p.m. and general admission will start at 4:30. The admission is $5 for adults and $3 for students.

Calais High will be open to the public at 10 a.m. for the DAC meet. The teams involved are Washington Academy of East Machias, Machias, Narraguagus of Harrington, defending champion Calais and Jonesport-Beals. The competition order will be determined Saturday morning.

Competitions continue Monday with the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference championships Monday at the Augusta Civic Center. The Aroostook Cheering Championships will be held Friday, Jan. 19 at Caribou High, followed by the Big East Conference championships Saturday, Jan. 20 at Hermon High.

Rams to pay tribute to Thompson

Just one of the current Bangor High cheerleaders was around the varsity team at the same time as Danielle Thompson, a 2003 Bangor High graduate and cheerleader who died from meningitis Jan. 3 in New Hampshire.

Nevertheless the Rams, including senior captain Maria Coffin, who was on the junior varsity when Thompson was a senior, have chosen to remember Thompson by wearing T-shirts with “Doing it for Danielle” on the back at Saturday’s PVC meet.

Thompson was a Bangor captain under current coach Stephanie Crane in 2003 when the Rams won the Eastern Maine Class A and Big East titles.

Thompson, who was a 21-year-old University of New Hampshire senior, also played soccer at Bangor and was a member of the outdoor track and field team.

A scholarship fund in Thompson’s name has been established at Bangor High School. To make gifts in her memory contact Pam Tweedie, 21 15th Street, Bangor, Maine, 04401.