Christina Bush has been involved with cheerleading ever since she was in the third grade, and now has received an opportunity to continue coaching the sport she loves.

The 2003 Brewer High School graduate, who competed in varsity cheering for the Witches all four years of high school and helped lead them to a second-place finish in the 2003 Class A state meet, has been named the school’s new varsity cheerleading coach.

The 23-year old Bush replaces her high school coach, Kristie Reed, who recently resigned after nine seasons on the job.

Bush’s hiring was approved by the Brewer School Committee last week. She has been Brewer’s junior varsity coach the last five winters while volunteering as an assistant for the Witches’ football cheerleading squad. She also assisted Reed’s varsity teams, including the 2007 squad which won the Class A state title.

“I know how it’s done, hopefully I’ve learned from that,” said Bush, who graduated from the University of Maine last year with a degree in communication sciences and disorder.

While replacing a coach who has five regional championships and a state title to her credit is certainly a challenge, it’s one that Bush is raring to take on.

“I’m very excited that they’ve given me this opportunity,” she said.

“[Replacing] Kristie, I definitely have big shoes to fill, it’s definitely going to be a challenge.”

Bush added that coaching alongside Reed and competing on her squads was an enormous benefit.

“I’ve been with her since freshman year of high school … she’s taught me a lot over the years, between her and [football cheering coach] Jen [Corneil], they taught me who I am as a coach,” she explained.

Since the age difference between Bush and the athletes on the squad will be less than it was with Reed, Bush said that finding a balance between friend and coach will be challenging.

“I think that in coaching you have to find a happy medium between pushing the kids to do their best, but also enjoying what they’re doing,” she said. “One of the biggest challenges is keeping things fun and interesting for them, keeping them wanting to come back.”

Having cheered in many competitions at this level, Bush not only knows what it takes to succeed, but how gratifying it is to get to witness that success.

“Watching them compete and getting to that point of accomplishing something is great,” she said.

Lucy, Haluska earn scholarships

Former Bangor High School runner Jennie Lucy and current Brewer High standout Michelle Haluska received the Sub 5 Track Club’s respective running scholarships recently.

Lucy, who will attend the University of Maine starting this fall, earned the club’s college scholarship while Haluska, entering her sophomore year at Brewer, was given the running camp scholarship.

The college scholarship is awarded yearly to a Penobscot Valley Conference athlete who plans on participating in track and field or cross country in college while the camp scholarship goes to an athlete who is interested in attending a running camp over the summer.

Both scholarships, in the amount of $500, were announced after the Walter Hunt Memorial 3,000-meter road race in Bangor Friday.

Lucy had an outstanding career in track and field for the Rams, helping lead them to three Eastern Maine Indoor Track League championships and four PVC outdoor crowns.

A middle-distance specialist, Lucy won the PVC crown at 800 meters this spring while anchoring the Rams’ state-championship winning 4×400-meter relay team and earning PVC All-Conference status in the 1,600 and 800.

She came back from a knee injury last winter to have a strong indoor track season, earning sixth in the 800 in the Class A state championship meet.

Lucy plans on competing in track and field for the Black Bears starting next winter.

Haluska enjoyed a stellar freshman campaign with the Witches in cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field.

She helped lead them to an EMITL championship this winter while winning the 3,200 crown at this spring’s PVC championships.

Like Lucy, Haluska had success on the state level this season, finishing second in the 2-mile at the Class A indoor state championships while finishing sixth in the 1,600 and seventh in the 3,200 in the state outdoor meet.

She attained PVC All-Conference honors in both the 1,600 and 3,200 this spring.

Haluska should be one of the top cross country runners in the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference this upcoming season.

rmclaughlin@bangordailynews.net

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