HR288.DOC

WHEREAS, the State of Hawaii, the premier sports capital of the Pacific, is proud to recognize those select individuals who manifest their God-given talents to exemplify sportsmanship, grace, and goodwill to the people of the State, and to the world; and

WHEREAS, cheerleading is a strenuous sport involving a combination of stunts, dance, jumps, and cheers, which take years of dedication and practice to hone the strength and agility needed for performance; and

WHEREAS, composed of an amalgamation of athletes from Hawaii, all across the continental United States, and Canada, the UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII 2008-2009 CHEER SQUAD is renowned for its creativity and innovation in choreographing routines, and has gained national recognition in cheerleading competitions; and

WHEREAS, aside from placing in the top 10 at the A1 level Universal Cheerleaders Association Collegiate National Championships for the last five years and taking third place in 2001 and 2005, the UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII 2008-2009 CHEER SQUAD was hand-picked to participate in the first-ever "RAH! Paula Abdul’s Cheerleading Bowl" with four other select universities; and

WHEREAS, RAH! Paula Abdul's Cheerleading Bowl is a 90 minute show that features lots of cheerleading and gives the audience a behind the scenes view of the sport of cheerleading; and

WHEREAS, at the November Cheerleading Bowl, which aired nationally on MTV on January 3, 2009, the UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII 2008-2009 CHEER SQUAD showcased the athleticism of their sport in a variety of competitions that were judged on creativity, teamwork, difficulty and overall performance by a panel of professionals; and

WHEREAS, the UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII 2008-2009 CHEER SQUAD captured first place in the inaugural RAH! Paula Abdul's Cheerleading Bowl after outlasting the universities of Arizona, Arkansas Pine-Bluff, Montana, and Miami of Ohio; and

WHEREAS, UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII 2008-2009 CHEER SQUAD : Michael Barker, Pualani Castagnetti, Jeremy Dacanay, Christoff Elster, David Gilles, Liz Hamann, Josh Hengesteg, Clarissa Koga, Kristin Kowalkowski, Kelvin Lam, Amanda Lucero, George McGuire, David Morgan, Leeann Nguyen, Kaitlin Rowe, Annie Scruggs, Ashley Takiguchi, Kyle Thalman, Brandon Wright; and Head Coach Mike Baker and their families admirably embodied the characteristics of solidarity, good sportsmanship, and perseverance, and proudly represented Hawaii as extraordinary ambassadors of aloha; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2009, that this body hereby congratulates and recognizes the

outstanding members of the UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII 2008-2009 CHEER SQUAD on winning the first-ever "RAH! Paula Abdul’s Cheerleading Bowl", applauds their commitment and enthusiasm, and extends to each member its warmest aloha and best wishes for continued success in all future endeavors.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

UH 2008-2009 CHEER SQUAD

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	288
TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2009
STATE OF HAWAII