2-4-6-8, Iditarod cheer squad is really great

WASILLA — Eileen Moe excelled at showing off her school spirit at Palmer High School 15 years ago. Today, she’s showing a younger generation how it’s done.

Last winter, Moe, a second-grade teacher at Iditarod Elementary School in Wasilla, was asked by staff there to help start and direct an after-school cheerleading squad. A group of girls had inquired about starting a cheer team. Moe, a former high school cheerleader, jumped at the opportunity.

“I was a cheerleader performing at wrestling and basketball games for four years,” Moe said. “One of the Iditarod fourth-graders asked the office staff if they knew anyone willing to teach a cheerleading squad, so I said I would do it. I wanted to give back to this school the excitement and enjoyment I received back in high school.”

Moe put the word out a cheerleading team was forming and by February 2007, 33 ambitious third-, fourth- and fifth-grade girls signed up, eager to learn how to cheer, entertain and show off their school spirit.

Moe said the response was more than she expected, but she was ready for the challenge. Deciding not to put the girls through rigorous cheerleading tryouts, Moe gave everyone who signed up a chance to learn cheer techniques.

“I didn’t really feel like they needed to go through the try-out stress at that age,” Moe said. “They’ll get that in middle and high school, if they pursue cheering there. I wanted to make this fun for them. It’s about letting them have a good time and not go through the motions of a pressure performance.”

Ultimately, because of other commitments and some second thoughts, 33 quickly whittled down to 18 committed cheerleaders.

Moe, who hadn’t been actively involved with cheering since her senior year of high school in 1993, decided to recruit fresh talent to help her coach the often difficult dance routines.

“I recruited the help of a Wasilla High School girl who had learned a lot of the newer cheers that are being used in the cheerleading circuit today,” Moe said. “She ended up moving, but it got me in touch with another cheerleader who came and dedicated her time to help.”

Next, the girls wanted to look good in front of an audience.

Roxann Benbow of Alaskan Style Creations was brought on board to design the team’s red “skorts,” a type of active skirt with shorts underneath.

“It was one way we wanted to give back to a local business,” Moe said. “Plus, uniforms are expensive, so Roxann helped us out and it gave the girls something to be proud of.”

Moe’s mother, Colette Grower, designed the team’s red T-shirts using a computer and iron-on transfers to make the team official.

The Iditarod Husky cheerleaders were born.

Moe and the high school mentor successfully coordinated 18 cheerleaders through Iditarod Elementary’s 2007 basketball season, entertaining crowds with short performances during the games. She said the girls had a blast, despite the sometimes demanding training and tricks involved.

Moe said cheerleading practice involves two hours of intense training a day, three days a week after school, keeping the 8- to 11-year-olds fairly busy.

“They each learn different kinds of cheers, stunts, dances and many make up their own cheers,” Moe said. “They learn how to work as a team. This year they elected a team captain. The parents love it. I had several parents say they never could have done this without the school’s help, that it gives them a chance to do something with their school.”

This past September, Moe again posted flyers around school to generate interest in the cheerleading squad. The response was once again potent with 15 girls signing on for the basketball season.

Seaira Reno, a Wasilla High School cheerleader, volunteered to teach the second-year cheerleaders. After several months, the cheerleaders have put stunt techniques into their show, using choreographed dance moves with strategic lifting methods.

Moe and Reno assign base girls, back and front spotters and tossers to the team, some learning full-extension throws and carefully timed moves.

Shania Turnbull, a fifth-grader at Iditarod, is the Husky team captain. She said cheering is not only fun, but a worthwhile challenge.

“It’s exciting that we eve#n have a cheerleading team at our school,” Turnbull said. “The conditioning is hard, that’s the warm ups, but we did pretty good.”

Turnbull, a base-stunter, said she was a little nervous learning the difficult routines, but she got into it quickly.

On March 1, the Iditarod Husky cheerleaders got an opportunity to perform during the halftime show at the Wasilla and Colony High School rival basketball game. For many of the young girls the two-minute routine was the Super Bowl Sunday of cheerleading.

“They did cheers on the sidelines at the basketball games, which was good experience for them,” Moe said. “Some of them were pretty wide-eyed at first, being their first time. They didn’t realize they had to raise their voices to be heard over the fans. But they got to perform a cradle, which is a type of catch you’d see in big competitions. They absolutely loved it.”

Moe said having Reno on board has been a huge lift for the program, as it gives the young girls an opportunity to learn from someone closer in age.

Now finished for the school year, Moe is already making plans in starting up the third season of cheerleading at Iditarod, looking for new mentors from local high schools to help out this fall.

“Many of the girls have told me they’re going to pursue the sport in middle and high school, which is really neat,” Moe said. “As long as they’re having fun with it and they’re getting academics done, I’m all for it.”

Contact J.J. Harrier at valleylife@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.