Cheering on success
Popularity of Lakeview cheereleading growing
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COTTONWOOD -- It was halftime of the Lakeview High school football game against Canby. All of sudden more than 20 little cheerleaders in gray shirts and black leggins stood facing the varsity cheerleaders sitting down in front of the grandstand. With arms twirling around, both squads began to cheer.
"We cheer them on and they they cheer us on," said Lakeview varsity cheerleading coach Christie Louwagie after the cheer routine was over.
Louwagie has coached both the varsity and Little Lakers for more than six years. This year there are 21 girls on the varsity team with three mangers and 42 first- to sixth-graders participating in Little Lakers.
"I have almost enough (cheerleaders) that I'm ready for my own bus. Because we travel with the football team. So wherever they go, we go," Louwagie said.
It wasn't always like that. When Louwagie took over the cheerleading squad, there were only six girls.
"When my second daughter was a ninth or tenth grader, the coach quit and there was nobody applying. And I didn't want to see the program be done. So I stepped in," she said. "I think my first year was COVID, and that was a struggle. But I didn't want to see the program die because I was a cheerleader in high school at Lac Qui Parle and it was something fun."
Louwagie works as a substitute in the school office, which allows her to run the cheer program. She says the Little Lakers program helps keep interest high in cheerleading.
"We had 42 of them this year joining. We just get them after school for a couple days. We teach them some cheers and we teach them a dance. And then they get to perform and be like big cheerleaders," Louwagie said.
She sees a big difference between her varsity squad and other squads from other schools.
"Everywhere that we go, if they have a cheer team or spirit squad, whatever they call it, they have like five, six or seven girls. But I credit our captains. They do a great job. They tell their friends. I don't care if you're not the best athlete. I want you to be the best girl. I want them to like be a good human," Louwagie said. "We have girls from different groups at the school and they are such good friends and so good for each other. Like, it's pretty awesome. I'm so proud of them."
Louwagie said she doesn't do anything special to recruit girls to participate in cheerleading. She said the girls just tell their friends. And high school cheerleaders also keep the Little Lakers involved.
"My captains are Gaige Keleher and Julia Louwagie, and they pick out cheers that they think are fun and easy and they do a lot of on the sidelines. When the Little Lakers are watching in the stands, they can pick it ups and join the big girls and they think that's so much fun," she said. "My captains really do a good job of picking out dances and cheers. And they do all the choreographing and everything. They are great assets."
The Saturday after the Canby game, one of Louwagie's former varsity cheerleaders returned to Cottonwood to lead a cheerleading clinic. Myha Grunewald attends the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is on the Badgers Cheerleading Competition Club.
In a phone interview, Grunewald said the clinic went really well and enjoys working with the Lakeview girls on different stunts.
"I kind of went over with them some new stunts that they can hopefully incorporate on the sidelines. I also went over some techniques that I learned from my Wisconsin Competitive Cheer Club," she said.
Grunewald says she has been a dancer since about 4 years old.
"I did the Just For Kix program in Marshall. So that kind of started my love for the realm of dance and cheerleading. Then as soon as I hit seventh grade, I started doing Lakeview high school dance and cheer team. And that's where I kind of fell in love with cheerleading mostly altogether," she said.
Grunewald said she's excited to see that there are now 21 girls on the Lakeview cheerleading squad.
"I'm really glad that the program took off the way it did," she said.
When Grunewald got accepted at the University of Wisconsin, she was happy to see there was a competitive cheer program. She explained there are two types of cheerleading. While she participates in competitive cheer, there is also sideline cheer which most people see when watching football or basketball games.
She said the Wisconsin club travels to different schools within mostly in the state of Wisconsin like Oshkosh, Green Bay and Stevens Point.
"It's more focused on the stunting, jumping, tumbling, stuff like that," she said. "Almost a mix of like dance, gymnastics and then sideline stunts."
Grunewald's family still lives in Cottonwood and enjoyed returning to the community and seeing the popularity of Lakeview cheerleading.
"A lot of them didn't know me, but I did cheer with a lot of them as well and I was pretty good friends with them. I like to have a good connection there. That's kind of my philosophy. Always try your best and do your best," she said. "I feel like the Lakeview cheer team inspires people to actually go and achieve their goals. They don't try to shut you down. If you are not getting it right, you know, they don't try to discourage you. It's constantly try your hardest. Try your best and you will succeed in whatever you want to do. And I think that mindset through cheer and through dance helped me get to where I'm today."
Louwagie agrees with her former cheerleader when it comes to what the Lakeview cheerleading program means for herself and the girls who are participating.
"I feel like a big reason for the program's success is that it gives all the girls regardless of their skill level a place where they can come and be part of a team," she said. "Being a girl is hard enough, but it's rewarding to have friends and people in their corner and cheering them on in all aspects of life. And you never know the impact you have on someone's life. I received a letter from a girl I coached who is in college, Kendall Phinney, thanking me for being someone she can go to. That is why I coach."