Cries of “FLC, we are the best!” resounded through Whalen Gymnasium at Fort Lewis College on Saturday afternoon, announcing the return of two school teams that have been missing for quite some time.
As a group of women worked through a routine to Gary Glitter’s rousing “Rock and Roll,” cheer coach Lauren Pietrack and dance coach Taylor Thompson watched from the sidelines.
After a lengthy hiatus, FLC dance and cheerleading teams are restoring spirit to the Department of Athletics this fall.
With no dance team last year and no cheer team for nearly five, football and basketball games have been a lot quieter with nobody to stir up the crowd or liven up half-time.
Pietrack, an FLC graduate and former cheerleader, left her coaching post four years ago to teach in the 9-R school district. No one volunteered to take her place, so the team disappeared.
Thompson said the dance team lacked support and met the same fate.
“There was not a lot of support behind the team, so the girls stopped showing up to practice,” she said.
But realizing how much those groups were missed, Pietrack and Thompson brought them back for fall 2015.
“It adds extra ‘oomph’ to the games,” Pietrack said.
Seventeen people attended tryouts; eight students auditioned Saturday for cheerleading and nine showed for dance, but that means everyone makes the cut.
Sophomore Jessie Kaleikau cheered through four years of high school but had no choice but to retire her pom-poms in her first year at FLC. It was disappointing, she said, because her older sister had been an FLC cheerleader as well.
“Last year, we didn’t have a team, so I’m excited,” Kaleikau said.
“I’ve never been to the games, but I’ve heard no one is really spirited, so this will make them more fun.”
Both Pietrack and Thompson are excited to see school spirit leaders back on the field and the court.
“I put so many years into it, it’s great to see it become so successful now,” Thompson said.
Sadly, the coaches aren’t having as much luck securing another critical component of school spirit. Skyler the Skyhawk, the feathered FLC mascot, may not return in time for the first football game of the season Saturday unless a volunteer steps up.
Auditions to be the face of FLC were held Saturday afternoon after cheer tryouts, but no one turned up, Pietrack said.
She plans to post new fliers this week calling all potential Skyhawks. If nobody bites, perhaps Athletic Operations Coordinator Adam Ruetschle will don the vibrant blue-plumed suit as he did last year.
jpace@durangoherald.com
