She Started Her School’s Cheer Squad. at 97, She Got to Perform Again.

The Washington Post / Amber Ferguson

13:22 JST, November 28, 2024

Pompoms in hand, Ilagene Doehring was ready to cheer again – eight decades after she formed the cheerleading squad at Merrill High School in Merrill, Michigan.

The 97-year-old got her chance this month when members of the school’s current squad visited Doehring at her home of two years, Candlestone Assisted Living, to cheer together.

The performance was sparked by a young cheerleader’s visit to Candlestone during trick-or-treating, which triggered a flood of memories for Doehring, she told The Washington Post. For days, the widow buzzed with stories to her caregivers about how she felt most alive when she was 17 and a Merrill High School cheerleader. “I’m still flexible. I still got it,” Doehring even boasted.

That got Candlestone’s wellness director, Arielle Radick, thinking.

Radick made a Facebook post asking if anyone could help her find a Merrill High School cheerleading uniform for a resident. By nightfall, the school’s superintendent found out and alerted Merrill High’s cheer coach Jena Glazier.

“I thought we had to act quickly – she’s 97!” Glazier said. She rallied her squad of 12, who grabbed every uniform they could find. “We didn’t know her size or what condition she was in. We didn’t know what to expect.”

Growing up, Doehring was responsible for taking care of her nine siblings, she said. When she formed the cheerleading squad in 1945, it was something fun to do and something she had for herself. Back then, the squad had a local seamstress make their uniforms, or they sewed them together themselves.

On Nov. 13, the Candlestone staff set the stage for Doehring’s star turn. “We told her we had a surprise and gathered the residents in the common area,” Radick said. As the van rolled into the driveway, Doehring’s eyes lit up.

When the teens walked in, she said, “Is this for me?” before bursting into a cheer.

“We asked her if she remembered any cheers from when she was in school, which was over 80 years ago. To my surprise, she said yes,” Glazier said.

Doehring grabbed a pair of pompoms and rallied the squad, and she began teaching them her original cheers.

Doehring was then handed a Merrill High uniform and retreated to the bathroom to suit up. The squad, which performs on sidelines and in competitions, showed her some of their current chants. Doehring even did “very impressive high kicks,” Glazier said.

Then came the moment no one expected.

One of the cheerleaders performed an aerial stunt, and Doehring wanted in. “You want to go up?” one cheerleader asked. “Absolutely!” Doehring replied.

The cheerleaders looked to Candlestone’s staff, who were standing close, for permission. After getting a green light, Doehring locked her legs and went soaring in the air as a few cheerleaders held her up.

The audience, full of residents and Doehring’s family – including her son, daughter and son-in-law – couldn’t contain their emotions.

“We didn’t intend for this to be as big as it became. Everyone was on the edge of their seats when she went up in the air,” Radick recalled. “Then everyone burst out in happy tears.”

Some residents even held up oversize cutouts of Doehring’s face to give her more support.

“She had the biggest smile on her face. It was her moment,” Glazier said. But it was also a meaningful experience for the current squad, she added.

“Ilagene built a foundation for cheerleading to even happen at Merrill,” Glazier said. “It made me reflect that it took a lot for her and two other girls to put themselves out there to start this.”

During their visit, Doehring didn’t just share cheers – she shared wisdom. “Enjoy your figures,” she told the teens. “Eat Hershey chocolates.” She even threw in a few tips about boys.

Since the surprise visit, the squad has put a photo of Doehring in their locker room. Before a game, they perform one of the chants that Doehring taught them as their pregame ritual.

The team hopes to make it to the state finals for their third year in a row, to send a team picture to Doehring. “This experience has really motivated the team. We want to make her proud,” Glazier said. “She’s one of us now.”

Doehring said that most of her friends have passed away but that she’s grateful for the new connection she has made with the team.

Members of the squad have gone back to visit her twice and are getting an alumni T-shirt for her made to give to her for Christmas.

Doehring, who wakes up every day at 8 a.m. for a cup of hot chocolate and a stroll through the halls of Candlestone, is no stranger to staying active. Staff often spot her outside practicing high kicks in the field, a habit that hints at the secret to her longevity.

“If you don’t get off your butt and do some exercise to keep yourself active, you’re going to lose it,” she said matter-of-factly. But her most powerful piece of advice is even simpler: “It’s pretty obvious that I’m not acting my age. I’m 97 but can still be a cheerleader. Don’t act your age.”