Girls learn cheerleading to bolster team spirit

The Moorpark Packers Cheer Team Whether it's on the field or in competition, the Moorpark Packer Cheerleaders have plenty of team spirit. The girls, ages 11 to14, cheer at the youth football games in Moorpark.

"Cheering has been my passion for so long," said Victoria Velasquez, 13, who started cheerleading in the second grade. "I love the girls on the team. I've been friends with them for a long time."

The 22 members of the squad work hard on their routines and have a lot of fun together, too.

"The same girls have been together for the past five years, so we're like a little Packer family," said Erica Dobb, one of the team's four volunteer coaches.

Dobb and fellow coach Emily Beam, both 19, were Packer cheerleaders in middle school. They graduated in 2007 from Moorpark High School, where they were also cheerleaders.

Dobb works at Spectrum Health Club in Thousand Oaks. Beam is an accounting student at Moorpark College.

"The girls have a lot of spirit and personality," Beam said. "They've been together so long and know each other so well, you can't get them to stop talking."

A third coach, Cherie Beam, began volunteering with the squad when her daughter, Emily, joined in seventh grade.

"My older daughter was involved with the Packer cheerleading when she was in school," said Beam, a Moorpark resident since 1989. "They needed a volunteer to help with the younger cheerleaders."

Dobb choreographs the dance and tumbling routines for the squad.

"The girls are very dedicated and very talented for their age," Dobb said.

Nineteen of the 22 team members compete in the JAMZ National Cheerleading Championships.

In November, the team will compete in the regional cheerleading competition held in Anaheim. A winning score qualifies the team for the national championships in Las Vegas in February.

In past years, the squad won five first place titles in the show youth and performance cheer categories at the nationals.

Phil Gonzales, the fourth coach, was a former all-star gymnast at the University of New Mexico. He's now a firefighter with the Los Angeles City Fire Department and coaches the team when he's off duty.

"If a person is good in athletics, they're usually good in school," said the Moorpark resident. "You learn how to budget your time and show up on time."

Gonzales believes the girls learn other things besides tumbling in cheerleading.

"It's a huge program for the girls. They're taught to respect themselves, discipline and accountability," Gonzales said. "There're a lot of little life lessons in addition to the athletics."