Several suburban coaches among first inducted into ICCA Hall of Fame

Back in 1980, Pam Dorner-Saxhaug, then a cheerleading coach at Glenbard East High School in Lombard, set out to start an organization to regulate cheerleading, with a uniform set of rules and safety guidelines.

She gathered six other coaches from Bloomington to Palatine to help her craft the bylaws for the new organization, which they called the Illinois Cheerleading Coaches Association, or the ICCA.

"Our intent was to make cheerleading as safe as possible," says Dorner-Saxhaug, now living in Indianapolis. "We wanted to be a nonprofit organization and not be aligned with any companies. We even used our own funds to start it."

By 1984, their member schools had spread, leading them to divide the state into three sections for competitions. That same year, they held their first championships at Illinois State University in Bloomington, with little more than 20 teams.

"At the time, there were poms competitions but nothing for cheerleading," says Rosi Allan, former Palatine High School cheerleading coach and one of the founders.

This coming Saturday, some 130 cheerleading teams and nearly 2,000 competitors, including varsity, junior varsity and middle school squads, will descend on the Prairie Capital Convention Center in Springfield for the 25th anniversary championships.

To kick off the weekend, board members will induct the first members of the Illinois Cheerleading Coaches Association Hall of Fame. They include their seven founders, along with 25 coaches who helped advance the organization.

Among the coaches being inducted are Pat Leaf-Burke, the spirit coordinator at Palatine High School, who helped establish procedures for the ICCA's first regional competitions. Another is Corey Friedl, the longtime coach at Stevenson High School, now retired and living in Las Vegas.

Friedl served as a region representative for years, and helped many suburban coaches bring their squads into compliance with ICCA standards, says Mickey Klement, co-president.

Other coaches being honored include Lynette Olexa of Batavia High School and Millie Shepich of Waubonsie Valley High School in Aurora.

Over the years, the ICCA has sponsored coaches' conferences, cheerleading clinics, and circulated newsletters. They also have awarded scholarships, to the tune of nearly $500,000.

"The ICCA now is recognized across the country," Dorner-Saxhaug says. "We've been honored the last two years by the Spirit Industry Trade Association, as a forerunner for other states."