Cheerleading group supports county’s Senior Games

William Fonville might be 84 years old, but that doesn’t stop him from throwing his teammates into the air.

Fonville is a member of the Orange County Jammers, a cheerleading group for senior citizens.

And, at the close of National Cheerleading Week, the Orange County Jammers serve as a reminder that cheerleading is a sport for anyone.

Fonville was the first man in North Carolina to join a senior citizen cheerleading team.

“He is a great dancer,” said fellow cheerleader Lynn Lyght. “He is also my spotter and just brings so much joy and laughter to the team.”

The Jammers started cheering in 2007. The group consists of six members, aged 64 to 84, who meet weekly to practice their original routines and cheers.

Only one of them was a cheerleader in high school. None of the other Jammers had any prior experience.

Clementine Self, the team’s founder and head cheerleader, had the idea to start the group after seeing the Durham Divas, another senior citizen cheerleading team, perform at a competition.

Self approached Cydnee Sims, the Orange County’s senior center manager, with hopes of starting a local team.

“I loved the idea, and the Senior Games staff all jumped on board as well,” Sims said.

Sims now serves as the coordinator for the team and helps schedule performances and manages the team’s budget.

Lyght said the team’s biggest goal is to support athletes in the Orange County Senior Games.

The games are annual athletic competitions that promote healthy lifestyles for people who are 55 years old and older.

Some of the events include archery, swimming, tennis, golf, and billiards.

Dana Hughes, Carrboro recreation supervisor, said the Jammers pick the events they cheer for. Their favorites are basketball and track and field.

“The team also performs at the Christmas parade and other big events,” Hughes said. “They volunteer as a team a lot too, which is great.”

Sims said the team performs about 10 to 15 times per year.

“I just love seeing the expressions of people’s faces when we perform,” Lyght said.

“I always look forward to getting together with the group because we always have fun together, but my favorite part of being a Jammer is the competitions.”

There are 12 senior citizen teams in North Carolina that compete at the annual North Carolina Senior Games cheering competition.

The Jammers compete in a division that includes five other teams of comparable size.

The competition takes place in Raleigh every September. This year will be the Jammers’ sixth competition as a team.

Contact the desk editor at city@dailytarheel.com.