The Girl Scouts of Montana and Wyoming sponsored the camp for ages 6-17, where girls learned 10 or 12 cheers, a dance, motion drills and stunts. The camp cost $20 for Girl Scouts and $30 for non-members.
“I thought this was a great opportunity because it was a reasonable price for the camp and a good way for kids to participate in an activity to see if they want to pursue it,” said Renee Hill, whose daughter Kylah Hill, 7, participated in the camp for the first time this year.
Fontaine said the Girl Scouts wanted to do the camp with UM cheerleaders because the Griz are so popular here and it is exciting for the girls to work with the cheerleaders they see down on the field at UM football games.
“(Participation) has been shrinking a little bit because of the economy,” Fontaine said. “We've had girls from Kalispell that couldn't make it because of gas prices.”
That didn't stop Cristi Migliaccio from bringing her 6-year-old daughter, even though it meant an all-day wait with her other two daughters, ages 4 and 2.
“With gas prices the way they are, dropping her off and coming back isn't an option,” Migliaccio said.
The Migliaccios are season ticket holders for UM football games and never get to tailgate because the girls demand they stay inside to watch the band and cheerleaders.
“It's fun to watch because we go to the games, and they (the girls) stand on the stands and copy what the cheerleaders do,” she said.
Migliaccio's 4- and 2-year-old, decked out in Griz gear and already performing some cheers, said they can't wait until they are old enough to participate in the camp with their sister.
“I like learning new dances and cheers every year and meeting new people,” said Nicole Bigsby, 13, at camp for the third year.
“It's a good way for them to get a lot of exercise and it's nice how the cheerleaders bond with the girls,” said Barb Jenkins, a troop mom from Lolo.
But most of the girls said they don't think the cheer camp is very hard.
“It's really easy because they make it so fun,” explained Kylah Hill.
“They have so much energy, they always keep us going instead of us having to motivate them,” said Allison Pringle, a UM cheerleader who has participated in the camp all four years.
The camp ended with a half-hour performance for family and friends - the UM cheerleaders' favorite part.
“Most of them don't know the routines by heart,” said Megan Ibibey, who has been a UM cheerleader for four years. “But they get so excited to do it.”
After the show and a short huddle, the girls broke ranks, running to their families and posing for pictures with the cheerleaders. Almost all of the girls said they want to come back for next year's camp.
Brienna Boydstun is a newsroom intern at the Missoulian. She is a journalism student at the University of Montana.
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