Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 27, Number 6, 1 Iune 2010 — Something to cheer about [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Something to cheer about

Trustee Aide leads K8 squad to anothen national victory

At the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Melissa Beimes is known as the Aide to Maui Trustee Boyd Mossman. But year-round and especially from October to February - with the exception of "a little

break for the holidays" - Beimes ean be found at Kamehameha SchoolsKapālama, where she is the head ' eoaeh of the powerhouse cheer

team, whieh in February brought home its fifth national championship in 11 years.

"It was close - we won by only .05 points (over second-place North Laurel

from Kentucky)," says Beimes. "Unfortunately, somebody on their team fell and that's what pretty mueh gave us the edge." The wintertime win at Disney World in Qrlando, Florida, eame in the face of greater competition, including competing in a larger division for the first time. "It was a very rewarding and good ; win," says Beimes. Kamehameha - whieh prides

itself on being "very tight and synchronized" - has also been a powerhouse locally, winning 10 of 10 ILH titles and eight of nine state titles. Beimes started as an assistant eoaeh under Dolly Wong in 1997 after graduating with an education degree from Whitworth College in Spokane, Washington. When Wong left in 2004, Beimes stepped up as head eoaeh. Beimes says she continues Wong's style of setting eommon goals for whieh to strive. "The students see the generations before them and that's what

inspires them to do so well. Beyond that we have really good parent support. Even their grandmas and siblinas help. With that, the airls are able

to concentrate on what they need to do," says ^ Beimes, adding that she's grateful to the

coaching staff, whieh manages four I squads. Beimes, herself a member of the schooFs 1992 national ehamK pion team, says cheerleading has exploded since then - from loeal competitions organized by schools to heina offioia11v reeoani7ed as a snort

by the ILH in 2000 and by the state two

years later. "The fact that they have the national competitions and you ean see it on ESPN definitely has pushed the limits

as to what you ean do," she says. Fifty-six students from grades 7 to 12 have made the cut for the team next year, including two boys for the first time in almost a decade. Practices are intense, and Beimes adds that while the students "teach me patience," she hopes to instill in

them a sense ot accountability they ean apply to all areas of life. "The cheerleaders actually miss eaeh other when we don't have practice every day because they like being a part of a team and working hard toward the same goal," she says. "All of our alumni, including the ones who eome back and eoaeh, if they've tried cheerleading at any other school or in college, they usually say there's nothing like the Kamehameha Cheer Team. It's just something special." — Lisa Asato ■

OH A in the community

Coach Melissa Beimes, second row on right, and assistant eoaeh Shawna Lee, back row on left, with the 2010 nahonal ehampion Kamehameha Cheer Team.

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Below: Beimes during her senior year,Photos: Courtesy of Melissa Beimes