GRAND MEADOW — When LeRoy-Ostrander grad Jamie Christianson went to Grand Meadow to interview for a paraprofessional position, she probably wasn’t expecting to be interviewed by her former cheerleading coach.

She certainly wasn’t expecting to be talking about taking the head cheerleading coaching job at Grand Meadow. But that’s what happened and now the Superlarks have cheerleaders at their football games this Fall for the first time since 2008.

“I was asked about possibly coaching cheerleading during the interview and I had no idea that they hadn’t had a team for awhile,” Christianson said. “When I got to the first practice, I asked them how they normally do things and they all looked at me like they had no idea what I was talking about.”

GM had wrestling cheerleaders last winter, and the same group of girls wanted to start cheerleading at football games this year. It was quite the process for the cheerleaders to start from scratch and learn everything for the first time.

The team was a little skeptical about how they would be received by a crowd that hasn’t had cheerleaders in five years. In the past GM volleyball players have taken on the role of cheerleaders during the team’s state runs in the Metrodome, but the cheerleading squad has to dedicate more time to its cheers.

So far, the reception has been great.

“We’ve heard from so many parents this year that have said it’s so nice to see the cheerleaders out there and have that brought back to Grand Meadow,” Christianson said. “The girls weren’t sure how they’d be perceived, but it’s been great.”

Christianson said the squad has been great to work with.

“I’ve got a really great goup of girls and I didn’t realize what I was taking on when I got into it,” she said. “We had to start from scratch and I want to give the girls a lot of credit. Without such a great group of girls we wouldn’t have gotten as far as we have.”