The story behind that extra cheerleading sparkle on the football sidelines at Minnetonka

Amid the cacophony and chaos of the pregame preparation before a recent Minnetonka High School football game, an exceptional group of six girls is gathered together among the school’s deep and talented cheerleading and dance teams.

The cheerleaders, a national championship-winning program of 40 girls, dot the track around the football field. As the clock ticks down to kickoff and their night of choreographed routines begins, the six girls, proudly wearing Minnetonka blue T-shirts emblazoned with “Skippers Nation” and shaking shiny pom-poms, swirl around the track, bristling with excited energy.

Their circumstances are no different from any of the other cheerleaders with one notable exception: The girls on this team have special needs.

They’re members of the Minnetonka Sparklers, a squad of cheerleaders made up solely of girls with special needs.

A football game at Minnetonka High School is an elaborate production. The Skippers’ recent homecoming victory over Shakopee brought an announced crowd of 8,145. And that is just paying attendees; it doesn’t include school staffers, coaches, dance team, marching band, concession workers, media members and others going about their business attached to the game.

The Sparklers program, now in its 12th season, was the brainchild of Marcy Adams, a former Minnetonka cheerleader who initiated the program in her senior year of high school. Adams has been coach of the team since its inception, staying on through her tenure as a cheerleader at the University of Minnesota.

She started the program after experiencing the Unified Sports program at Minnetonka. The unified sports movement at high schools brings together student-athletes with cognitive or physical disabilities and athletes with no disabilities to foster relationships, understanding and compassion through athletics. Many Minnesota schools offer unified sports.

“I grew up in a household that valued students with special needs and valued inclusion,” Adams said. “I saw a need to give to those students. At Minnetonka, we have a strong Unified program, and this was a great opportunity to build relationships and offer mentorship opportunities.”

The program was supported by the administration immediately and has been embraced by the cheerleading program and the school in general. With inclusion at its foundation, Adams said they’ve never turned away or cut anyone. All are welcome.

“She just loves it,” said Karen Ryan, whose daughter Violet is a sophomore in her second season as a Sparkler. “Minnetonka is a big school and when she was a freshman, it can be a little intimidating. This is such a great opportunity.”

Along with Violet, the girls on the team are Piper Breczinski, Ava Zutz, Rachel Rather, Ava Muench and Ella Rivard.

The girls enjoy the same opportunities and participate in all of the school functions as the rest of the cheerleaders. They walked in the homecoming parade last week before cheering for the team for the first half of the game.

“They only do the first half because it can be a sensory overload; it can get a little long and it can be tiring,” Adams said. “After halftime, they can leave and go home and rest, or they can stay for the rest of the game.”

No matter how they end their night, being a Sparkler in front of thousands of Minnetonka faithful for the first part of the game is all that matters. Karen Ryan said it’s what Violet looks most forward to, whether it’s a game or simply practice.

“It’s so important to her,” Karen said. “She feels like a part of the school, just like all the other kids. Having something like this is a great thing.”