“You can’t help getting older, but you don’t have to get old.” – George Burns

The old saying goes, age is just a number, baby. And one 97-year-old is proving that no matter how old you are, a daily diet of Hershey kisses will keep you full of “pep.” Boy, she wasn’t kidding.

Merrill, Mich., resident Ilagene Doehring never expected to see a cheerleading squad come through the doors of the Candlestone Assisted Living center where she resides. But despite having hung up her pompoms nearly 80 years ago, Doehring was willing and ready to jump right back into cheering. With a little help, of course.

Ilagene Doehring, 97, greets the Merrill High School cheerleading squad. Photo by Arielle Radick

Doehring was the founder of the cheerleading squad at Merrill High School while she was a student there. When a young girl who was a cheerleader visited the living center, Doehring couldn’t stop thinking about her time on the cheer team. She told the staff that, back when she was 17 and a cheerleader at the high school, was when she felt most alive.

I’m still flexible. I still got it,” Doehring told staff.

The center’s wellness director, Arielle Radick, said she couldn’t help but want to find a way to give Doehring a chance to relive her glory days. So, she made a post on Facebook, hoping to find a uniform that Doehring could wear. Quickly, Merrill High’s cheer coach Jena Glazier reached out.

“I thought we had to act quickly — she’s 97!” Glazier said. She got the 12-member squad together, and they grabbed all the available uniforms. “We didn’t know her size or what condition she was in. We didn’t know what to expect,” she said.

Doehring said that growing up, she took care of her nine brothers and sisters. So, forming the cheerleading squad in 1945, she said, was something fun to do just for herself. When the big day arrived, Candlestone staff brought Doehring out of her room. “We told her we had a surprise and gathered the residents in the common area,” Radick said.

As the cheerleaders walked in, Doehring asked, “Is this for me?” and then burst into a cheer. “We asked her if she remembered any cheers from when she was in school, which was over 80 years ago. To my surprise, she said yes,” Glazier said.

Ilagene Doehring, 97, performs a stunt with the Merrill High School cheerleading squad. Photo by Arielle Radick

Doehring changed quickly into the Merrill High uniform and with pom-poms in hand, she began teaching the teens cheers from when she was younger. And then it happened – as one of the cheerleaders did an aerial stunt, Doehring quickly asked to join in. “You want to go up?” one cheerleader asked. “Absolutely!” Doehring said. The team and their coach said they were inspired by their time with Doehring.

This experience has really motivated the team. We want to make her proud,” Glazier said.

After getting staff permission, Doehring got into position and went flying into the air, held up by a few of the cheerleaders. Her family and friends, who were in attendance, couldn’t contain their tears. “We didn’t intend for this to be as big as it became. Everyone was on the edge of their seats when she went up in the air,” Radick said. “Then everyone burst out in happy tears.”

Doehring loved the time with her the girls and made sure to leave them with advice. “If you don’t get off your butt and do some exercise to keep yourself active, you’re going to lose it,” she said. But her most important piece of advice?  “It’s pretty obvious that I’m not acting my age. I’m 97 but can still be a cheerleader. Don’t act your age.”