Some things never change.

Cheerleaders past and present gathered last weekend to celebrate 60 years of cheerleading at Lebanon High School. Though the ages varied greatly, and the routines aren't the same as they were 60 years ago, one thing was unsurprisingly the same: All of the cheerleaders wore big, unwavering smiles.

The LHS cheerleader reunion was the idea of Debi Shimmin, class of 1972, who cheered at Lebanon and is now the assistant coach. Her daughter, Traci Ford (Class of 2000) is the head coach. The two organized activities for alumnae that began with T-shirts and a special seating area at the LHS men's basketball game on Friday and finished with a dinner on Saturday night.

More than 20 alumnae showed up for the game, where they sat together in matching blue shirts and were recognized in a ceremony at halftime. Members who cheered as far back as 1957 to as recently as 2001 received roses from current cheerleaders, as LHS students loudly showed their appreciation.

"I don't care if five or 500 came, as long as the ones that came had a good time," Shimmin said.

She didn't need to worry.

"I think it's a gas," said Peg Vorderstrasse, '59, of the reunion. "It's great to have a chance to get together."

When asked what had changed the most since their days as cheerleaders, the women gave different answers.

"The outfits," Vorderstrasse said without hesitation. "We had culottes down to our ankles!"

Judy Storey said that the cheers were different, recalling that her team had done more traditional chants.

"They're a lot cuter," laughed Heidi Bronson of the current members.

Several alumnae reminisced about the days of the Jamboree, when schools from the league would gather at Oregon State University and vie for a coveted trophy in what was essentially a spirit competition. Lebanon was often triumphant.

Linda Parsagian, class of '72, was impressed with the school spirit displayed by the students. "It's cool to come here and see the kids so involved," she said.

Debra Slover, '71, was on hand to sign copies of her book "UNIQUE: Growing the Leader Within," which outlined the "main principles and practices of being a leader." Slover, who coached cheerleading at LHS in the early '80s and was the keynote speaker at Saturday's dinner, said that she realized that her book could easily have been titled "Growing the Cheerleader Within."

"Cheerleading really is being a champion of life," she said.

Shimmin has a similar philosophy, which is part of why she wanted to bring members of squads past and present together.

"I want the girls to see that they're part of something more than may be perceived by the public and by their peers," she said. "I want them to know that they're part of a legacy."

Rachel Beck may be reached at 258-3151 or rachel.beck@lee.net.