Welcome to the Sea Gals
By Rhett Workman
Snoqualmie Valley Record
Valley residents can cheer on one of their own at Seattle Seahawks games this season.
The local in question isn’t on the field, though. She’s on the sidelines, doing some cheering of her own
Heather Livingston of Snoqualmie is one of the newest members of the Sea Gals cheer squad. The daughter of Jim and Colleen Frazier of Snoqualmie, she was named to the squad after passing a competitive application process.
Livingston is no stranger to the world of cheerleading. She cheered at both her high school, W.F. West in Chehalis, and while attending college at the University of Washington.
Livingston, 23, is a substitute teacher within the Snoqualmie Valley School District, and is one of three educators on the SeaGals team. Her father, Jim Frazier, is the principal of North Bend Elementary.
Livingston beat out 200 other applicants for one of the 28 coveted spots. She went into the process with an open mind.
“The process was fun, but first of all, I went into it with a positive attitude,” she said.
SeaGals coach Sherri Thompson has been associated with the squad in different capacities over nearly 30 years. She expects that Livingston to contribute just like her teammates.
Working on routines and reaching out to fans, Thompson wants to see “the same thing I expect of everybody else” of the new Sea Gal.
“She has a long way to go as a rookie,” Thompson said, adding, “There’s so much to learn.”
Livingston’s mother, Colleen, said this was probably the toughest competition her daughter has faced in cheerleading.
“It was definitely a lot different than anything she’d done before. The level of competition was very impressive,” Colleen Frazier said.
“It’s a great accomplishment and we’re extremely proud,” she added.
Being a Sea Gal requires plenty of exercise and a lot of practice. Each session runs from three to five hours.
“You really need to be in really good cardiovascular shape,” Livingston said.
How does she stay fit?
“I do a lot of walking the dog or jogging, (and) eating healthy, of course,” Livingston said.
Her performance on the sidelines has earned her a number of accolades. She was featured as part of the EA Sports’ video game company’s “NCAA Football 07” and “NCAA Football 09” games, which are available on all major game consoles. She also was part of the 2006 Pac-10 football preview magazine put out by Athlon Sports.
However, those accomplishments don’t come close to what she will be part of this fall: a chance to perform in front of nearly 70,000 fans a game and millions more on national TV each Sunday afternoon.
Is she intimidated by that?
“I don’t think so. Because when you’re out on the field, you don’t think about that kind of thing,” Livingston said.
Mount Si High School’s cheer squad had a successful season, and that program is growing into one of the top programs at the high school level in Washington. Livingston has advice for those cheerleaders and others who want to give this a try.
“Always follow your dream and never give up, and always be a strong role model and be active in your community,” she said.
“We really want ladies that are respectable, smart and humble,” Thompson added.
