Local Dancers on the Timberwolves Team
by Eric Hagen
Anoka County Union
Being a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves dance team includes much more than cheering on the home team at the Target Center. There are the weekly four-hour practices, one-hour fitness sessions and countless public appearances.
It essentially is a part-time job, said Sara Roessler, who grew up in Anoka and is a rookie on the dance team. She is loving every minute of it though.
“It’s one of the best part-time jobs I can think of,” said Roessler, who now lives in Minneapolis.
Alisa Hetterick is another rookie member of the Timberwolves dance team. The 2008 Anoka High School graduate lived in Andover before moving onto the University of Minnesota campus, where she is a sophomore.
Hetterick and Roessler have some similarities in their dance background. Around their fifth birthdays, their parents signed them up for dance studios where they honed their skills in a variety of dances from ballet to hip hop to jazz to tap. Roessler went to the Northland School of Dance and Performing Arts in Champlin for about 10 years and Hetterick was at the Stage Door of Performing Arts in Coon Rapids for 13 years.
How Roessler got here
Roessler left the Northland studio when she went to Totino Grace High School in Fridley. She had tremendous experiences at Northland, highlighted by the studio sending a team to perform for athletes from all over the world at the Olympic Village during the 2000 Summer Olympic games in Sydney, Australia.
However, she wanted to focus her efforts during her sophomore and junior year on the school’s co-ed competitive cheerleading team, which went on to win the state title during her junior year.
Roessler’s involvement in cheerleading and dance continued when she enrolled at the University of Minnesota. Roessler made the Minnesota Vikings cheerleading squad from the 2003 through 2007 seasons.
After earning a degree in elementary education in 2007, Roessler became a stay-at-home mom to take care of her son Talan.
Two years later, the Timberwolves dance team head coach encouraged Roessler to try out for the team. The same coach led the Vikings cheerleading team when Roessler was on that team.
After weighing the decision, Roessler decided to go for it. She knew a lot of the ladies on the Timberwolves dance team, she loved to performing and she figured she was still young enough to do it.
The workouts and time commitments have been the hardest for Roessler to get used to.
The Timberwolves dance team has two four-hour practices each week to work on new dances for every game. The team members sign up for one to two public appearances a week.
Roessler has been amazed at what the Timberwolves have done for different causes.
“You find out what an impact the organization can have on the community and how much they give back,” she said.
If Roessler feels she can handle the time commitment, she will consider trying out for the team again, but she is not sure what the future holds for her.
“I take it one year at a time,” she said.
How Hetterick got here
The 2008 Anoka High School graduate had no interest in being on the Tornadoes cheerleading team because she preferred concentrating her efforts on competitive dancing at the Stage Door studios.
“I was anti-cheerleader in high school. I was a dance team girl,” she said.
She found it difficult to give up a sport she loved after she graduated high school and going to the University of Minnesota.
“It’s hard to go to dancing every day and then stop,” she said.
Hetterick tried out for the University of Minnesota dance team, but did not make it. She decided to try out for the Timberwolves dance team as well, which really excited her father and brothers, who are huge Timberwolves fans.
The whole experience has been an adjustment for Hetterick. She was not used to performing in front of thousands of people who watched her team’s every move during a dance routine.
“I was very nervous, but so exited because I was finally getting to dance again,” Hetterick said.
Because she had no background in cheerleading, Hetterick was not accustomed to interacting with the crowd. She copied what other team members did and became more comfortable as more games slipped by.
Hetterick’s schedule has been packed considering all the public appearances and home games, the last one being April 14 against the Detroit Pistons.
The sophomore University of Minnesota student is also trying to figure out the career she wants for the rest of her working life. She initially thought about a career in public relations, but now is pursuing a degree in cultural studies.
Hetterick would like to try out for the Timberwolves dance team for at least the next two seasons. One of her favorite memories from her rookie season was taking a bus trip with the dance team to South Dakota.
“I just love being with the whole team,” she said.
