The final score of 29-15 was a win for North over South in this year’s Iowa Shrine Bowl, but for Mount Vernon’s own, the experience showed the triumph of spirit in the kids served by Shriner Childrens.
Mount Vernon graduated seniors Joziphene Luneckas-Broomhall and Henry Ryan were selected to participate in the 51st all-star game at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls held Saturday, July 22. Both athletes were nominated by their coaches and ultimately selected by the Shrine Bowl coaches in January of this year.
“I knew about the Shrine Bowl, but I didn’t really think I was going to play in it,” said Ryan, who earnd a space on the south team. “I got a text from my coach that they nominated me and then I soon found out that I got accepted into it, so I was pretty excited.”
“It’s an honor to be part of the Shrine Bowl, it’s a selective process,” explained Luneckas-Broomhall. “You have to audition. My coach sent in videos that showed my cheer, dance, jumping and stunting skills and included a recommendation. Cheerleaders were selected from a lot of nominations, I was definitely very happy to be chosen for the team.”
Luneckas-Broomhall said she arrived at UNI on Monday to prepare for the event and practice with the 47-member squad selected from teams across the state. Each day leading up to the game included hours of practice along with special activities like a movie night and an afternoon at Lost Island Water Park. Organizers also created opportunities to educate the athletes about the Shriner’s Childrens Hospital, its mission and the families it serves.
Ryan says hearing about this year’s Shrine Bowl King, Otto Van Dorston’s experiences was impactful. “Just hearing his story and hearing how much the Shrine organization helped them with all the traveling, all the expenses you have to do for the surgeries he went through,” said Ryan. “I never. really knew that’s what the Shriner (organization) was until I got invited into the Shrine Bowl and I just found out and I thought it was awesome.”
Unfortunately, a surgery of his own kept Ryan from practicing and playing in this year’s Shrine Bowl. He underwent an appendectomy the first week of July and wasn’t cleared for physical activity by the week of the game. He said he was disappointed to be sidelined but appreciated the fact that he got to join the team for the banquet on Friday and Saturday’s game.
Luneckas-Broomhall was chosen to call the cheers for the squad and says cheering and performing at halftime was a great experience. The children’s stories also impressed Luneckas-Broomhall. “It really showed that despite all the things that these kids had gone through, that they had amazing attitudes,” she said. “Just being able to be around them you really got to see that despite all of the surgeries and all of the things they’ve gone through that they are strong, positive kids with great outlooks on life.”
Both Ryan and Luneckas-Broomhall will join new teams as they head to college at the end of summer. Ryan will play football and attend Coe College to study business and Luneckas-Broomhall will cheer for Wartburg and study political science and pre-law.
Players and cheerleaders raised funds before the game for the Shriner’s Children orthopedic hospitals and burn centers in the Midwest and to each Shrine Center’s Transportation fund to transport patients to and from hospitals and clinics. To date the Iowa Shrine Bowl has raised about $3 million for Shriner’s Children.
Locals participate in 51st annual Shrine Bowl
August 3, 2023