CHSAA Remembers Spirit Trailblazer, Hall of Famer Virginia ‘Ginny’ Lorbeer

Virginia Lorbeer, known by most as Ginny, was a familiar and welcoming face to many at state-level events. Also an active volunteer, she served on many committees for CHSAA and was inducted into the CHSAA Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2019.

It’s her trailblazing work and advocacy for spirit that really sets her apart, though.

“Virginia Lorbeer was one of the most generous women I know of self, time and commitment, especially to spirit squad athletes,” said former CHSAA Assistant Commissioner Sharon Wilch, who oversaw spirit at its inception. “She was generous with money to aid and wanted to promote any activity for cheer or pom. She is one woman to remembered historically!”

Prior to spirit becoming a CHSAA sanctioned sport, former CHSAA Commissioner Paul Angelico – who oversaw spirit as the Activities Director at Coronado (1977-79) and Air Academy (1979-89) high schools – remembers the early days of spirit as it “always being a thing that Coronado High School put on. It was a huge success for the school.”

When it became too big for Coronado to do right, though, Wilch formed an exploratory committee in order for CHSAA to consider taking it on. Lorbeer jumped at the opportunity to serve on that committee.

“Ginny basically became the unofficial spirit committee chair while serving on that committee,” Angelico recalled. “Everybody looked to her from the beginning, so she became the boss right away. She didn’t ask, she just said this is what we have to do, and this is how it’s going to work. From then on, it was her baby.”

Lorbeer believed that by sanctioning spirit, it would bring a consistent set of rules to the sport and help it establish safety measures. Her efforts came to fruition in 1991, as that was the first year that CHSAA sanctioned competitive cheerleading, pompon and jazz dance.

“There was not a day where she did not give back to the spirit community… Ginny was at every committee meeting, either as a chair or advisor, and never missed a state tournament,” said CHSAA Assistant Commissioner Jenn Roberts-Uhlig, who has overseen spirit since 2012. “When Ginny set her mind to something, she made it happen. And, once she had her mind made up, you would know because she would conclude the conversation with ‘Period. Exclamation. End of Story.’”

An active member of the CHSAA State Spirit Committee since its inception, she served as the official first-ever chair of the committee – from 1990-97 – and was the Spirit State Tournament Director from 2000 through the 2021-22 season.

“Ginny is absolutely irreplaceable in all that she has done,” Roberts-Uhlig added. “We call her ‘The Pioneer of Spirit’ because she has literally paved the way for Colorado spirit, both cheer and dance. She has been a driving force in making spirit go from an activity to a competitive sport that really highlights what these student-athletes can do.”

Not only was she a tremendous advocate for spirit, but she was a remarkable coach, as well. She first entered the high school coaching ranks as the varsity cheerleading coach at Montbello High School in 1985. After two years, she took over the Manual varsity program, where she served as the head coach from 1965 through 1979. She returned to Montbello in 1988 and ended up leading her 1991-92 squad to the CHSAA 5A State Cheer Championships, marking the state’s first-ever 5A cheer state championship.

Her 1992, 1994 and 1996 squads all finished as state runners-up.

Her successes didn’t stop at the state level either, as her 1991-92 state championship team went on to represent Denver Public Schools and Colorado at the UCA National High School Cheerleading Competition in Orlando Florida. There, her squad placed 22nd out of the 89 participating teams.

Lorbeer was named the NFHS National Coach of the Year Runner Up in 1993, the Section 6 Cheerleader Coach of the Year in 1996 and the Cheerleader Coach of the Year in 1997.

She also served on the NFHS Spirit Board from 1994-98 and was a member of the NFHS Sportsmanship Committee from 1998-2001. She ended up receiving the NFHS’s Outstanding Service Award for Spirit Activities in 2013.

“Ginny’s passion and love for cheer, as well as her mentorship of coaches in the spirit genre, propelled its growth, visibility, and credibility in Colorado,” said Rhonda Blanford-Green, the former CHSAA Commissioner and current President of USA Cheer’s Board of Directors. “Her expertise was valued and contributed to elevating safety and coaching standards across the nation.”

Also an active member within the Colorado High School Coaches Association (CHSCA), which inducted her into its Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2019, Lorbeer worked tirelessly, year-after-year, to make the CHSCA Spirit Coaching Clinic a huge success. She created invaluable classes and brought in the best speakers in the nation, ultimately drawing more than 200 spirit coaches to the event each year. 

In addition, she created a mentor program where new coaches could make connections with veteran coaches, as her goal was always to educate new coaches so that they could have a long career in coaching.

A long-time CHSCA’s Board member – where she served as Spirit President from 2012-22 –  Lorbeer was awarded the organization’s Don Descombes Award for distinguished service in 2020.

“An icon, a queen, and one of the kindest people I have met,” Cherokee Trail’s head dance coach Mia Brown said, which echoes a sentiment shared by many spirit coaches. “Ginny was a gift to so many and I am honored to have spent time with her. The impact she has left on the sport of spirit and our community is priceless and will live on forever. We thank her for all she has done and sacrificed. She is truly the representation of strong women in sports.”

For CHSAA, Lorbeer not only served as the chair of the spirit committee, but she was a member of the CHSAA Hall of Fame Committee from 2010-15 and served as the site director of the CHSAA State Spirit Competition from 2000-2022. She was also an official stat crew member for the boys and girls basketball state championships for 50 years and checked athletes in at various state championship events, including track and field, unified bowling, cross country and gymnastics.

“Ginny’s commitment to CHSAA grew from spirit to track and field to basketball and beyond,” recalls Angelico, who spent 20 years at CHSAA. “I don’t think there was ever anything that she wasn’t involved in.”

“She was one of the most dedicated people to the CHSAA that we’ve ever had,” said Bob Ottewill, the CHSAA Commissioner at the time of spirit becoming a sanctioned sport. “Over the course of, I don’t know how many years, maybe 40-50 years, she would do anything we’d ask. She was an amazing person.”

For all of her efforts, Lorbeer was named the recipient of CHSAA’s Leadership Award in 1991, its Distinguished Service Award in 1996 and holds a variety of other awards and honors from various organizations throughout the state.