The Iowa Shrine Bowl has had the privilege of raising funds and creating awareness for the Shriner’s Hospitals for Children for the past 53 years. Every day, they find new ways to promote and educate student-athletes on the Iowa Shrine Bowl and its mission.

The Iowa Shrine Bowl is an all-star football game held each year in July.  The best athletes and the most reputable coaches in the state of Iowa are invited to attend. They spend a week living in the dorms at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI), practicing and preparing for the game and learning about the mission of the Shrine Organization and the children it serves.

To participate, football players raise $1,000 and cheerleaders raise $800 through local sponsorships and the support of family and friends.  The funds raised go towards the Shriners’ Hospitals for Children throughout the country to provide pediatric care for children and their families. The Iowa Shrine Bowl has raised $3.8+ million over the 53 years of the event.

Michael Hensing (he/him) has always been interested in athletics, so when he heard of the Iowa Shrine Bowl Club, he decided to join. After joining, he became close friends with General Manager, Jerry Hoffman, who provided leadership roles for Hensing, such as serving on the Iowa Shrine Bowl Board of Directors. After Hoffman retired, he passed the baton to Hensing and he became the General Manager where he has served for the past two years.

“There are kids across Iowa who receive care from Shriners’ Children’s Organization, and the Iowa Shrine Bowl is a way to showcase that for all the student-athletes we invite. We normally have 92 football players and between 50-75 cheerleaders that are part of this organization. It’s a remarkable way for us to connect our charitable organization with student-athletes so they understand the challenges that less fortunate kids have,” Hensing said.

Every Friday morning during Shrine week, Shriners’ children come to the UNI-Dome, the football stadium on UNI’s campus, to interact with the cheerleaders, football players and the dance team for the Kids Camp. When the athletes meet the children, they start to realize why they’re there.

“When the athletes can see first-hand and interact with the Shiners’ Children, they understand that all these kids have had challenges, but still have an incredibly positive attitude and a lot of drive and desire to live a normal life despite the challenges they have to overcome every day,” Hensing explained.

Jessica Andersen (she/her) is the Head Coach for the Iowa Shrine Bowl and Liberty High Varsity Cheer Team and has coached the Iowa Shrine Bowl for the past four years. During her first year of coaching, she had 30 cheerleaders. As of 2024, the team has expanded to 60.

Andersen started with the Iowa Shrine Bowl as an all-star cheerleader herself in 1997, after her junior year of high school. In 2020, Andersen was asked if she would be interested in coaching the cheer team for the 2021 Iowa Shrine Bowl. In 2022, two more cheer coaches, Heather Langenfeld and Trisha Black, and Cheer Manager, Hadley Andersen joined the team. In 2023, Cheer Coach Kira Langenfeld and Cheer Manager Sophie Young joined the coaching team as well.

First, cheerleaders are nominated by their high school coaches. Then, the Iowa Shrine Bowl coaches look at each candidate’s cheer acumen, which is comprised of their physical skills, talent level and spirit. The coaches hold virtual tryouts, during which each cheerleader submits several videos showcasing their cheers, jumps, chants and tumbling. But that’s not all they look for.

“We look for cheerleaders who have high character, are members of their community, who volunteer, who set a good example and who embody the spirit of the Iowa Shrine Bowl,” Andersen said.

The Iowa Shrine Bowl creates lasting memories for people who attend.

“The Shrine Bowl is my favorite week of the year. The week focuses heavily on cheer, which is heaven for me. Last year, our queen, Bella, admired the cheerleaders. This year she returned to come to the Shriners’ Kids Camp, and having her run up to me and give me a big hug made me see the impact that we’re making. Those are moments that you definitely remember,” Andersen stated.

Bella Lentsch (she/her) is in second grade, and her favorite subjects at school are recess and lunch, and her favorite food is tacos. When she is older she wants to be a veterinarian. Lentsch was born with Amniotic Band Syndrome (ABS). ABS is a rare condition that affects one in every 15,000 pregnancies. She had fibrous bands that formed from the lining of the amniotic sac that wrapped around her when she was in utero, affecting all of her limbs. The condition impacted her right foot the most, which required the frontal part of her foot to be amputated. Lentsch and her family have been involved with the Shriner’s Organization since 2018. In 2023, she was nominated to be the Iowa Shrine Bowl Queen.

As the Shrine Bowl Queen, along with the Shrine Bowl King, Lentsch is celebrated throughout the week. She is recognized at the Kids Clinic, the annual banquet, gets to ride on a float during the annual parade and is applauded by the fans in the UNI-Dome stands during the pre-game ceremonies of the All-Star Football Game.

“Every year I get to pick out a new design for my prosthetic, and my prosthetics keep getting bigger and bigger. This time I have outer space on it,” said Lentsch.

Lentsch’s favorite thing about the Iowa Shrine Bowl is the cheerleaders, and she would like to be an Iowa Shrine Bowl cheerleader when she is old enough.

The Shriner’s Organization has helped more than 1.5 million children from over 180 countries since 1922. Shriner’s Hospitals for Children has one goal: to change and improve the lives of children.

There are many ways to get involved with the Iowa Shrine Bowl. For student-athletes, the Iowa Shrine Bowl works with the Iowa High School Football Coaches Association (IHSFCA) to extend invitations to the top athletes throughout the state of Iowa. If you want to volunteer, there are many opportunities throughout the game and Iowa Shrine Bowl week. If you are interested in any of the volunteer opportunities, visit the Iowa Shrine Bowl website or go to the Iowa Shrine Bowl Facebook page to find information. If you would like to donate to the Shriners’ Mission visit the link, Shriners Children’s Love to the Rescue, donations are highly appreciated.

This story was originally published on The Live Wire on September 10, 2024.