The yellow sweatshirts stood out in the speedskating stands. So did the words on them: "Barrow Whalers."

The group of eight students and two chaperones from Barrow High School had come as far as some of the Special Olympics athletes, all to cheer like mad for some Russians they'd never met.

"Oh, I can't wait," said sophomore Joanna Leavitt, as she helped classmates color a hand-lettered sign wishing one of their athletes well: "Daviya Vera" -- or, approximately, "Go, Vera," in Russian.

The group's signs were written in the Latin alphabet, not Cyrillic. One, reading "Go, Russia!" was decorated lovingly -- with hammers and sickles. There hadn't been much time for research, so the symbols of the Soviet era slipped their way into the posters. The group had signed on as a "spectator team" to cheer on Croatia, but that delegation didn't make it into the finals.

Barrow students pose with Croatian skier Kristian Skrobonja, with the yellow helmet, after the first run of the event Thursday at Alyeska. Barrow High adopted the Croatian team as its own to cheer for. (Bill Roth / Anchorage Daily News)

What they lacked in research, however, the Barrow students made up in enthusiasm. There was no question their two new favorite people in the world were Russian athletes Vera Boutorlina and Serguei Fokine, skaters competing at the Harry J. McDonald Memorial Center in Eagle River.

The students, mostly members of the student council, raised more than $8,000 for the trip to the World Winter Games in Anchorage by selling items at the school store and hosting a school "lock-in," which, despite its name, they said was a fun event involving an overnight stay at the school. Classmates paid $30 apiece to attend.

The opportunity to be part of an international event and help others was thrilling, said Jamie Judkins, 17. "I've never been part of something like this," she said.

"I just want to meet the athletes," said junior Jenna Elbert, 16.

The job of spectator teams like this one is simple: Act as a personal cheering section for an athlete or team from another nation. The idea is to make visiting athletes feel at home, even if they were unable to bring fans with them. Spectator teams have mainly come from Anchorage area schools and businesses, but any group of five or more people can sign up.

As the speed skating finals began Wednesday, the Barrow students showed they had no trouble embracing the concept. While waiting for Boutorlina and Fokine to take their turns, they didn't neglect the other athletes, at one point joining the rest of the crowd in enthusiastically cheering on a Jamaican athlete who, after a fall, was left doing two lonely laps while his competitors waited.

Except those laps weren't that lonely. "C'mon, Nigel!" and "Good job, Nigel!" yelled the group, a gesture that at one point overtook the entire crowd.

Then came "their" athletes, and you would've sworn the Barrow students had one of their own on the ice. They did. Early on, No. 109, Vera Boutorlina, hit a good stride and was pulling in the lead, and the Barrow students cheered for her every time she passed by. A lithe skater, Boutorlina rewarded them by not only winning the race, but also by winning it graciously, taking the hand of a competitor with a smile after she won.

But this was not going to be enough for the Barrow group. They had to meet her, had to present her with some gifts. Student council adviser Matt Nie led a contingent down from the stands on their mission to meet Boutorlina.

At long last, she greeted them with a beckoning wave. They didn't say much -- no interpreters are on hand -- but they didn't need to. Boutorlina accepted the sign, along with a mug and other gifts donated by Barrow businesses. They passed cameras, taking each other's pictures.

"That," says one of the Barrow group members, "was so awesome."

Reporter Sonya Senkowsky can be reached at ssenkowsky@adn.com.