Photos: UAA Cheerleaders

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The UAA Cheerleaders performed during the Seawolves' 80-58 home victory over Portland Bible at the Alaska Airlines Center on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014.

It's 20 minutes before tipoff, and the team has just finished its pregame warm-ups. They've spent the past hour going over the coach's new game plan, a carefully scripted series of precise and dangerous maneuvers designed for maximum effectiveness. The 20-member squad files out of the auxiliary gymnasium and toward the main floor at the Alaska Airlines Center, most with duffel bags or backpacks slung casually over shapely shoulders. As he walks toward the playing surface, the last in line is approached by a square-jawed man in his 70s with the upright bearing of a gentleman who still knows his way around the gym.

"I really enjoy you guys," says the sturdy septuagenarian, taking the young man's hand tightly in his own for a respectful pump.

After the athlete walks away, the gray-haired man explains his admiration.

"What they do takes a lot of strength," says Anchorage's Jim Hurd, who says he's a competitive cross-country skier and World Masters Games medalist in rowing. "I enjoy watching good athletes."

READ MORE: UAA cheerleaders put new emphasis on athletics