Alexis Davis s an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Hamilton High School for AZPreps365.com

The late, legendary Hamilton coach Pati Iseman constructed one of Arizona’s best high school cheer programs from scratch that caused even some football players to trade in their cleats for pom poms. While under the leadership of Iseman, Hamilton won over 10 state titles and competed at USA National Championships at Disneyland.

“As a part of Pati’s team, you were the height of the height,” former Hamilton assistant cheer coach and cheerleader April Vallier Schulken said. “We were at our peak right when cheer became the “it” thing to do. She (Iseman) recruited male football players and in doing so a powerhouse was born.”

 

April Vallier Schulken (left) poses with Pati Iseman. (Photo courtesy of April Vallier Schulken)

Hamilton continues to be a competitive force due to the foundation and standard Iseman built from the day the largest high school in Arizona Hamilton opened. It is because of the early efforts of Iseman that current Hamilton cheerleaders get to embark on certain experiences, including representing the camp brands of Varsity Spirit in the Varsity Spirit Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade in Honolulu and continuation of state titles.

Iseman was at the forefront of a variety of youth cheer programs. She decided to transition her focus to high school athletes and became the head cheer coach at Chandler High School in 1995. 

At Chandler, Iseman coached more than 100 girls in three years. Her willingness to go the extra mile for her athletes and show compassion made her the ideal partner to assist  Hamilton’s first principal, Fred DePrez, in opening Hamilton High School in 1998.

“Her greatest strength was the love she had for children,” DePrez said. “She treated them like they were real people. They were never treated as just kids that didn’t know anything. While opening Hamilton, it was ideal to have Pati around because of her positive energy and desire to build up the school spirit. She didn’t put up with any stuff either.”

While concurrently assisting with helping to open Hamilton and develop what would soon be an award-winning cheer program, Iseman ran a successful real estate business. People closest to her explain she never wanted either entity to suffer.

Developing generational relationships charted Iseman’s list of things to accomplish, right next to winning. DePrez said he spent over 17 years of Fridays watching high school football games with Iseman and her husband. He also mentioned that after a long week of building up Hamilton, it was the highlight of his week. 

Another generational relationship Iseman developed was with Vallier Schulken’s daughter, Teya Vallier. Vallier is a current cheerleader at Hamilton. Vallier Schulken remembers Iseman being the first person to hold her daughter after giving birth. A few days after Vallier’s birthday in 2021, Iseman passed away.

 

Pati Iseman holds Teya Vallier at hospital shortly after birth. (Photo courtesy of April Vallier Schulken)

 

“Even with her business, she made sure that at a drop of a hat, if we called, she would be there,” Vallier Schulken said. “There were never any questions to be asked.”

Hamiton was built on the motto “dare to dream.” And that is exactly what Iseman did when it came to getting her team to be the best of the best. 

After winning year after year, Iseman wanted to provide her team with a new experience. She leaned on Neil Jiminez, an award-winning California-based choreographer and dancer.

Jiminez and Iseman crossed paths when Jiminez was 16 years old at Chandler High School. Iseman gave him the opportunity to perform his first out-of-state job with Hamliton in 1995 at the age of 17. 

While Iseman was taking a shot on Jiminez, she was also betting that her investment would pay off. This initial pairing turned into a 15-year relationship with numerous choreographed routines. To successfully have a routine choreographed by Jiminez, he recalls Iseman would spend anywhere from $2,000-4,000 out of pocket. 

“She (Iseman) had a great mixture of wanting to be tough because you need a tough coach,” Jiminez said. “You need someone that is really going to push you hard. But, she was also nurturing. She was a second parent to a lot of the kids on the team and it was something that I instantly saw when I would come in and do the routines.”

Jiminez would fly into Phoenix and Iseman would pay the entire travel tab. Once Jiminez was successful in Arizona, he would spend over eight hours teaching the girls the routine and would often fly out that same evening. After he departed, the team would use recordings of Jiminez as a reference until it was time to hit the mat and compete. 

“I remember him (Jiminez) coming in and we were all extremely intimidated,” former Hamilton cheer captain Ashley Jacobs said. “He was a dancer in our eyes. He had all the moves, music and choreography. He was almost too perfect for us to believe. When he first showed us the routine, we all looked at each other like how in the world are we going to learn this.” 

Iseman was dedicated to providing an enriching experience to all of her cheerleaders. This involved taking the team to compete at the USA National Championships at Disneyland. This competition was the hub of the best cheerleaders in the nation. As first time competitors, the girls made it to the finals and placed third in 1998.

“It was important for them to not just compete against girls in Arizona,” Jiminez said. “The competition took the top five teams out of 30 that competed in that division. It was a really big deal for them to go there and score so high.”

To keep the team focused on their academics and winning, Iseman never wanted any of the girls to worry about finances and transportation. There were many years the affectionate coach would pay the way for a handful of girls. If she noticed certain cheerleaders were showing up late or missing practice, Iseman would take them to and from practice. 

“Pati paid for me and countless other kids,” Vallier Schulken said. “There were small fundraisers we did associated with Arizona State and the Arizona Cardinals but it didn’t compare to the amount of money Pati paid out of pocket.”

Iseman also wanted to ensure that even girls that had zero cheer experience got the chance to be a part of the team. Most cheer teams teach the participants all aspects of the tryout in one setting. Instead, Iseman hosted tryouts over a period of five days. Even if the participant did not nail the routine, if Iseman saw improvement over the course of the week, there would be a possibility the hopeful would still make the team.

The hard work of Hamilton cheerleaders over the years has landed them on all-star squads after their time with Iseman was over. Some girls went on to be instructors for the Universal Cheerleaders Association as well as members of Arizona State University and University of Arizona cheer teams.  

As Iseman taught the girls to be a winner on and off the mat, Jacobs feels like the biggest lesson Iseman taught her was to stay grounded.

“Pati always taught me to be humble,” Jacobs said. “We were on top for so many years but she would always remind us that we could lose at any time. It may sound negative but she was just putting into perspective that nobody is perfect and that’s OK. We were taught that we have to put in just as much work if not more than any other team.”

Pati Iseman celebrates retiring from cheer at her cheer retirement party with former cheerleaders from over the years. (April Vallier Schulken/AZPreps365)

The more than 1,000 young cheerleaders Iseman coached will miss seeing her stroll in with her famous boombox and even more famous slogan “Come on, girls!” Vallier Schulken and her family are working tirelessly to begin a scholarship titled “The Iseman Way” for one Hamilton football player and one cheerleader to support them with the expenses associated with participating in their respective sports.