Four Sisters, Two Decades of Wisconsin History

From UW Badgers.com

Four sisters. One university. One UW Spirit Squad tradition.

For nearly two decades (1989-2008), a daughter of Joseph (Joe) and Rose Jaucian (HOW-shin) has walked the streets of downtown Madison, attended class near Bascom Hall, relaxed at Memorial Union and sported a UW Spirit Squad uniform.

All four J’s—Jennifer, Josette, Jaimee and Jackie—attended the University of Wisconsin. The sisters, who share a common interest in the sciences, also share a love for performing. Upon arriving on the UW campus, each sister tried out and joined the UW Spirit Squad. The two eldest cheered, while the younger pair danced.

A 14-year age gap separates the oldest sister from the youngest. Jennifer (Jaucian) Siu, a wrestling cheerleader from 1989-92, is 36 years old. Jackie, a member of the UW Dance Team from 2004-08, is the youngest at 22. Josette (Jaucian) Scheer, who cheered from 1992-97, is 34, and Jaimee, who danced from 1999-2003, is 26.

Growing up, the age disparity between the two oldest and the two youngest children, made it difficult for the four girls to develop similar interests, or to even establish a close relationship. When Jennifer left home to enroll at the UW in 1989, the two youngest girls were under the age of 10, and were interested in children’s activities, not Badger athletics.

“By the time I was in college, they were still in elementary school,” current UW Spirit Squad Director, Josette, said. “They were pretty young, so there wasn’t really a close bond between all of us. Back then, we (Jennifer and I) were in our own world, being college students and having fun. We’d go home to visit and hang out with the girls, but there was such a different interest level.”

At the toddler age of three, Jackie began figure skating. By the time she was eight years old, the youngest Jaucian was training and competing in Indianapolis. At the very same time in a different place, her three sisters, too, were absorbed in their own competitive activities.

The Beginning

Joe and Rose Jaucian opened countless doors of opportunity for their daughters when they left the Philippines for the United States in 1974. At the time, Jennifer was three years old, Josette was just six months old and the two youngest had not been born. The Jaucians, who had yet to discover the Wisconsin Badgers, wanted an improved life for their children. Once in the United States, the then-family-of-four settled in Middleton, Wis., where they lived until Josette left for college in 1992, and then moved to Illinois. Somewhere along the way, Bucky Badger became an honorary seventh member of the family.

“Even though my parents did not attend the UW, they are committed Badger fans for life,” Jaimee, now a dance therapist in Chicago, said. “They came to the U.S. from the Philippines to give us a better life, and that’s exactly what they did! They allowed us to choose our own paths, and encouraged us along the way. I will forever be grateful for the opportunities they opened up for us.”

It was also Joe and Rose who first introduced their two oldest daughters to dance, and in turn, performance.

“They always instilled a love of dance in us,” Jennifer said. “When we were younger, Josette and I were very active in a local Filipino dance company. I think that had a lot to do with our interest in dance and cheerleading.”

Jennifer was the first to perform, cheering for wrestling matches and football games in high school. A gymnast, Josette competed through freshman year of high school before switching to cheerleading.

“Once I hit high school, my sister, who was three years older than me at the time (she was a senior when I was a freshman), was into cheerleading and I decided that I wasn’t going to get too far in gymnastics and moved over in cheerleading,” Josette said.

While parents Joe and Rose played a major role in encouraging their daughters to pursue their dreams, eldest sister Jennifer believes she played some role in her sisters’ interest in both cheerleading and the Badgers.

“I like to think I had a big influence on my sisters,” Jennifer said, “but they may not agree. Josette is three years younger, and I was actually her cheerleading coach when she was in high school. It was really fun to see her make the transition from gymnast to cheerleader. I also remember Jaimee and Jackie, who were probably nine and four years old at the time, coming to my wrestling meets and playing in the bleachers.”

Both Jaimee and Jackie agree that while growing up, their biggest role models were Jennifer and Josette, who they wanted to emulate. But while their older sisters concentrated on cheerleading in high school and college, the two youngest sisters chose a different route—competitive figure skating. To supplement figure skating, Jaimee and Jackie also took dance classes, which eventually led to dancing in high school and later at Wisconsin.

“I remember going to wrestling meets when I was younger to watch my older sisters cheer,” Jaimee said. “Jackie had the little cheer outfit and had a UW cheer-themed birthday party in kindergarten. I definitely looked up to them because it seemed like they did it all: excelled in school, pumped up the crowd, had tons of friends and just knew how to enjoy life and have a great time!”

Choosing the UW

The chances of four siblings attending the same university, pursuing the same extra-curricular activities and taking the same courses while working toward similar degrees seems slim-to-none, but that was not the case for Jennifer, Josette, Jaimee and Jackie. While each opted to attend the UW for different reasons, collectively, they simply loved what the University of Wisconsin represented.

Jennifer, the first to attend the UW in the late ‘80s, thought she was lucky to have such a great school so close to her Middleton hometown.

For Josette, education was the primary reason she selected the UW, but its proximity to home was also an important factor.

“I think just growing up in Middleton, a ton of my friends were coming here (to the UW), it was just down the road, it was more convenient and I knew it was a good school,” she said.

Jaimee, who was raised in Champaign, Ill., knew she wanted to go to a Big Ten school, and chose Wisconsin largely because of its well-known history and traditions.

“It was familiar and exciting to me,” she said, “and I knew that being a part of the dance team would be a great way for me to make friends, survive college and continue doing what I love.”

When it was finally Jackie’s turn to leave home, her decision was easy, as the youngest Jaucian never considered an alternative. Growing up in Illinois, she was dubbed the “Wisconsin Girl,” as her preferred clothing-of-choice, Wisconsin Cardinal & White, reflected her inner Badger.

“My parents had a huge impact (on me),” Jackie, who will graduate next year with a bachelor’s degree in zoology next year, said. “They raised me on Wisconsin sports and turned me into a huge Badger fan growing up. My parents always encouraged me and pushed me to work hard on my dancing, so I could make the team here.”

Life on the UW Spirit Squad

While to outsiders, the story of four sisters who all attended Wisconsin and joined the UW Spirit Squad may seem unique and interesting, to the four sisters, their “story” isn’t so much a “story,” but is the only life they have ever known.

The Jaucian sisters have nearly been a part of every significant wrestling, football and/or basketball achievement at Wisconsin over the last 20 years. And while each sister lists “lifelong friendships” as the best part of their UW Spirit Squad experience, it was not a challenge for them to recall a favorite sporting event memory at Wisconsin. The challenge proved to be just picking one.

Jaimee’s favorite memory as a cheerleader took place early in her career at the UW’s final football game of the season in 1999, her freshman year at Wisconsin.

“It was a night game against Iowa and Ron Dayne broke the rushing record, which led to him winning the HeismanTrophy,” she remembered. “Some guy streaked the field and I never felt more excited to lead thousands of screaming fans! We went on to win the Rose Bowl, and even got to dance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”

And then there was the 2003 UDA Nationals in Orlando, Fla., her senior year, where after months of preparing a jazz routine to a Prince mix, the UW Dance Team placed second, their highest-ever finish at that time.

“I’ll never forget the rush I felt dancing on that floor with 13 other amazing dancers and close friends, feeding off of everyone’s energy, giving it my all and feeling like ‘we did it,’” she added. “To this day, when random people find out I was in that Prince dance, they say, ‘I saw that dance on ESPN and loved it!’ It’s rewarding to know that what you’ve done and have accomplished, has also impacted someone else out there. People look up to you and are inspired by you, and you don’t even realize it.”

Josette, who is now in her eighth year as Sprit Squad Director at the UW, best remembers the 1994 Rose Bowl when she was a cheerleader.

“The Badgers hadn’t been very successful and were just starting to get better and better every year,” she said. “Just to be a part of that and all the excitement … the whole state of Wisconsin was excited to go to the Rose Bowl. That was definitely the highlight of my cheering career. In my position now as director, it has been exciting to see both football and basketball become so successful, and to be nationally ranked and recognized.”

A Family Tradition

Although it was not deliberate, the Jaucian sisters have created their very own family tradition. A family who at one time hadn’t paid any attention to Badger athletics, quickly became immersed in the Wisconsin Badger culture.

By the time Jennifer completed her stint with the wrestling cheerleading squad after three years and Josette finished her four years of football and basketball cheerleading, parents Joe and Rose were dedicated Badger fans, as were Jaimee and Jackie. Joe, in fact, could be designated “Biggest Fan” in the family, as he now tracks Badger chat rooms conversations, follows Badger blogs, discusses incoming recruits and knows everything in between.

“I remember my first year cheerleading in 1993-94,” Josette said. “My older sister was done and in medical school here, and the youngest two became Badger fans because of us. They knew all the players, would come to all my games and would stand outside the McClain Center trying to get autographs (from the players).”

The six of them were hooked, and still are. Despite their UW Spirit Squad days coming to a close (Jackie’s last performance was on March 5 at the men’s basketball game vs. Penn State), the four sisters will remain loyal Badger fans for life and look forward to passing on their Badger pride to their growing family.

A practicing OB/GYN physician in Seattle, Jennifer is married to Gregg and together they have three-year-old Aidan (who already knows Bucky and shouts ‘Go Badgers’) and seven-month-old Kaila. Josette’s husband Derek (a former UW swimmer) proposed at a football game in 1996 using the UW cheerleaders to spell out “Josette, Will You Marry Me?” with their signs. Together they have three-year-old twin girls, Natalie and Madelyn, and are expecting another girl in the fall. Jaimee recently got engaged to fiancé, Jude.

“I think we have all definitely developed a love for Badger athletics and enjoy games and the whole atmosphere,” Josette said. “Even though no one will be actively participating in the game anymore besides me with my job, they will all still want to come to games and be a part of it.”

The Jaucian family even has personalized bricks outside the Shell near Camp Randall Stadium, as Jackie says, “to imprint our legacy” at Wisconsin. Ultimately, though, the bond among four sisters and their family is something that can’t be physically represented.

“The stories and memories that we share (are the best part of this tradition),” Jaimee said. “Not only are we sisters, but we all went through the UW Spirit Squad, so we’ll always be connected through a common love for performing. Even though we are all spread out in age, we can recall the same events and venues that we cheered/danced at, the times we polkaed with Bucky and how the spirit squad has evolved.”

“The best part is that the four of us share something special that other people don’t quite understand,” added Jackie. “All four of us know that feeling of what it’s like to cheer on the Badgers in front of the greatest college sports fans in the nation!”

Erin Starck