Youngsters in Haverhill have had some hometown heroes to look up to in recent years. Young baseball players can idolize Carlos Pena. Young actors can hope to one day be on television like Tom Bergeron.
And now young dancers have their own Haverhill icon to look up to in Channing Cooke, a top 18 finalist on Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance."
Dancers at the studio that Cooke grew up in, Karla Pattavina's Dance Academy in Haverhill, are almost too excited to focus on their own kicks, jumps and turns as they anticipate tuning in every week to see Cooke light up the dance floor.
"It's so cool," said Kylie Hern, 9. "I hope she wins."
In the lobby of the dance studio, where aspiring dancers lace their tiny tap or jazz shoes and toss their pretty pink dance bags before class, a wall devoted to Channing is growing by the day with posters of encouragement, photos of Cooke and newspaper clippings.
Because Cooke is only 18, many of the dancers and parents at the studio have had the privilege to watch her dance for many years. The younger dancers have seen her talent and dream to be just like her.
"I want to be able to do the leaps she can do," said Kylie.
"I like how every time she goes to do something with her leg, it's always straight and always pointed," said Felicia Pitcher, 9.
But the inspiration that Cooke supplies for the younger girls goes beyond her flawless technique. The girls have seen that to be as good as Cooke, it takes a lot of work.
"You can tell that she loves it," said Kaylee Sarfde, 11. "She puts her heart into everything she does."
Aware that the littler dancers looked up to her, Cooke made sure to be a positive role model.
"At one of our competitions, I told her I loved her dance, and she told me if you put everything you have into something that you can make it happen," said Felicia.
"She's really funny," said Kylie. "She has really funny jokes and she makes everyone feel like they're number one."
Kaylee, Felicia, and Kylie are at the studio four days a week, working hard to learn everything they can. Now that Cooke is making her dreams come true, the girls and their classmates want to follow in her footsteps. For now, though, they'll tune in every week and vote like crazy to keep their hero safe from elimination.
"Every time I watch the show, I try to watch the other dancers, but my eyes always go back to her. She's really good and she inspires me," said Felicia.
