Cheers ring out despite job dispute
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There was a rare school athletic event at Waterford District High School Wednesday night.
Despite the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation’s ongoing boycott of extracurricular activities, Norfolk County high schools managed to stage their annual end-of-year cheerleading competition.
The county championship was never in doubt. Simcoe Composite School has a long-standing reputation for serious cheerleading. This time, no other Norfolk school chose to take on the Sabres as they prevailed in the advanced division by acclamation.
Delhi District Secondary School and Valley Heights Secondary School competed in the intermediate division, with the Raiders coming out on top in that one.
Despite provincewide job action by secondary teachers, the event proceeded because local high school administrators took charge of it. Alison High, principal of DDSS and emcee for the evening, enlisted fellow principals and vice principals to help supervise the event.
“This event was scheduled for such a long time,” High said. “We felt the girls had worked on it so hard that it had to happen. It’s not like they have a season. This is their bowl game.”
The cheerleading squad from Holy Trinity Catholic High School in Simcoe pulled out without explanation this weekend. The cheerleaders from WDHS also did not participate because the team is not at the point where it can compete effectively with other squads.
Brian Quistberg, principal at WDHS, says regular turnover of coaching staff for reasons unrelated to cheerleading has been an issue. As a result, the Wolves have had difficulty establishing continuity with their program.
It remains to be seen whether this is the end of the season for the Sabres, who also placed first at the big cheerleading competition at the Norfolk County Fair in October.
The teachers unions’ boycott of extracurricular activities may disrupt regional competitions that lie ahead. However, Sabres coach Megan Raffay — a community volunteer — says there are numerous competitions outside the school system that her team may find attractive.
“It’s totally up in the air right now,” Raffay said. “We’re considering getting our own insurance and practicing as an all-star team so that we can keep on cheering.”
Brittney Martin, one of three captains on the Sabres squad, says the nearly 30 members of her team were deeply upset when they learned that the unions’ protest against the McGuinty government’s contract bargaining position might cause the cancellation of Wednesday’s competition.
Martin added it was a disappointment that no other team saw fit to go head-to-head with Sabres spirit.
“It’s a hobby for me,” Martin said. “The feeling of winning — that’s what I like. This was just given to us. It doesn’t feel as good.”
Three judges from Power Cheerleading Athletics in London rated the competition. Each team performed its routine twice and was scored out of 300.
SCS was awarded a score of 220. DDSS scored 212 points versus Valley Heights’ 197.
The cheerleaders themselves were cheered on by a packed house of parents, siblings and friends in the gymnasium at WDHS.
Monte Sonnenberg
519-426-3528 ext. 150
monte.sonnenberg@sunmedia.ca