Three cheers for the Sabres
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WATERFORD – As the Simcoe Sabres were crowned NSSAA cheerleading champs on Wednesday, they weren’t simply celebrating a third straight country crown but a dream come true.
“It’s very emotional because I never was a preppy girl but being here and winning was my dream,” senior captain Kayleigh Buzsik said from the mat at Waterford District High School.
“I never thought I would do it – it’s going to make me cry talking about it because I didn’t want to go out in my last year with a second.”
Buzsik along with fellow SCS captains Aislyn Roake and Chloe Rabey led Simcoe into competition against three other squads – Waterford, Delhi, and Holy Trinity – and once again came out on top after two clean performances before a packed house.
“I feel like the girls gave it their all through both runs,” said Roake.
“They hit their stunts and tried their best.”
Wednesday’s win provided Simcoe a bit of redemption after finishing in third place at the Norfolk County Fair’s Young Canada Day competition. The Sabres completely revamped their routine after that early October outing, adding the difficulty that would ultimately gain them a major advantage in an indoor setting.
“We came here and obviously wanted to win again because we lost at fair,” Rabey admitted. “We were determined to win again because this is our thing. We’re better at higher difficulty stuff.”
For as well as the Sabres and their team of 14 performed, they shared the spotlight on the evening with the Wolves, who entered with the smallest roster – only nine students.
This year was the first in the last nine the Wolves have had a team compete for NSSAA, an accomplishment that wasn’t lost on the crowd, or the other schools who gave WDHS rousing applause.
The team has been two years in the making for teacher rep Tiffany Chanyi and ultimately came together when a group of coaches who wore the red, white and purple in the late 90s jumped aboard.
“They have gone through so much adversity,” said coach Jodi LaPlante. “We just added two people to the team, we had (one member suffer) a concussion last week, we didn’t know if we would be competing a week ago… everybody is about double us (in numbers) but we’ve done an amazing job with the amount of kids we’ve had and we hope to build on it for next year.”
Not only did the Wolves wow the crowd but also the judges, they finished in third spot – just behind Delhi and one ahead of Holy Trinity – not bad for a group who was being heckled in their own school for not being a ‘real’ team.
“They couldn’t have done any better, they went out there twice and did an incredible job,” said LaPlante. “To be able to beat a team that has been practising together for years and has a lot more experience, that’s a pretty big accomplishment.”
The Wolves actually paid homage to teams of the past by featuring popular 90s rock group ‘Rage Against the Machine’ during their routine and wearing vintage WDHS threads. LaPlante and her fellow coaches hemmed the uniforms to fit the current group – they hope to fundraise for new kits in time for next year.
How did the Wolves manage to not simply compete but thrive?
“We just stuck together and had fun,” said Waterford’s Victoria Litschgy.
“We had to show (everyone) what we were all about.”
Simcoe’s season isn’t over, they’ll return in the new year for more competitions, but not before a few days of celebration.
“We work so hard and there’s so much stress coming with it,” Buzsik said. “The team comes together and that hard work pays off – it’s literally the best moment I’ve ever felt in my life.”
jrobinson@postmedia.com
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