Central Ontario schools compete in cheerleading and dance regional event

Students across Central Ontario compete in a cheerleading and dance regional event.

Cheerleading and performance cheer have made their way into the school competitive scene. An OFSAA sanctioned event for the central region of Simcoe County was held at Bear Creek Secondary School.

With the sport gaining popularity, teachers at the competition were eager to highlight the importance of the sport to their students.

“It’s really important to the athletes and dancers that are on the teams to be recognized for their hard work and dedication they put into their routines,” said Heather Robert, host of OFSAA regional and teacher at Bear Creek Secondary School.

Eight teams from schools around Simcoe County attended the event with some schools performing multiple routines. Categories included cheerleading and performance cheer.

“Performance cheer is more your dance, so we have different genres like hip-hop and jazz,” said Robert. “Cheer, it’s more the traditional cheer that you would see, they start with the cheer and then they go into a routine style afterwards.”

While the athletes compete, there are other benefits to the sport.

“They are learning teamwork, they’re learning dedication, responsibility, reliability,” said Robert. So many things that are great transitional and transferable skills that we can use throughout our life.”

With cheerleading and performance dance continuing to gain popularity, organizers of the event are hoping the competition can become a two-day event next year.