Be of
Good
Cheer The rise of cheerleading at Paul Kane PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRENDA LAKEMAN WORDS BY ROBERT MICHON
CHEERLEADERS ARE OFTEN thought of
as morale boosters for athletes and sports teams, but not necessarily as athletes in their own right. To those doubters we say, you’ve probably never seen what the Paul Kane cheer teams can do. For the last six years, the junior girls and senior co-ed cheer teams have not only been pushing the school’s football team to achieve greatness, they’ve been achieving greatness of their own across the province and on the international stage. But their success doesn’t come easily. The coaches and the students work hard to perfect their routines and inspire a sense of community on home turf and abroad. In fact, if there is one thing these teams know better than any other athletes, it’s how to spread cheer—holiday or otherwise. Take a look. T8N December 2017 13
