Despite finishing in last place at the Northern Ontario regional cheerleading championships in Thunder Bay last weekend, Muskie head coach Joyce Scott said the squad deserved a big cheer for their season.
“They performed very well in Thunder Bay,” Scott said yesterday morning. “Thunder Bay was really strong this year. We knew there would be good competition.”
Port Arthur Collegiate won for the third-straight year, finishing atop the standings with a 92.775 score. St. Ignatius was second (90.125), followed by Churchill (87).
Rounding out the field were St. Pat’s (84.675), Hillcrest (84.15), Kenora large (83.675), Hammarskjold (79.525), Kenora small (78.075), Westgate (71.675), Dryden (56.8), and the Muskies (55.65).
A major factor in the Muskies’ low score, said Scott, was the fact they went a full two seconds over the three-minute limit for their routine.
That mistake cost them a full 20 marks (Dryden had the same problem, also losing 20 points).
Scott noted they did their routine at around 2:47 or 2:49 when they won the NorWOSSA title two weeks ago.
But an injury to one of the girls forced assistant coach Chantelle Johnson to “totally change” their routine in about one week, with a new set of stunts put in.
The top two teams earned berths to the all-Ontario championships at Brock University in St. Catharines in May.
But since St. Ignatius has chosen not to participate at OFSAA, opting instead to make a trip to a U.S. camp this summer, Churchill will take their place at the all-Ontarios.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
