StFX Cheerleaders Win in Competition for the First Time in Eleven Years

When hearing the words ‘StFX cheerleaders’ the first group that comes to mind is likely the team that cheers on StFX’s athletes. This is the ‘blue team,’ and what many students may not know is that StFX has a second cheerleading team, named the ‘white team.’ Instead of performing at sports games, the white team competes around the province against other university cheerleading teams. On March 4-5, they took on their first competition of the season in Truro, NS, winning the first-place medal for the first time since 2012.

Cheerleading competitions run over the course of two days, with a performance of a pre-existing routine on each day. For this competition—named Maritime Meltdown—each performance constituted 50% of the team’s final score. A university cheerleading routine normally consists of a school cheer, multiple stunt sequences, a pyramid, a jump section, both running and standing tumbling, as well as a dance portion near the end—though this is optional as it no longer contributes to the final score.

On March 4th, the cheerleaders met in the Keating Centre before heading off to Truro. Once there, the athletes had time to finish getting ready, explore the convention centre, and watch other’s performances. Cheer competitions feature teams of various ages competing at all levels and provide an opportunity not just to compete and show all the hard work put in throughout to year, but to connect with others in their shared community.

After a quick warm-up and run-through of their routine, the StFX cheerleaders ran out to take their places on the competition mat. They were cheered on by family, friends, members of blue team, and even next year’s Student Union President Sophia Fabiano, a former cheerleader herself. During their performance, the athletes hit one of their best routines of the season, a success that was closely followed the next day. Though confident in their routine, the team would not know their final scoring until the awards ceremony Sunday afternoon.

Because of Covid-19, there has not been an in-person competition since 2020, right before the pandemic hit. This meant that the competition setting was new to a lot of first-time cheerleaders who had only started the sport in university. Amber Thibodeau, a third-year student, and second-year athlete, mentioned that “it was super great to have finally cheered in person after competing online last year.” The new environment was exciting, but combined with the knowledge that StFX hadn’t won a competition since 2012, pressure was at an all-time high. However, the hard work of the athletes pulled through and they heard their names called as the champions of their level, walking away with first-place medals in what one athlete, Hailie Sock, called an “exciting moment.”

The StFX cheerleaders surprised many judges and coaches in the crowd with their high-level skills, and Emily Hubbard, one of the team’s captains, called the experience “amazing…especially knowing that no one was expecting us to show up the way we did.” Hailie Sock echoed this, saying that their performance was “reflexive of all the hard work we put in over the year.” The team practices three times a week, and many members balance a job and a full-time course load on top of this. Their dedication proves the love they have for their sport and their team. Ashley Howe, a second-year athlete, expressed her excitement about “making history for StFX cheerleading.” She continued, saying that cheer “pushes me to keep going for the future of the sport and for the university.” The team was indeed making history as the last win had been eleven years ago. As Howe put it, they are “breaking boundaries and proving to everybody that we aren’t just a student-run club, and we can do big things.” This win could be the start of a new future for StFX cheerleading, so keep an eye out and continue to cheer on your cheerleaders, both in games and at competition!

The team’s coaches, Claire Schofer, Wynona Farrell, and Kaitlyn Anderson, all expressed how proud they were of the team, with Schofer making this closing statement:

“I am incredibly proud of my wonderful athletes and their performances at Maritime Meltdown! We dealt with various adversities this school year, but the team had a continuous desire to work for something we thought was just a dream. The coaching staff has been working a lot behind the scenes for this to happen, but at the end of the day, our athletes won this for themselves and for each other. Many people complimented our performances and our athletes’ conduct at the event which was incredibly rewarding. Several young girls approached us, expressing their admiration for us as university cheerleaders. I sincerely hope our program can continue to grow and succeed for years to come. This win breaks a long streak of losses and I hope it sets a standard for our program.”