Graeme Cano showed boys could cheer just as loud as the girls at the Ontario Cheerleading Championships.
The 13-year-old Grade 8 student from Pope John Paul II Catholic Secondary School joined his team at the championships held at the Fort William Gardens on Sunday. Graeme performed some acrobatics during the routine in front of a crowd of about 300 people.
Graeme was one of the few boys who performed at the competition.
He said his team did well but wasn’t sure about their chances because he hadn’t seen the other schools compete. Graeme’s team eventually took home first place in the junior intermediate division.
Graeme joined the team two years ago because he thought it was a good way to continue practicing his gymnastic skills, he said.
He said he knows there aren’t many boys in cheerleading but he felt it was something he wanted to do.
“It feels great because I’m the only one and it feels great to represent the other gender,” Graeme said. “For other boys who want to try cheerleading, I say go for it. It’s a great experience and you`ll learn how to throw people in the air.”
He added that he will be going to St. Patrick High School and hoped to continue being on a cheerleading team.
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Graeme’s team wasn’t the only ones to take home a top prize.
Hammarskjold High School stepped up to the plate and won the first ever stunt competition in Thunder Bay and the large advanced all girls high school category.
Reegan Bushby, whose birthday is on Monday, will be celebrating her sweet 16 as an Ontario champion. She said her team worked hard for their win and was excited to go to the national championships.
“We deserved this,” Reegan said. “We get up at 7 a.m. for some of our practices and we just worked really hard. It’s very challenging balancing class plus other extracurricular activities. Focusing on schoolwork too as well as cheerleading if very hard. You just have to focus on what you’re doing at the time and just move.”
Reegan and her teammates will be heading to the national competition in Niagara Falls on the May 11 weekend.
Follow Jeff Labine on Twitter @Labine_reporter
