The JPII cheer team 2022 pose for a team picture at their first competition of the year. (Submitted photo/Rena Fauchon)

By Martin Martinson

Cheerleading returns

JPII cheer squad ‘happy to be back’ following return to competition

Jan 19, 2022 | 5:00 PM

The John Paul II Collegiate (JPII) cheerleading team returned to competition over the weekend for the first time in two years.

Kicking off their season competing in Martensville at the Winter Knockout, advisor with the team, Rena Fauchon, said she was proud of the girls’ performance to start the year strong, especially after being unable to have a season last year due to the pandemic.

“It was the first competition we were able to go to in two years due to COVID and they did really well,” she said. “We’re a group of Grade 8s to 12s, so we’re kind of in a category of our own, but we compete against ourselves and were able to have a good start.”

Featuring 16 members this year, the majority on this year’s squad falling within the Grades 9-11 range.

While the group is largely a bit of a younger one this year, Fauchon said they have already seen the benefit some of their more experienced members can have as well, led by senior and team captain, Kailey Eddie.

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The lone Grade 12 on the club this year, Eddie has been a fixture on the school cheer team since the ninth grade, and told battlefordsNOW it has been nice just to be able to return to cheer with the school team again this year.

“It was a little different now that COVID’s changed things a bit, but it was still cool to see some people in the audience and be able to get back to it and see the Grade 8s on the team get to experience their first competition back,” she said, adding that she still remembers her early days on the cheer squad as well as a freshman.

“Once I was in that position too, and I remember some of the older people on the team would help me out and give me some tips, so it’s cool to be able to do the same and help [the younger members] and get to know them all personally as well.”

The JPII cheer team will have three more competitions this season, with Best of the West next up on the schedule in Moose Jaw on Feb. 13, with the Warman Cheer Classic to follow on March 11–13. Saskatchewan Cheer Provincials will wrap up the season in Saskatoon the weekend of Mar. 19.

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1