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Prince George cheerleaders going back to the gym following COVID-19 restriction downgrade

Previous public health order forced All-Stars to go virtual with practices

A subtle blessing in disguise.

Prince George All-Stars Cheerleading will soon head back to the gym under new strict conditions after enduring a week of virtual training and practices under the previous COVID-19 public health order guidelines.

On Wednesday (Dec. 2), Dr. Bonnie Henry reported an adult recreation hockey team, reportedly from the interior, travelled to Alberta for a tournament and subsequently brought the virus back with them, leading to multiple infections in their community.

As a result, Dr. Henry put in a ban on adult indoor and outdoor sports, as well as a downgrade in viaSport BC’s virus safety protocols for youth programs, only applying to those aged 18 and under.

Phase Two requires sports teams to only host social-distance appropriate, non-contact practices, which must include less than 50 people in a space with no spectators.

While this may seem bleak to some sports organizations, the All-Stars welcome the revert as it will allow athletes to train in a more appropriate setting than through a computer screen.

“Kids will be in the gym and we will be back to focusing on individual skill development, and will be looking forward to virtual competitions,” said Head Coach Jess MacDonald to PrinceGeorgeMatters.

Prior to the change, MacDonald and her three associate coaches were forced to make the switch to online practices, which she described as a sudden move as ‘cheerleading’ was listed as a ‘low intensity group fitness activity’ by B.C.’s provincial health office.

The issue... the BC Cheerleading Association (BCCA), which governs the PG All-Stars, was accredited in early 2019 as a sport in the province, four years after it was officially recognized the same way by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Albeit temporarily, MacDonald explains this brought back the stigma she’s endured for several years.

“It still drives me bonkers when people say that cheerleading is not a sport,” she said.

“I think people recognizing and acknowledging that we are a sport is still new for them because people still think we’re all ‘raw, raw’ type of cheerleading. Then, to have [our athletes’] parents say, ‘Well, you should be closed because you’re cheerleading,” it was hurtful. There was anger and sadness and frustration.

“In 2010, I was competing at the highest level,” said MacDonald when asked about the perception of cheerleading when she competed for the University of New Brunswick.

“When I am training to be fit enough to control my body and to have other training to throw me in the air, that is a sport to me. I try to build a culture and we like our athletes; we see them improve and learn the skills in order to compete, and that fact for them and for me, I hope that resonates and speaks sport to them. That’s something we could build more into our club.”

In Phase Three, stunting was reintroduced, which includes teammates using all their might to hoist each other in the air to perform flips and other related skills.

That has since been scrapped and MacDonald adds it's because of this and the sudden switch to virtual training that some of the young athletes had contemplated dropping out of the program entirely.

She hopes the downgrade this week, in a way, can bring spirits back up.

“I’ve told parents and athletes to please be patient and please persevere with me because we will get back to the gym. I think that if I can just have faith that BC Cheerleading can help us move forward with the restrictions, then I know there’s more we can do to keep the gym safe with them. [...] Coaches are working hard and delivering as fast as they can and we hope everyone shows that as well.”

MacDonald says changes are still being made in the Kinsmen Centre, where the All-Stars regularly practice, in order to abide by the new public health rules.

She says this is likely to include three-metres between each cheerleader and coach.

“I want people to keep their bubbles small,” adds MacDonald in a plea to British Columbians about preventing any further spread of COVID-19.

“Do everything that Dr. Bonnie Henry is telling you to do. Wash your hands, don’t touch your face, sanitize your hands before and after you put your mask on. I just want people to be as safe as possible because I want to keep doing what I’m doing.” 

A virtual competition schedule has yet to be released by the BCCA for the Prince George All-Stars.

As of this publication (Dec. 4), there have been 978 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Northern Health's jurisdiction, including a record 50 new infections in the last 24 hours.

The total includes eight deaths, 270 active cases, 11 people in critical care among 39 hospitalizations and 700 recoveries.