Badger cheer squad goes co-ed

The Bonners Ferry cheer team is preparing for competition season and is now co-ed with two boys coming out to cheer.

Having boys on the team is a game changer and allows the team to do additional stunts since the boys have a stronger base and larger hands to toss and catch fliers. Some of the boys were recruited after participating in PowerCheer, a sideline cheerleading activity that took place on Homecoming during the Powderpuff Football game. 

Since the beginning of the year, the team has picked up six additional girls, giving them enough athletes to form a JV squad. Some of the new additions came from fall sports, but participated in cheer in middle school. 

Badger cheerleading also lost some athletes to other winter sports teams. 

Bonners Ferry head coach Christian “Chris” Gaffield said the JV team will cheer during JV winter sporting events, and varsity cheer will cheer at varsity games. 

Winter is the beginning of cheer’s competition season, and this year the Badgers will be attending six competitions, more than last season. 

Cheerleading was recognized as an interscholastic sport by the Idaho High School Activities Association in 2022. 

Last season at districts Bonners Ferry competed against Timberlake in four routines. The Badgers fell to the Tigers by two-and-a-half points, 175.5 to 178. 

Last year the team took second in stunt and fifth in show routines for the 3A All Girls State Competition. 

For the show routine, the Badgers were only four points behind fourth place and only 12 points behind first place winner Snake River.

One Badger did receive an injury at the state competition just 20 seconds into the show routine, then freshman flier Alyssa Gardner sprained her ankle. 

She received care from medical staff and then went out to perform the stunt routine, Gaffield said.

The team went out there and performed, which can be hard to do when everyone and your competition is looking at you, Gaffield said. It can be intimidating to be in front of everyone.

“They left it all on the mat,” she added. “ The girls gave everything they had.”

“We’re looking forward to returning to state,” Gaffield said. 

This season since the Badgers are co-ed and the Timberlake Tigers are all girls, both teams have a bid to state, but it is a long road before districts. 

Pom routines remain all girls, so the boys will not be participating in this category. However the boys will compete in stunt and show routines. 

Preparing for competition season the Badgers have been working on basket tosses and getting and working through stunts and techniques with the boys. 

Cheer Captain Brenna Stewart has commented that stunting with a boy is very different as they can toss and lift fliers like herself much faster. 

This opens the team up to doing different landings and stunts, but it will take practice for veteran cheerleaders to get used to the changes with being co-ed. 

The cheer teams schedule is rigorous, as they practice two days a week on sideline cheers which are used when cheering on fellow teams and includes stunting. 

The team also practices two days a week on technique, perfecting stunts and other routines, while keeping safety in the forefront of their practice. 

Gaffield said there is a major focus on growing the program . 

Stewart said her focus this year is the team’s show routine and new stunts. 

The Bonners Ferry cheer team thanked the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho for donating to the program. 

    Badger cheerleaders practice stunting.
  

    Badger cheer practices a basket-toss stunt.