Cheerleading nears sports status

Published 8:00 pm Wednesday, October 30, 2002

By P. CHRISTINE SMITH

Staff reporter

The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association is moving toward declaring high school cheerleading a competitive sport, which can be good or harmful to Oak Harbor High School cheerleaders.

The WIAA board has been meeting and discussing the new policy, which is scheduled for a third reading at the board’s Nov. 17 and 18 meeting. Rick Schulte, superintendent of Oak Harbor schools, has sent a preemptive letter to the WIAA recommending that the policy not be adopted as written because it could ruin cheerleading for Oak Harbor students.

However, if the board agrees to one small change in the policy, competitive cheerleading can be very positive for Oak Harbor High School.

The one proposed WIAA rule that would potentially cause problems for Oak Harbor High School involves coaching staff. While the new policy would define cheerleading into two separate categories, one as a sideline activity and the other as competitive sport cheerleading, schools would be required to have two different coaches.

“In Oak Harbor, it is highly doubtful that we would be able to find qualified individuals to coach both the cheerleading activity and competitive sport cheerleading,” Schulte wrote in an Oct. 29 letter to WIAA. “If forced to choose, Oak Harbor would likely end up with cheerleading as a sideline activity.”

According to the proposed policy, schools would be required to choose cheerleading as a sideline activity first if they have to decide between the two types.

Pam Headridge, cheerleading coach at Oak Harbor High School, said that the guidelines requiring two separate coaches stems from a rule that says coaches involved in sport cheerleading cannot practice in the off-season with students in other cheerleading activities.

Through Dick Devlin, Oak Harbor High School principal, and Schulte getting involved, the director of WIAA, Mike Colbrese, agreed to meet with Headridge directly. That meeting took place Monday. Through that meeting a compromise might be possible.

Colbrese said that if Headridge can define the two types of cheerleading to prove that they are two separate entities, maybe the WIAA board will decide to allow one coach to take care of both.

Headridge went to the meeting with Colbrese armed with an example. According to WIAA rules, the same person is allowed to coach two different types of school wrestling programs.

Headridge says she has developed a cheerleading program at the school that works, and it would be unfortunate to make such sweeping changes.

“This program works and it works well,” Headridge said.

The WIAA board asked school districts for their input on the proposed policy, and Schulte took the opportunity to make a case for the policy to allow one person to coach both types of cheerleading.

Competitive sport cheerleading would provide the opportunity for Oak Harbor’s cheerleaders to experience the discipline and reward that comes from competitive athletic involvement, Schulte said in his letter. To place limiting rules on the sport would deprive Oak Harbor students of a valuable component of athletic competition.

“I’m really appreciative of Dick Devlin and Rick (Schulte) and their support,” Headridge said. “I think there’s hope, however, there’s nothing definite. But now (Mike Colbrese) is willing to talk.”

You can reach News-Times reporter Christine Smith at csmith@cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/whidbeynewstimes or call 675-6611.