While cheering for the Yorkton Regional High School Raider Gridders football team in the fall, Raeann Schneider and Karissa McBride thought they were in their final year of cheerleading as grade 12 students.
Roughly five months later, they've decided not to hang up their pompoms after unexpectedly cracking the Saskatchewan Roughriders' cheerleading squad.
"I didn't think I'd make it," said McBride. "As a grade 12 student, I thought they'd go with older girls."
Schneider didn't even plan on trying out until McBride convinced her to join her in Regina.
"Karissa came up to me and asked me if I wanted to go with her, so I did not think anything of it," said Schneider. "I didn't expect to make it as a 17 year old, but it turned out I did."
Their Roughrider tryout entailed a lot more hoops than just a couple cheers.
"We had to write a resume and say why we wanted to be on the team and of course the tryout," said Schneider.
Schneider and McBride will be doing more than just cheerleading in the fall. They both plan on taking some secondary schooling in September.
"I'm going to the U of S in the fall for Arts and Science," said Schneider. "I'll have to travel back and forth for cheerleading practice and the games from Saskatoon to Regina."
"I want to do nursing next year in Regina," added McBride. "My backup plan is Arts and Science at the U of S. But I'm sure I'll make nursing work."
The young ladies officially kick off their cheerleading careers with the Roughriders on Saturday, March 23 for a team meeting. Until the start of the season, they will attend practices and camps to prepare for their first season in the green and white.
