Roy-Hart and Barker share cheerleading program

Jan. 4—Two local school districts agreed to combine their cheerleading programs this season allowing three students in the Barker Central School District to participate in game-day performances, as well as compete in tournaments, with students in the Royalton-Hartland Central School District.

Erica Maslowski was named coach for the team and said the students were doing well. Their choreography was well advanced, she said, and would be competitive with other districts' teams at meets.

The first competition for this season is on Jan. 21 against North Tonawanda's squad for the Winter Cheer Off.

Cheerleading is not the only sport that Roy-Hart has shared with other districts. Notably, wrestling has been shared between the two schools for seven-years, which gave Zach Hill, a student at Barker, the opportunity to go to the state tournament last year, a feat that his coach, Matt McCauley, said was, "Not an easy thing to do."

"It's been a good for the students," McCauley said. "There is not a lot of kids participating, but the ones that do, I'm glad they're there."

Maslowski said that besides the initial start-up, things have been working out well.

"Finding a place to practice was tough, though," she said.

Maslowski said that the students were bused from Barker at 3 p.m. to the Roy-Hart high school, along with members of the swim team who are also shared with the Roy-Hart district, then shuttled again to the Roy-Hart Elementary School to train in the gym, because the high school gym was already taken.

Even so, the expanded cheerleading team bumped an adult pilates class into the library, because they needed the space to practice pyramids and other formations.

While Maslowski has no experience in coaching — she's a fourth grade elementary school teacher — she did graduate from Royalton-Hartland and during her day she was on the cheer team and is loving the chance to help out. She also noted that the three cheerleaders from Barker are performing wonderfully and the entire team is calling her toddler, Lila, their "baby."

"We're going to get her a little cheerleader outfit," Maslowski said.

Athletic Director John Grzymala said that he believed that shared sports program would continue to be successful.

"It gives the kids the opportunity to play and compete," Grzymala said. "The friendships and connections they make will be something they carry on."