REGINA, Sask. — Carol Gay Bell, who founded the Roughriders cheerleading program in 1961, was inducted as an honorary member of the Canadian Football Cheerleaders Alumni Organization (CFCAO) on Oct. 18, as the program celebrated its 65th anniversary.
During Saturday’s Roughriders game, past and current cheerleading squad members were on the field to honour the women who built the tradition.
“We honour our own and the legacy and the women who built professional cheerleading in the CFL,” said Linda Allen-Hardisty, Saskatchewan co-director of the CFCAO, during an interview with Harvard Media’s Teagan Witko on the SportsCage.
“If it weren’t for Carol and everything she started, I don’t know what things would look like right now,” Allen-Hardisty said.
From eight cheerleaders to a lasting tradition
The Roughriders asked Bell to assemble a cheerleading squad for a 1961 pep rally at the Regina Armoury to welcome new head coach Steve Owen. About 2,800 fans attended.
The initial group of eight women wore green sweaters bearing an “R” and made their own accessories to sell to fans. The positive response led to performances at regular-season games at Taylor Field. Bell eventually grew the squad to 24 members and directed it for 17 years, until 1978.
The anniversary brought alumni back together with the current team. Stacey Schewaga, the CFCAO’s other Saskatchewan co-director, said a group of former cheerleaders took part in Saturday’s on-field performance.
“There’s 42 alum that will be performing with the current cheer team,” Schewaga said during the SportsCage interview. “So everyone will get their time in each quarter. So we’re really excited to be able to do that this year.”
Allen-Hardisty said the organization, founded in 2018, is working to reconnect former CFL cheerleaders and find ways to give back.
“We are starting to do those connections and gatherings and find different ways to get back,” she said.
A legacy beyond football
Bell’s influence extends beyond the Roughriders. She broke barriers in Canadian broadcasting, becoming the country’s first female jazz disc jockey and the first female staff announcer for CBC radio and television. She also became the first female producer and director of musical variety programming on CBC TV.
In 1980, she founded Saskatchewan Express, a touring musical revue that has trained young performers and showcased Saskatchewan talent.
Her contributions earned her the Saskatchewan Order of Merit in 1997 and appointment to the Order of Canada in 2007.
The Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame is marking the cheerleading program’s anniversary with More Than Pompoms, The Story of Rider Cheerleading.
-With files from SportCage.com.
