Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

WARNER HIGH SCHOOL CHEERLEADER

Date Range From

1950

Date Range To

1960

Materials

FELT, COTTON

No. Pieces

1

Height

0.3

Length

20.7

Width

8.5

Description

WHITE FELT CREST, WITH AN OFF-WHITE COTTON BACKING. CREST IS SHAPED LIKE A MEGAPHONE. THE OUTLINE OF A MEGAPHONE IS CUT OUT OF RED FELT AND SEWN ON TOP OF WHITE FELT. EMBROIDERED IN BLACK, ON ONE END IS "BASKETBALL". CUT OUT OF RED FELT AND SEWN INSIDE MEGAPHONE SHAPE IS "WHS CHEERLEADER". PATCH HAS A FEW LOOSE THREADS.

Subjects

PERSONAL SYMBOL

Historical Association

SPORTS

History

ITEMS OWNED BY ELAINE LIEBELT WHO ATTENDED WARNER HIGH SCHOOL IN THE LATE 1950S, GRADUATING IN 1960. EACH YEAR CRESTS WERE GIVEN TO TOP ATHLETE IN EVERY SPORT AT WARNER HIGH SCHOOL. DONOR WAS A CHEERLEADER FOR THE WARNER WARRIORS BASKETBALL TEAM FROM GRADE 9 TO 12. DURING JUNIOR AND SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL, ELAINE WAS VERY ACTIVE IN ALL ASPECTS OF SCHOOL LIFE. IT IS SAID THAT, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THURSDAY AFTER SCHOOL, ELAINE HAD SOME ACTIVITY EVERY NOON HOUR, AFTER SCHOOL AND EVENING. SHE PARTICIPATED IN BASKETBALL, VOLLEYBALL, TRACK AND FIELD, SCHOOL BAND (PLAYED TROMBONE) AND WAS A MAJORETTE AND CHEERLEADER. ELAINE ALSO STUDIED PIANO UNTIL GRADE 9 AND IN HIGH SCHOOL WAS YEARBOOK EDITOR AND WAS PART OF THE STUDENT COUNCIL. ELAINE ATTENDED THE PROVINCIAL RECREATION LEADER TRAINING SCHOOL IN 1958 AND 1959 SPONSORED BY THE WARNER COMMUNITY AND TAUGHT CLASSES IN THE COMMUNITY UNTIL SHE WENT TO UNIVERSITY. ELAINE PLAYED HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL FOR THE WARNER WARRIORETTES FROM THE TIME SHE WAS IN GRADE 8 AND ONCE IN HIGHSCHOOL, SHE COACHED THE WARNER JUNIOR HIGH GIRLS’ TEAM. AT THE GALT’S REQUEST IN APRIL 2010, DONOR ELAINE LIEBELT PROVIDED MORE DETAILS WITH REGARDS TO HER PERSONAL OWNERSHIP OF THE PATCH/CREST AND RELATED OBJECTS P20010047048-55. THE NARRATIVE BELOW IS IN HER OWN WORDS. FOR A COPY OF THE ORIGINAL EMAIL, PLEASE SEE THE PERMANENT FILE. *** “THE WARNER CHEERLEADING SQUAD WAS COMPOSED OF TWO GROUPS. ONE GROUP CHEERED FOR THE GIRLS’ GAMES AND ANOTHER GROUP CHEERED FOR THE BOYS’ GAMES. BECAUSE I PLAYED GIRLS’ BASKETBALL, I COULD ONLY BE A CHEERLEADER FOR THE BOYS’ TEAM. GIRL’S GAMES WERE PLAYED FIRST SO I, ALONG WITH OTHER BASKETBALL PLAYERS, WOULD QUICKLY CHANGE FROM BASKETBALL UNIFORMS TO CHEERLEADING UNIFORMS AND HEAD OUT TO THE FLOOR TO SUPPORT THE BOYS’ TEAM. I RECALL THAT MOST OF THE SCHOOLS HAD THE SAME ARRANGEMENTS. THE CHEERLEADERS FOR THE GIRLS’ GAMES WERE JUST A TOKEN, AND THE REAL CHEERLEADING HAPPENED AT THE BOY’S GAMES. (AFTER ALL, WASN’T THAT THE BEST WAY TO IMPRESS THE BOYS?). WHEN I WENT OFF TO U OF C IT WAS FAR MORE “COOL” TO BE A CHEERLEADER THAN IT WAS TO BE A BASKETBALL PLAYER SO THAT WAS ONE OF THE REASONS I CONTINUED TO BE A CHEERLEADER. WHEN I FIRST ARRIVED AT U OF C I MET UP WITH A WOMAN, MARILYN MCALLISTER/BALDERSTON, WHO HAD ATTENDED SCHOOL IN WARNER FOR A TIME AND SHE WAS ALSO A CHEERLEADER. THAT PROBABLY INFLUENCED MY DECISION TO JOIN THE SQUAD IN CALGARY.” ***

Catalogue Number

P20010047052

Acquisition Date

2001-12

Collection

Museum

Less detail