The Carihi gym was full of Tyee spirit last Tuesday morning (Feb. 16) during Carihi’s annual pep rally.
The crowd was a sea of blue, yellow, white and green as students dressed in their grade colours and cheered on their peers in grade-to-grade competitions. Students up for the challenge were able to take part in a pudding-eating contest, a dance-off, a relay race and a good old-fashioned tug of war. All just for fun, of course.
The fun continued as former Carihi grads were invited to dust off their sneakers and participate in a student-versus-alumni basketball game — the main event of last Tuesday’s pep rally. The game was organized as a way of incorporating Carihi’s 50th anniversary — the school's big 2016 milestone — into the event.
Team Alumni played against a team of students from the current junior and senior basketball teams. Although for many it had been awhile since they had played on the Carihi court, the former Tyees brought their A game. The two teams were evenly matched, which made for an exciting game.
For Jasbir Bains, it had been over 30 years since he had played on the Carihi gym floor.
“I graduated in 1978,” Bains shared. “Most of my alumni teammates probably weren’t even born then.”
Bains was the oldest graduate playing on the Carihi alumni team, but he certainly didn’t show it. He ran up and down the court, passing and shooting with zeal. He played well alongside younger graduates who represented classes as recent as 2015.
Bains recalled what it was like as a Carihi student playing basketball in his youth.
“In 1978, Campbell River wasn’t that big," he said. "The most exciting thing in the wintertime was basketball. That was the main event in Campbell River. Every game was how it was [at the pep rally]. The bleachers would be full! We used to run out of the boy’s change room and the floor would be lined with cheerleaders. Everyone in the crowd would be shouting and doing cheers. The atmosphere [last week] was just like going back in time.”
Bains’ daughter, Sarah, is a Grade 11 student at Carihi and was a player on the student team. She shot an impressive three-pointer during the game, making her dad proud.
She commented on what it was like to play against him: “It’s really cool because he played for Carihi and now I play for Carihi and I’m following in his footsteps. It was pretty informal, since it was just a pep rally game. There was still a little bit of competition between us."
"We practise together and he’s taught me all I know about basketball,” she added. “He was also really entertaining to watch. He went out there and just didn’t take it too serious. His goal was for everyone in the crowd and on the court to have a good time. It was a really fun, lighthearted game”
A 29-29 tie after four quarters caused the crowd to chant for a Bains-versus-Bains shootout.
“It was very touching that her and I were able to do that,” the elder Bains said. “How often are you going to get that moment?”
The game ended in an alumni win, but at the end of the day, it was all about having fun.
“I really enjoyed [the pep rally]," said Jasbir Bains. “It promotes school spirit, which is really important, and brings people together.”