Pasco's cheer squad has emphasized the positive for several years, said Raebel, one of the speakers at the sportsmanship workshop. The Bulldogs cheer their own while ignoring their opponents, she said. Kamiakin similarly focuses its attention on its team rather than its opponents. The theme is we support the team. Qualheim declined to detail specific incidents but said Richland was as guilty as any when it came to taunting opponents.
Cheerleaders play a big role in setting the tone among fans.
At Richland High, members of the cheer squad can remember abuse too offensive to repeat, as well as times when fans showered them with ice cubes, hair brushes and even soft drinks. It's toned down in the past year, said Laurie Robertson, a junior. I think our fans are more supportive. Richland ended the school week with an assembly to reinforce the new sports code - and the result was an exceptionally large turnout for the Kamiakin game that night. Still, the cheerleaders say not everyone is thrilled by the crackdown.