It seemed for many years as if the once-proud Victoria High School colours had fallen into a gold and black hole.
But Vic High continues re-awakening the musty echoes of a sporting legacy that produced four sa国际传媒 high school boys鈥� basketball championships, World Cup soccer and rugby players such as Ian Bridge and Hans De Goede and all-rounders the likes of Super Bowl champion Mo Elewonibi.
It began earlier this season with Vic High鈥檚 first victory in seven years in what turned into a decent boys soccer season. It continues today when the Vic High Totems play their first game at the Island high school basketball championship in more than two decades.
This is a hoops team that folded midway through last season, and which even this season, can afford only one set of jerseys. At least they always get to be the home team, even on the road.
鈥淲e just want to put our school back on the map,鈥� said Tak Niketas, the Totems general manager and co-coach with John Cole.
鈥淲e are trying to show that Vic High is still here. There is lots of history and we are trying to recapture it. The Vic High Totems have crawled out from the dead and have turned it around. I love the underdog stuff.鈥�
It began when four of Niketas鈥� Lower Island semifinalist players from Central Junior High came to Vic High. As modest as that was, it was still a relatively good retention rate for a school that has seen numerous athletically talented neighbourhood kids siphoned off.
鈥淪tudents are able to attend schools other than their neighborhood schools pending capacity,鈥� explained Vic High principal Randi Falls.
But Vic High is fighting back against the drain.
鈥淲e are starting to get across the message to kids in our area: 鈥榃hy sit on the bench at another school when you can be a starter here?鈥� 鈥� said Niketas.
After a regular season hovering around .500, Vic High won two do-or-die playoff games against the Royal Bay Ravens and Stelly鈥檚 Stingers to advance to an Island tournament for the first time since 1994-95, when the team went on to place ninth in sa国际传媒
The Totems, a team with only Grade 11 and 10 players on the roster, take on the host Nanaimo District Islanders today in the triple-A championship as Island tournaments open from the single-A to the quadruple-A categories.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a long journey back for us,鈥� said principal Falls.
鈥淚t鈥檚 great. The energy is fabulous.鈥�
Niketas said after a picture of a Vic High game appeared in the sa国际传媒 last week mentioning the next game was a sudden-death play-in: 鈥淪ix Totems alumni came out to watch the game against Stelly鈥檚 鈥� I got goosebumps 鈥� they didn鈥檛 know we were even still around.鈥�
That started the ball rolling on those second set of road jerseys for next season.
鈥淲e鈥檝e raised $750 already,鈥� said Niketas, adding more is always welcome for a once-mighty program from the 1950s and 1960s looking to keep the momentum moving forward on its fledgling renaissance.
