Coached by CCVI English teacher Jeremy Harris, this is the first win for the team, which has been competing for over a decade. It's also the first win for the Guelph region since GCVI won in 2010.
"The team worked tremendously hard for this opportunity, putting in hundreds of hours over the course of the year to prepare," Harris says.
As defined by Backstage.com, improv is the art of "making things up on the spot," including characters, situations, songs, and even full scenes. Suggested scenarios usually come from the audience.
"I have been coaching the team for three years now and we have just grown so much as a team. When I first started, we were near the bottom of the league, so to have come so far so quickly is just an excellent testament to the talent and hard work they have demonstrated all year."
The Centennial Rogues competed against local teams from GCVI and John F. Ross CVI, as well as 11 other teams from schools across Southern Ontario, including Chatham, London, Kitchener, Owen Sound, and Niagara.
"Going from someone who had no idea that competitive improv was even a thing to someone competing at a National level blows me away every time I think about it," says Caroline, a Grade 9 student and CCVI team member. "I'm so glad to have made these friends and memories. It's just a blast."
"I would have never thought I would find such a community of hilarious friends who I could share such big moments with, laugh with, and cry with," Grade 10 team member Eva adds.
You can watch the team compete live in the first round of the finals on the Canadian Improv Games YouTube channel on April 16 at 7 p.m. If they do well and move on, they will compete again live on April 19 at 7 p.m.
"Going to Nationals is likely a once in a lifetime opportunity for these students and we are just so excited and grateful for the opportunity to learn and compete," Harris says.
