All-Americans participate in New Year’s Day Parade

NORWICH – With the help of the small town community members, three Norwich cheerleaders – Katie Doliver, Mya Loughren and Amber Tierney – were able to take a trip “across the pond” and participate in the London New Year’s Day Parade.
In August, the Norwich High School cheerleaders attended a 3-day Universal Cheerleading Association (UCA) summer camp, in Brant Lake, NY. During this camp, cheerleaders were invited to try out to be an All-American Cheerleader.
In front of all their camp peers (approximately 200 cheerleaders, coaches and UCA staff), the girls trying out had to perform a jump, cheer and dance routine. They were judged by UCA staff and approximately 20 of the girls were deemed All-Americans.
Seniors Doliver and Loughren along with junior Tierney and eighth Grader Natalie Parry were among those 20 who tried out and were all awarded the All-American honor.
With this award, the three upperclassmen were given the opportunity to travel to London and participate in a week-long trip full of sightseeing, bonding with cheerleaders from across the US, and the highlight of the trip – performing in the London New Year’s Day Parade.
The trio of Norwich cheerleaders all decided that they would like to try and fund raise the money in order to take part in the trip. Over several short months, the girls, along with the strong support of their families, the Norwich Cheerleading Booster Club and community supporters, raised the funds needed to take the trip across the Atlantic Ocean.
Norwich Cheerleading Head Coach Marie DeSarro also decided on making the trip to support her cheerleaders.
“Being nominated as an UCA All-American Cheerleader was a true honor,” said Loughren. “I had tried out three times before I was chosen so I feel my hard work and dedication to the sport had paid off.”
On December 26, the girls and and Coach DeSarro started their week-long trip with a drive from Norwich to the Newark International Airport for what was an eight-hour, overnight flight to England. “None of the girls had ever traveled abroad, so the trip was both exciting and nerve-wracking for them,” said DeSarro.
Prior to the flight, the four met up over 50 other All-American’s and their families at the gate that were also traveling from New Jersey.
“My favorite memory from the London trip was when I was talking to one of the girls I met on the trip about the “Friends” episode we had both watched,” said Tierney. “One of the characters says ‘London Baby!’ so every time I saw my new friend on the trip, I would say that to her.”
For the next week, the trio of cheerleaders and their coach enjoyed the company of an amazing group of cheerleaders, some with their families, some without.
“On our first day we found ourselves recovering from jet lag but excited to get the week started,” said DeSarro. The Norwich ladies stayed close to the hotel area but experience some of the many Christmas festivals nearby.
On their second day of touring, the Norwich ladies boarded a coach and took a day-long tour around Windsor Castle to see how the royals live in England. “What an amazing structure and such beautiful rooms with so much history,” said DeSarro.
Later that evening were treated to an amazing show, seeing “Wicked” in the West End theatre district.
One of the days, the group took a day-long coach ride to some of the sites around the city with the first stop being at Buckingham Palace. There, the group watched the famous changing of the guards. DeSarro said their tour guide on the bus pointed out many other famous London sites, such as Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abby, and St. Paul’s Cathedral. The group also had free time to explore the Victoria and Albert Museum, which is the world’s largest museum of decorative arts and design.
“The Varsity London trip was the most amazing experience I’ve had in my life so far,” said Tierney. “Noticing how different things were there to what we were used to here, it was definitely awesome to see. Everywhere we went, things were built so beautifully you could look at it for hours.”
With their two days of free time with our groups as well, the Norwich cheerleaders and Coach DeSarro were given day-long passes to tour the city using their tube system (England’s term for the subway).
During their first available free day, the four ladies visited the London Eye and DeSarrao stated it gave them “a beautiful birds-eye view of the city of London.” They also stopped by the first-ever Hard Rock Café and visited the London Science Museum.
On another free day, DeSarro and the Norwich upperclassmen visited Oxford Circus – one of the most famous shopping districts in the city of London – where they took in some street theater and shopping at Covent Garden. “The highlight [of the trip to the Oxford Circus] was trying macaroons from Harrods,” said DeSarro.
The highlight of the trip for the All-Americans performing in the London New Years Day Parade.
The three girls were a part of the “Dancing In The Streets” performance, one of three groups from Varsity Spirit that were performing in the parade. There were over 800 All-American cheerleaders that traveled as a part of this group from the United States.
With over one million viewers of the parade on the streets of London, as well as 3 million viewers across the country watching on TV and the internet, the All Americans were one of the favorites during the parade.
“Performing in the parade gave me such a happy feeling and reminded me of how lucky I was to be given this opportunity,” said Tierney. “It was great that I was able to share it with my teammates and coach.”
“I was so excited to represent Norwich High School in the London New Year’s Day parade as well,” Doliver added. “The London trip gave me great insight as to how much opportunity cheerleading has, in the US and in other countries as well.
“This trip inspired me to try new things and sort of jump out of my comfort zone a little bit too. We were able to see so many famous tourist attractions and do so many fun things that really opened my eyes to see that I definitely want to do some traveling in the future. London was an amazing experience for me and the other All-American Cheerleaders and I encourage others to try out for it as well.”
After the parade, the girls and their coach spent our final night in London picking up souvenirs and eating out one more time. “We spent the night in the hotel packing our items and trying to make our suitcases close with all our memories,” DeSarro said.
The next morning, the group boarded the coaches one last time to make the trip back across the pond to New Jersey.
“I am so grateful I had the opportunity to experience something as amazing as this trip,” said Doliver. “I have always wanted to travel and see the world and this trip was only the beginning of my traveling. I want to thank everyone who made this trip possible, especially the Norwich HS Cheerleading Boosters and my family. Also, a special thank you to the Eric Peptis Memorial Scholarship, the Sons and Daughters of the American Legion Post 189, and the Norwich community for making this trip possible.”
“Getting to have the opportunity to go overseas to participate in something I love was truly amazing and was such a great experience,” Loughren said. “To be able to tour one of the biggest cities in the world was great, but the people I met while I was there was even better. It was all around a great experience and I would do it again if I could.”
Doliver, Loughren and Tierney could not be more thankful for the opportunity to travel and experience this great trip while being able to represent the Norwich cheerleading program, making the Norwich community proud while in London.
“We wanted to take this opportunity to not only share our story,” said DeSarro, “but to thank everyone that helped to make it possible: The Norwich HS Cheerleading Boosters and Parents, Mark and Lesa Babcock, James Browning, Mindy Chawgo, Lynne Robertson, John and Kathy DeSarro, Ellen Loughren, Jolene Doliver, Deborah Myers, Harold Coleman, Melissa Supensky, Julie Talbolt, Sandy Rice, Issac McKown, Mrs. Alexander, Dinnette Moore, Nina’s Pizzeria and Restaurant, Park Place Restaurant, The Stadium Restaurant, Dunkin’, Price Chopper, Becky’s Diner, Clark and Sons Poultry, Nickels Redemption Center, Nazzitto’s Wines and Liquors, Maiurano’s Flower Shop and Greenhouse, Subway Restaurant, New York Pizzeria and Restaurant as well as everyone who donated bottles and cans, bought 50/50 raffle tickets, came to our booth at Saturday’s in the Park, Chicken BBQ, Give Back Nights or who gave a donation at the concession stands.
“Katie, Mya and Amber thank you from the bottom of their hearts. They would have never been able to take advantage of this opportunity without the amazing support of the Norwich community. Thank you and Go Tornados.”