Cheerleaders earn All-American

Three CFHS cheerleaders recently returned from Disney World in Florida

Three Cedar Falls students recently got the chance to head down to Florida to cheer in the Christmas Day parade broadcasted on ABC.

Seniors Kelly Kagy and Kaitlyn Morris and junior Haley Alexander were three of the 600 cheerleaders around the United States that got to experience this. Each of the girls were on the All American team, which let them be able to go on this trip.

The girls headed down to Orlando on Thursday, Dec. 5 and had practice that day. They had a free day to do whatever they wanted on Friday. The parade was Saturday, and they performed in front of the castle at Magic Kingdom and got to have breakfast with all the Disney characters. The girls all agreed that the performance was very fun and something that they will never forget but, “it was really hot in our longsleeves,” Alexander said.

Then they had a free day on Sunday and headed back to Cedar Falls on Monday. Although the girls traveled to Florida to cheer in the parade, they also got to do other activities. They received a free three-day pass to Disney World, and they went to the beach. “My favorite part about the trip was meeting so many girls and making friends and performing in Magic Kingdom. It will be something I’ll never forget,” Morris said.

To make the All American team the cheerleaders must try out during a certain cheer camp in the summer. To make the team in tryouts, they must have a loud cheerful voice, sharp motions and clean jumps. In the tryouts, the three cheerleaders had to do a toe touch, a double jump of their choice, some tumbling if they wanted some extra points and a cheer at the end.

The judges only pick a selective few people to make the All American team. This year was Morris’ fifth year being on the All American team, making it or being nominated every year since eighth grade. Kagy has been nominated for the All American team a couple of times. Alexander has also been nominated for the team several times.

For Morris and Kagy this was their last year to have a chance at being on the All American team. “It meant a lot to me because this is my last year, and I have never gone on the All American trips before. If I didn’t have these two girls, I wouldn’t have wanted to go. These girls make the magic in Disney World,” Kagy said.