Falcons Fly High in Macy Parade
Article taken from The Portsmouth Daily Times, November 26, 2004
This week was an exciting time for several cheerleaders
in Scioto County who were among 600 cheerleaders and dancers nationwide
to
perfom in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.
Cheerleaders from Minford, Portsmouth, and Notre Dame performed in Harold's
Square during the famous parade.
"We went to cheerleading camp this summer and they gave us applications
to fill out," said Megan McGowan, a senior at Minford High School.
After they received confirmation that they were going to be in the parade,
the girls from Minford began having car washes, bake sales, selling cany bars,
and getting business donations to pay for the trip.
Greeting the girls at the airport was a stretch limousine to take them to
the Hilton in New York City where they stayed.
"They treated the cheerleaders like celebrities," said
Sarah McGraw, a senior at Minford.
The week was organized and planned by Mike Miller and Associates for Universal
Cheerleaders Association and Univeral Dancers Association.
The first item planned was an orientation at the hotel. Then practice started
right away.
"Unitl Monday, we practiced in America's Hall," McGowan said. "And
then in the Grand Ballroom in the Hilton Hotel."
On Monday, the girls rehearsed at Harold Square. The whole week was planned
for the girls, even taking in a Broadway show.
"There were a lot of celebrities at Harold Square when we were rehearsing,"
she said. "Broadway was phenomenal. We saw the show Booklyn."
The week was filled with special shows and sightseeing
throughout the city."Besides being in the parade,
I really enjoyed Radio City Music Hall and watching the Christmas Spectacular," said
Laura Tingler, a senior at Minford. "We got to go on a Big Apple city
tour and see different attractions around New York City. It was very exciting."
The girls had one day to shop at Macy' and had special dinners during the
week at Ellen's Stardust Diner and Plant Hollywood.
"Of course being in the parade and walking through with 2 1/2 million
people watching was exciting," said Sarah McGraw, a senior at Minford.
"But my favorite was the Broadway play. It's the first one I've ever
been to," Part of the tour included a trip to Ground Zero and going
to the top of the Empire State Building.
"We got to see Ground Zero and it was really sad to see all the people's
names on there," McGraw said.
Wednesday night the girls had dance class from a famous choreographer, Frank
Hatchett, from New York. Not many of the girls went, McGraw said, but the
girls from Minford wanted to go.
"It was a hip-hop jazzy dance, not like cheerleading at all but it was
really fun to take," she said.
The girls got up at 4:30 a.m. Thursday morning and hopped on a subway to go
to Central Park where the parade started. Line up for the parade began at
7 a.m. It ended at Macy's Department Store, a 2 1/2-mile parade route.
"I think the most exciting thing was performing
at Harold Square,"
McGowan said. "There was a lot of anticipation getting there." Thursday
night, the Hilton prepared a traditional Thanksgiving fare for the cheerleaders.
"One little girl asked for our autographs and we had our pictures taken
with them," McGowan said.
A stretch limousine picked the girls up from the hotel to take them back to
the airport this morning, leaving New York City in true celebrity style.
Editor's Note: The Times staff were unable to get interviews with Portsmouth and Notre Dame High School cheerleaders.