Kiana Hankins
Sugar Beet staff reporter
A total of 6,242 miles, 11 Garden City High School cheerleaders, one football game, one parade, one week at Disney World. In December, a group of cheerleaders from GCHS will travel to Orlando, Florida to perform at half time at the Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium.
“Every year when we go to cheer camp that’s through University of Central Arkansas (UCA). We have the opportunity to go on All-American trips,” Peyton Wessels, health senior, said. “My coach researched this trip for us. We get new uniforms to cheer in as well as spending a week at Disney World.”
The trip is $2,000 per cheerleader, and everyone has been doing fundraising such as enchilada sales, bake sales and selling Hatchet shirts. The group consists of seniors Taylor Sullivan, Peyton Wessels, Mariah Delarosa and Emma Sanchez; juniors Megan Allen, Samantha Rhodes, Kierstyn Hartman and Donna Tran and sophomore Jasmin Flores. Along with the UCA cheer camp, the team also attended the Colorado State University camp over the summer, which lead to this opportunity being presented. The cheerleaders will be performing with other groups from around the country.
“We’re going to get to meet new people, and I’m excited because I know some of my cheer friends from Arizona and Colorado will be there as well,” Jasmin Flores, health sophomore, said. “This is going to be something to help take our minds off school and reward us for all of our hard work.”
Another group of cheerleaders will be traveling much farther this winter. Of several cheerleaders who tried out for the All-American team, Taylor Newsome and Grace Reagle are part of an elite group who are going to be on their way to London to perform in the New Years’ Day parade. To try out, they had to do a jump, a cheer and a dance. The total cost for the trip is $3,500, which Newsome and Reagle have raised money for by selling “buckets of cheer,” spicy pretzels, puppy chow, Pizza Hut cards, as well as receiving donations and sponsorships from local businesses. The Varsity Cheer Company has a planned itinerary for the girls for five days, which includes sightseeing and tours the first four days and the parade on their last day in London.
“I’m most excited about meeting everyone in person,” Reagle, health junior, said. “I’ve become friends with a couple girls over social media, but I’m excited to finally get to meet them in person.”
The girls will be traveling over seas alone, in the sense that their families will not be going with them.
“It’s just me and Grace going from Garden City,” Newsome, health junior, said. “Our parents will drive us to the airport in Denver and then we will be the Varsity’s responsibility.”
Kiana Hankins is an arts and communications sophomore. You can reach her at hankinsk@student.gckschools.com.
Garden City High School 