From Nov. 29 through Dec. 2, Maria Evans, Katie Fitzgerald, Jaime Peters, Victoria Correia, and Julianna Higgins, were among the 1,400 high school cheerleaders and dancers, from across the country, to perform in the fourth annual Varsity Spirit Spectacular at Walt Disney World.
Having attended the Varsity Spirit summer camp, the five Cornwall High School students were invited to participate in the Spirit Spectacular where the girls got to parade down Main Street and perform a routine.
Co-captains Evans, Fitzgerald, and Peters have been varsity cheerleaders since eighth grade and have been selected as All-Americans the past two years. Higgins, and Correia began cheerleading as freshmen.
“It was a very fun trip and a memorable experience,” said Fitzgerald on behalf of herself and her cheermates.
About three weeks prior to the trip, the girls were given a routine to learn on their own via computer. They were required to perform it before a panel of three judges. The quintet practiced at each other’s houses and after school when they had the chance.
“It was not easy,” Fitzgerald said. “We struggled because there were two parts.”
The five split the parts and then taught each other the rest of the routine. Once in Florida, they were challenged by a last minute change in what they had to do.
Although they were scared about messing up, some last minute practice and positive reinforcement helped them succeed. Fitzgerald said a former staff member was watching and complimented them on their sharp motions.
“That gave us a lot of motivation to perform well.”
The judges rated every performance and their ranking determined where each girl would land in the procession. The young ladies from Cornwall scored spots in the 18th and 19th rows out of the 66 total.
In the two days prior to the parade, all 1,400 performers were split into two teams – Team Mickey and Team Minnie. The music was slowed to allow the instructors to correct or change any of the motions. It was a little messy at first, Fitzgerald said, but after hours of practice, the performers were able to clean up the routine.
Finally, the day came where they marched down Main Street before thousands of viewers.
“It was the most amazing feeling, especially seeing the little girls on the side just watching all the cheerleaders,” Fitzgerald said. “Their faces just lit up. The best part was putting a smile on someone’s face for the day.”
