Morgan Blackwell Cheers in London
Remember Morgan Blackwell, the Jasper County High School cheerleader who was selected to participate in the London New Year’s Day parade.
Last year Morgan took a chance and entered a contest for cheerleaders across America for a chance to participate in this possibly “once in a lifetime” event. When Morgan received her letter of acceptance into the “Varsity Spirit” competition her adventure began.
The trip would cost several thousand dollars which she was responsible for providing, so the fund raising campaign began with a community wide call to action. The campaign was successful and Morgan was on her way to London during the Christmas break and would not return to Georgia until after New Year’s Day.
What an adventure this young lady was able to experience! With seven days in England, that many dream of visiting, she has memories that will last a lifetime.
“London was absolutely gorgeous!,” said Morgan. “The town was decorated so much more than I have seen in Georgia during Christmas! Even a mini town square that was spectacular! I could see Tower Bridge out of my hotel window and also the building where the crown jewels are kept.”
More than 650 high school cheerleaders and dancers from across the U.S. joined to represent “Varsity Spirit” in the world famous London New Year’s Day Parade. Morgan was among parade performers from all over the world.
The theme of this year’s parade was “Lights, Camera, Action” and paid homage to the wonders of film and television. Cheerleaders, dancers, marching bands, acrobats and more made up the 10,000 performers representing 20 countries worldwide in the 2017 parade. Established as one of London’s biggest events, the parade was seen by nearly 300 million people around the world.
In addition to cheering in the parade, the “All-Americans” were able to celebrate the holidays European style with a tour of London’s most historic sites during their week.
This was the 30th year that talented participants have been invited to London to showcase their skills to the international audience and tour the historic city.
“I had 195 cheerleaders in my group of 850 total in the cheer group and I made many lasting friendships. We will keep in touch and hopefully see each other again next year!,” said Morgan.
“There were a few other Georgia girls in my division and we are planning to visit each other’s homes over the summer. Even though we practiced our cheers together as a group, there was also time to tour, shop and ride the “Tube,” the London transit system and see a play. I loved being there and experience this huge opportunity but there is no place like home! I want to thank all the supporters that helped me be able to go. This trip would not have been possible without your help!”
