Uniontown cheerleaders travel to New York

Start spreading the news. They're leaving Saturday.

Ashley Feagins and Lauren Rockhold, two cheerleaders at Uniontown High School, plan to leave Saturday on a plane to travel to New York City to perform in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The two girls, who were chosen earlier this year as All-American Cheerleaders by the National Cheerleading Association, recently finished raising the remainder of the funds needed to make the trip and represent the area by performing in the 83rd annual parade.

Last month, the girls and their coaches met their goal of a little more than $7,300 needed for the four to travel to New York City for a week to participate in the parade, enjoy a tour of the city, see a Broadway show and the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular, and view the Empire State Building and several other famous New York City locations.

The girls will also have to spend time training and practicing before the parade, and have put in a lot of work since learning they would be able to participate in the event, according to Jenny Tourtillott, one of the girls' coaches.

"The girls practice five to six hours per day," Tourtillott said.

In a July story in the Tribune, both girls said they had never been to New York City. Tourtillott and Julie Weyer will be traveling with the girls as chaperones.

Tourtillott said the money was raised through community fundraisers the last several months, the most successful of which was a T-shirt sponsorship fundraiser that allowed area businesses to buy a spot on the T-shirt where the company's logo could be placed for advertising purposes. The girls then wore the shirts at least once every two weeks in the community.

Rockhold also represented the region last year as an All-American Cheerleader. She and fellow cheerleader Haley Melton represented UHS and the state by performing at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Fla. The duo were the first UHS students to participate in the All-American Cheerleader program.

Feagins and Rockhold will be part of a group of about 200-300 cheerleaders and dancers from across the United States who will open the parade when it begins about 8 a.m., Thursday. Rockhold and Feagins will be wearing white cheerleading uniforms that feature a red star on the front, Tourtillott said.

The group's travel package includes a dance class with a noted New York City choreographer and dancer, meals and lodging, parade costumes and uniforms, an instructional performance choreography DVD that participants must watch to learn the parade routines, a commemorative DVD of the event, and a metro pass for the New York City subway.

The total cost of the trip is about $7,356; $2,054 for each cheerleader and $1,624 per chaperone. In addition to fundraisers, area businesses, individuals and organizations donated money to help make the trip possible, Tourtillott said.

NBC has broadcast each parade since 1955.