On December 31, two Senior competition cheer members from Colton High Dexia Casillas and Genesis Delgadillo went on a trip to Rome to perform in the London New Years Day Parade, which was hosted by Varsity Spirit.

The girls received the honor of attending the parade in Rome from their selection as All-American cheerleaders at a USA Varsity cheer camp. In order to qualify, cheer students go against other teams and do their best to max out their scores at camp. 

The girls were recognized for outstanding qualities: leadership, skill, and spirit.

Colton High has sent their cheer students on similar trips. For one, students have been invited out to Paris before, but for Colton High, this trip allowed for the Colton Yellowjackets to expand their name, making themselves known internationally

Performance

During the performance in the parade, the audience was excited and expressed their gratitude for showing up. They would ask where the cheerleaders were from, being as welcoming as possible. The girls expressed their enjoyment seeing the excitement on the towns peoples faces.

Casillas said, “Traveling abroad for cheerleading means a lot because it’s a chance to represent our school on a global stage while doing what we love.”

Flight experience

The girls left for their flight on December 29, and although being excited for the parade their experience on the flight was not as great as the trip. The seats were compact, and it was the longest flight the girls went, which was 20 hours. After departing from their flight, they found out Genesis’s luggage had been sent to Rome, while they were stuck in Switzerland for a full 24 hours; Their flight had been delayed.

Overall stay

Although the flight was not great, both girls still had a fun time performing and viewing the architecture, which to them was stunning; however, they could not take many photos out of respect for the religion in the area.

The food in the area was rather expensive, along with high wait times to be served and fed. To them, the pace felt slower in comparison to the U.S which tends to be fast-paced.

During their stay at a hotel in Rome, they also had personal items stolen while taking a tour around the city. 

The girls worked hard for everything they got to experience, having the opportunity to represent Colton High on an international level was a big thing for them. Casillas said, “It’s not just about the competition, it’s about sharing our school spirit and passion for cheerleading with the world.”