That first-place finish was a first for the Fenwick squad, Fischer said.
Now the Falcons will receive new uniforms from the Universal Cheerleaders Association, be given choreographed routines to learn, then fly to Orlando.
The trip will culminated with a New Year’s Eve performance at the Citrus Bowl. Last year’s Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium drew 47,000 fans and a national TV audience.
The Falcons will perform with other high school cheerleaders throughout the country who also placed first at summer camps.
Fischer said there will enough cheerleaders to fill the entire football field.
She said 14 of the 19 Fenwick cheerleaders have elected to make the trip and they will be accompanied by two coaches and 11 adult chaperones.
The team is raising funds and parents of the cheerleaders have been extremely supportive and generous, said Fischer, in her eighth year as cheer coach.
The trip will include airline tickets, three-night hotel stay, tickets to Universal Studios and the Citrus Bowl.
Fischer said this was the first year Fenwick’s cheerleaders were permitted to perform stunts after the Ohio High School Athletic Association approved them for all cheerleaders in the state several years ago and Fenwick received approval this year from its administration.
The cheerleaders “rallied around this new challenge, new experience and our excitement was noticeable,” Fischer said. “They have been amazing.”
Anna Hough, a junior cheerleader, called performing with hundreds of other cheerleaders on a national stage a “big opportunity for us. It will allow us to show our dedication and how hard we have been working.”
While some people don’t consider cheerleaders athletes, Morgan Brock, a junior, said they’re as “dedicated as any team” and have practiced for several hours every week.
“We’re a big part of the school at Fenwick,” she said.
Senior Mia Scorti said she understands the Citrus Bowl will be one of her last high school cheerleading opportunities.
“It will be one of my final times in front of a crowd,” she said. “We’re super excited to perform.”
Fischer, a 1989 Fairfield High School graduate, has three children who graduated from Fenwick High. She thinks the success of the cheerleading team can be used as a recruiting tool for the school.
“We can show young girls we are an active, involved part of the community,” she said.
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