VARSITY SPIRIT
Laney Smith, a freshman at Lone Peak High School, is one of more than 650 high school cheerleaders and dancers from across the U.S. who will be performing in the London New Year’s Day Parade.
The individuals invited to perform in the parade qualified for the trip after being selected as an All-American at a summer camp hosted by one of the Varsity Spirit camp brands.
All-Americans are selected to try out based on superior cheerleading, dancing and leadership skills at camps across the country. Only the top 10 percent of the more than 325,000 cheerleaders and dancers who attend the Varsity Spirit summer camp sessions earn the chance to march in the holiday parade.
Laney will be among parade performers from all over the world. The theme of this year’s parade is “ShowTime!” and is left open to each troupe’s interpretation. There will be 10,000 cheerleaders, dancers, marching bands, acrobats and performers representing 20 countries worldwide in the 2018 parade.
One of London’s biggest annual events, the parade is seen by nearly 300 million people around the world. In addition to cheering in the parade, All-Americans will have the chance to tour some of London’s most historic sites during their seven-day stay.
“I am most looking forward to meeting all of the other cheerleaders that are going to be in London with me,” Laney said. “I am most excited about that because the cheerleaders are from all over the country and it will be very interesting to meet cheerleaders that have had a totally different high school cheer experience. I am really honored to be named an All-American because so few girls that try out are named and this name shows the hard work that cheerleaders have put into cheering.”
“This is the 30th year we’ve been able to bring these talented cheerleaders and dancers to London, where they can showcase their skills to a very enthusiastic international audience, and explore the rich cultural heritage of this great city,” said Mike Fultz, international event coordinator for Varsity Spirit.
