Tyrone High School junior Mercedes Miller had an opportunity of a lifetime over the holiday break. Miller traveled to London, England, to cheer in the annual London New Year’s Day Parade with her All-American Varsity Cheerleaders squad.

“I was really excited to perform, meet new friends, and see London. I got to see the sites, try new food, and ride the tube,” said Miller. “The time difference was weird because there is a five-hour difference, but it was a great experience.”

London’s January 1st parade is one of the largest New Year’s Day parades in the world.

The parade features more than ten thousand participants representing more than twenty countries and has been held every year since 1987.

“It was cool to see everyone videotaping and happy to see us as we walked by,” said Miller, “and the parade took us right past Big Ben.”

Miller and her team performed their routine for about two hours along the parade route that took them past many renowned London tourist attractions.

“While we were there we also got to tour the area and see sites in London. We got to go to the Tower of London and see Windsor Castle and where the Queen is buried,” said Miller.

The trip was the result of months of preparation and work. Miller saved money and conducted fundraisers throughout the year to help pay for the trip. She also had to spend time on her own learning the routine that the team would perform in London.

Because the members of the cheer team are from all across the country, Miller had to learn the dance from home on her own.

“The coaches sent out a video to all participants to learn, then when we arrived in London all of the cheerleaders had a large practice for only an hour and a half before the parade,” said Miller.

But according to Miller, all the girls on the team came prepared and despite the short amount of full-team practice time, the performance went well.

Miller was selected to be on the team at a Universal Cheer Association (UCA) camp that she and several of the TAHS cheerleaders attended.

To qualify for the team, Miller had to perform a chant, dance, and jump which were judged by a panel of coaches.

Miller was on the team with girls from around the country.  Some of the girls she cheered with were from South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.

The London trip was not the longest trip Miller has taken for cheer.  Last year as a sophomore she traveled to Hawaii. Her freshman year she went to Universal Studios in Florida and in eighth grade, she cheered in Philadelphia.

Miller has been an All-American Cheerleader for many years. Because of this, she has been able to travel around the world to cheer with help from her family, friends, and community donations.

“It was a fun experience to be able to cheer in the parade and have a big audience watch you,” said Miller.