Christmas dreams in London 

Christmas, the day of magical dreams--Santa Clause, figgy pudding, visions of sugar plums, and all that. But for two lucky Dripping Springs High School cheerleaders, their Christmas dream will take place after Christmas Day, and oh yes, in London England. But first, a little background.

Jocelyn Myers and Shelby Steur have been best friends since seventh grade. They have been cheering together that entire time, up through the ranks of DSISD, until finally there they are, varsity cheerleaders. 

For cheerleaders, training is just as important as it is for football, baseball, or any other athletic pursuit. It’s a year-round sport with well-run cheer camps and competitions that keep cheerleaders at the top of their game.

Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) is one of those organizations and runs the “largest cheerleading camp company in the world,” according to their website. 

Tryouts at the summer camp this year were held in Grapevine, Texas. Hundreds of cheerleaders competed against each other to see who would get the highest scores. High School seniors also competed to see who would participate at the holiday parades, usually the Macy’s parade. 

“At the end of cheer camp there were tryouts,” Jocelyn Myers said. “The [winning] seniors either get to go to New York or London for their New Years’ Day Parade.”

“Several hundred girls tried out that night and waited as they went through the scores. We were exhausted and tired from the meet,” Steur said. Finally, when the winners were announced, Myers and Steur learned they had filled two of the slots.

It all became real when the required paperwork arrived, first by email then by regular mail. 

“We had no clue it would be London, we thought it would be New York, but they changed it to London,” Myers said. They then had to learn a five-minute routine that they will perform at the parade. 

“We fly out three days after Christmas and fly overnight for seven days and come back the day after New Year’s,” Steur said. “We get to see Buckingham Palace and stay in the Tower Hotel. It’s supposed to be haunted.” The two Tiger cheerleaders will be busy the whole time.

“Every day there’s at least three tours we’ll be on,” Myers said. 

The girls have also been asked to be leaders for next year’s UCA parades, meaning they will be in charge of next year’s parade winners. But for now, their Christmas dream will be happening on December 26. 

“We will be visiting Buckingham Palace, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, along with several guided walking tours! Jocelyn and I are extremely grateful for this experience and can’t wait for the trip!” Steur said.

For the two Dripping Springs High School friends, this will not only be one Christmas dream shared, but a Christmas story told they will tell and re-tell, for many Christmases to come.