Redwood Cheerleaders March Their Way To Fame At London’s New Year’s Day Parade

Redwood Cheerleaders participate in London’s New Year’s Day Parade, sharing their experience of international performance and dedication.

By: Solomon Burciaga

The cold, wintery month, filled with fresh snow falling, and colorful lights glistening across every house and street. In its 31 days, it gives students a much-needed break. It’s home to holidays of varying religions, and of course, it is the month that celebrates the New Year. 

People spend this time participating in different traditions, such as eating grapes under a table for luck. Some make and hang ornaments, while others even travel. The occasional person makes the most of their break and spends their time changing their life for the better. 

 A handful of talented girls at Redwood spent their December pursuing the opportunity of a lifetime.

Over Christmas break, a group of five Redwood Cheerleaders participated in the London New Year’s Day Parade. These girls were Mia Trevino ‘25, Jessica Rubio ‘24, Maelani Herrera ‘24, Kandice Bernal ‘24, and Carly Jensen ‘24.

Every summer the National Cheerleading Association (NCA) hosts cheer camps during the summer that welcome any cheer teams. 

From this, a select few are chosen for the All American Team. Once the team has been established, the girls are then presented with opportunities to travel the world to perform.

An opportunity presented to the Redwood girls was participating in the New Year’s Day Parade in London.

Carly Jensen, ‘24, a four-year cheer member, shares her experience performing in London. She says, “I have never been to a foreign country before and I got to meet other All Americans.”

Jensen describes feeling nervous about the performance and says, “We were gonna be on TV but thankfully the staff prepared us enough…it’s kinda neat I got to see myself on TV.” 

Christine Jensen, Carly Jensen’s mother, was fortunately able to attend the trip. She says, “Watching Carly during the parade was amazing! It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime moment and me and her sister were so happy to experience it with her.”

“Watching Carly cheer these past four years has been filled with many wonderful memories that I never imagined I would have as a parent,” says Christine Jensen.

She adds that she was surprised about the invitation to perform in London, as she originally was unaware Carly even tried out for All American. She says that it made sense as “Carly always gives her best at whatever she sets her heart to.”

Kandice Bernal, ‘24, another four-year cheer member, described the experience as “eye-opening,” and shared, “ I don’t really know what I expected, I was excited.”

Last year Bernal made All American as well, but unfortunately was not able to attend the special event that year due to certain circumstances. She says, “I finally got to go.”

Bernal shares that her biggest personal challenge isn’t the performance itself, but the mental preparation before the performance.

As for her biggest inspiration Bernal says, “looking back at my younger self, because I’ve always been in cheer. My younger self pushes me.”

Isis Lopez, ‘03, Bernal’s mother, shares that Bernal has been a Ranger cheerleader ever since she was four years old, participating in Redwoods mini cheer camps. She shares her pride for her daughter as Kandice has made the Varsity team all 4 years of high school. 

 “We knew that’s what she had worked for forever,” shares Lopez.

Being an ocean away from home is more than enough to make any parent anxious. Prior to the trip Lopez said, “We are beyond nervous but Kandice is such a smart girl, we know she will be safe.” 

Maelani Herrera, ‘24, one of this year’s varsity co-captains, describes the process of performing as a bit challenging. The girls were sent the choreography by video and had to prepare on their own beforehand. She says, “We had a day to practice [with the other cheerleaders] and then performance day.”

 “My biggest motivation is to impress my family, I want to make sure my family is proud,” says Herrera.

She gives a piece of advice for anyone anxious about considering trying out for a team. “If you want to do cheer just go for it, it’s just a thing you got to go for, you’ll learn a lot”

Yvette Wright is one of the cheer coaches this year, who also attended the trip. Wright began her journey as a cheer coach this season as the opportunity was presented by last year’s principal, Dr. Richards. 

Wright not only coaches but is simultaneously building her skills with kids, so she can apply them in the counseling department. She describes initially being nervous about taking over the role but luckily she embraced it and ended up falling in love with coaching. 

She says “I felt that taking this opportunity would help me better my skills when working with kids and could also help the program that was in need” and adds “I decided to take a risk and say yes, and I am very grateful I did.”

She shares that watching the girls perform made her feel surreal and a little emotional. She was ecstatic that she was able to see them do what they love and make new memories with them. 

The girls also displayed admirable dedication, as Wright describes them helping each other with the routines and even practicing in the hotel’s hallways. She says “I think they did an amazing job, I could not have asked for anything more out of them”.

Four out of the five girls are seniors who will soon graduate. Wright expresses feelings particularly close to this year’s seniors as they are her first group. She shares that they will always have a special place in her heart.

“I wish I could keep them for just a little while longer, but I know they are going to achieve amazing things, and I cannot wait to be their cheerleader as their journeys unfold.”

Tags: features, redwood cheer, redwood gigantea, redwood high school, redwood journalism, redwood rangers, redwood sports, rhs, Solomon burciaga