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Local cheerleaders invited to London New Year's Day parade Ally Ryan, left, of North Medford High School, and Maegan Farly from Phoenix High School will march Monday in the London New Year's Day parade. [Mail Tribune / Jamie Lusch] Saturday Dec 30, 2017 at 12:01 AM Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune If any Rogue Valley cheer fans are part of the estimated 300 million people tuned in Monday for the world-famous London New Year’s Day Parade, there’s a chance they’ll see a familiar face or two. A pair of Rogue Valley cheerleaders are in London preparing to represent Southern Oregon as part of an annual trek by some 650-plus cheerleaders who perform each year with the national Varsity Spirit organization. Ally Ryan from North Medford High School and Phoenix High School’s Maegan Farley, who usually perform from opposing schools, will sport the same colors for a performance both said would highlight their senior year. The parade can be seen online at http://lnydp.com. Individuals are invited to perform in the parade after being selected as an All-American at a summer camp hosted by one of the Varsity Spirit camp brands, which include Universal Cheerleaders Association, Universal Dance Association, National Cheerleaders Association, National Dance Alliance and United Spirit Association. All-Americans are selected to try out based on cheerleading, dancing and leadership skills during the camps, with a small percentage of the more than 325,000 cheerleaders and dancers who attend the 5,000 Varsity Spirit summer camp sessions being chosen to march in the New Year’s Day event. Ryan and Farley have cheered since they were 4 years old, and they cheered at the varsity level all four years of their high school careers. Ryan, 17, is performing in the parade for the second time. A cheer co-captain for the North Medford High Black Tornado, the teen was selected this past summer as an All-American at the NCA Get Shocked Cheer camp at the University of Oregon. Only the top cheerleaders across the country are selected and have the opportunity to participate in the New Year’s event, which began in 1987. Ryan said she was excited for a return trip. “My first time going to Europe, I’d never been anywhere that far away from Oregon. I’ve been to Canada and Mexico but never so far away. Since me and my mom went two years ago, and my mom is going with me again, we kind of know what we liked last time and what we kind of missed out on or what we wished we had more time with,” Ryan said, noting her affection for all things European and the British royal family. “We get free days when we’re there, so we’re pretty planned out. I’m mostly excited to go to Westminster Abby and Buckingham Palace. … We also get to see the play, ‘Wicker,’ so that’s pretty exciting, too.” Ryan’s roommate for the event, Farley, also 17, will be performing in the event for the first time, although she’s qualified as an All-American, eligible for the parade, all four years of high school. Named top All-American cheerleader during her camp this summer, Farley said the trip is a “dream come true” and the best capstone for her final year as a Phoenix Pirate. “I have worked so hard to make this possible. I have qualified many times for this trip, but I was not allowed to go until I became Top All-American at my camp over the summer,” said Farley. “This trip and Top All-American were two dreams come true.” All told, Ryan and Farley will be among 10,000 to perform in the annual parade, themed “Showtime!” this year, celebrating the “greatest shows on Earth” and featuring cheerleaders, dancers, marching bands, acrobats from 20 countries. — Reach freelance writer Buffy Pollock at [email protected].