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Fruits of their labor
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The big moment arrived on Jan. 3, as the Fitch cheerleaders arrived at the home of the Orange Bowl, Sun Life Stadium, camera-ready in their custom costumes for their performance.
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The Fitch girls gathered on Dec. 29 to practice the dance moves they'll be showing to the world on Jan. 3.
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At the beginning of the Goo Goo Dolls song "Slide" that they'll be performing to, the Austintown cheerleaders get to pose to show off some of their personalities. To see the rest, of course, you'll have to watch the Orange Bowl halftime show.
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For thier Orange Bowl performance with the Goo Goo Dolls, the Fitch cheerleaders worked with famous choreographer Laurieann Gibson. After an intense pre-show practice, Gibson gathered with the Austintown girls.
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WYTV-33 talked to senior cheerleader Tori Koch, who shared that she is most excited to perform in front of a large audience.
By SARAH FOOR
If you turned off the television during halftime of Monday night’s Orange Bowl, you may have missed the highlight of the night.
The Austintown Fitch cheerleaders completed a trip of a lifetime by performing during the halftime show at Miami’s Orange Bowl. After two weeks of intense practice, learning moves to two Goo Goo Dolls, the team performed with 40 other squads from 25 states.
The cheerleaders worked under renown choreographer Lori Ann Gibson and were excited for the opportunity to perform on the big stage in front of a large television audience.
“Preparing to work with the famously tough choreographer, the girls are totally ready. They’re understandably nervous, but mostly excited to work with so many talented people,” said Fitch cheer adviser Chrissy Farr during the squad’s final practice on Dec. 29.
“My brother is a huge football fan, and always wanted to go to a big game. He says he can’t believe I get to go first,” said senior Danielle Driscoll.
The Fitch cheerleaders left for Miami on Dec. 30 and stayed five nights in Florida. All the teams participating received a New Year’s Eve party at their hotel, custom costumes for their performance, and a camera crew followed all the teams and provided a complimentary movie of their experiences.
Farr became the new cheerleading coach at Fitch in September and the squad has performed at some big events.
“The girls won a Kennywood competition before I began, and during my first week, the organizers of the Orange Bowl approached us to perform. Although we have a little help from the organizers, mostly, my first order of business for the team was to raise $15,000 for our trip.”
With a lot of support from Fitch students, parents and community organizations, the team met its goal after only two months of fundraising. Projects included a flag football tournament, jewelry sales, and T-shirt sales during spirit days at the other Austintown schools.