The senior Southern Belles made their way to New York City the week of November 19 to have the opportunity to perform in the “Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade”. The Spirit of America Productions Company puts on the event with hundreds of high school dancers across the country performing together during the parade. The team put in long hours of time and effort in preparation for the trip, including holding many fundraisers and practicing the routine weeks in advance.

“We were sent a video of the choreography from the company that puts it on and we had practices here [Southside] to learn the dance. We did a lot of fundraising starting back in May of this past year. So we were fundraising all the way up until when we went,” captain Emma Hunter said.

While in New York, the girls spent time visiting many tourist attractions, including the Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, and attending a Broadway musical. All of these activities combined with the parade itself made for an unforgettable experience.

“New York was amazing! It truly was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to dance on national television with my teammates,” Caitlin Dart said.

Overall, this special experience allowed for friendships to grow and the Belles to learn more about themselves as athletes and people.

“We got to know each other a lot better and shared a room together. We had so many long rehearsals and hard times while we were there because it took a lot out of us endurance-wise and it was physically challenging. Going through all of that with them brought us closer together and we had a ton of fun experiences,” Hunter said.