It’s going to be a different Thanksgiving Day for Pojoaque High School cheerleaders Carmelita Roybal, Shenisha Espinoza and Megan Lopez. Instead of sitting down to a family dinner, they’ll be performing in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Nov. 26 in New York City.
The three cheerleaders, all captains on the Pojoaque cheerleading team, were selected in September to participate by the Universal Cheerleaders Association to be in the Association’s performance in the Parade. They attended the Association’s Summer Camp this year and then submitted their paperwork to participate.
“That’s like a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Roybal said.
Lopez and Espinoza, both juniors, left Nov. 20 and senior Roybal Nov. 21 for New York City. There will be rehearsals all week leading up to the performance. They will spend a total of six nights in New York.
“The night before the performance we’ll be going to the site for NBC so they can set their cameras and figure out the angles,” Roybal said. “We’ll practice all week.”
The trip cost the trio $1,500 plus airfare. It will include a tour of New York, a performance by the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall, a performance of “The Lion King” on Broadway, ice skating at Rockefeller Center and dinner at Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill restaurant. Flay was involved in a “Throwdown” with the Buckhorn Café in San Antonio, N.M., on the Food Channel to see who made the best green chile cheeseburger.
“I think it’s a great experience,” Pojoaque cheerleading coach Gwen Romero said. “They’re captains, team leaders and have never let me down.”
Roybal has been cheering since she was in fourth grade and Lopez since fifth grade. Espinoza took up cheering in the seventh grade. They like the experience of being close to the game as a cheerleaders.
“You’re in the action,” Esquibel said. “Up front where everything’s going on.”
Roybal is the daughter of Ymelda and Lenny Roybal, of Cuarteles. Ymelda will accompany her daughter to New York, along with grandmother Nancy Trujillo. Lenny Roybal is the former boys basketball coach at Española Valley High School and presently coaches Santa Fe High School’s boys basketball team. He will not be able to accompany his daughter to New York.
“It’s kinda sad to be away from my dad,” she said.
Esquibel’s parents Deidre and Larry, of Arroyo Seco, will be accompanying her to New York. Lopez’s parents Leo and Tanya, of Santa Cruz, will not be making the trip, so she’ll travel with Esquibel’s family.
All three cheerleaders mentioned shopping as one of the things they are looking forward to doing while visiting New York.
“The shopping, the experience of getting to see a beautiful city, ice skating,” Lopez said. “I was excited when I found out I’d been accepted to participate.”