It was a moment fit for the Magic Kingdom.
Performing in a parade five days before Thanksgiving, Allysha Anderson turned down Main Street at Disney World’s most well-known park beneath a towering Christmas tree. Amid the cacophony of holiday dance music on a loop and thousands of parkgoers cheering from the sidewalks, a voice caught her ear.
“I’m marching, I’m doing it, I’m singing to the music, and I hear my mom,” Anderson, a Poughkeepsie High School senior cheerleader said. “And she’s like ‘Go Allysha! Go, go, go!’ And then I hear everyone else on the sideline yelling my name. I almost started crying. I couldn’t believe I was there.”
Anderson earned her spot in the Varsity Spirit Spectacular after making All-American status at the Universal Cheerleaders Association Trails End Cheerleading Camp the Pioneers attended in August. She and her family spent the week of Thanksgiving in Orlando, Florida, after she cheered in the parade with dozens of others from around the country on Nov. 23.
“It went well,” she said. “It was really fun. One thing I was sad about is, it went by really quickly. As soon as I started marching, next thing I know I’m at the end of the Magic Kingdom.”
Anderson was also named the school’s Athlete of the Month for November, given her accomplishment qualifying and representation of the school in Florida.
She said she was “honored” to receive the award, and thanked her coaches “for helping me get this far pushing me outside my comfort zone to meet the mark,” as well as her family for their support.
Much of her family made the trip to Florida, including three siblings, a grandma, two aunts and cousins, making for an unorthodox Thanksgiving that maintained a family atmosphere.
“It was amazing and truly something awesome to be a part of,” Anderson said, noting it was her first trip on a plane, let alone to Disney. “I was truly blessed that my mom was able to cover my expenses.
“I was really happy to know my mom and everybody here were all so proud of me. Before I left, everybody gave me a hug. They know I’m not good at trying new things, but they pushed me forward to do this and I was really happy they did this for me.”
Three other Poughkeepsie cheerleaders, senior Azelia David and juniors Tiffany Walters and Jurnee Smith, likewise qualified to attend. However, the Varsity Spirit Organization does not pay for cheerleaders’ travel or lodging, making the cost to attend steep.
That’s something Anderson hopes can change through fundraising, to allow others to share in her experience.
“It was kind of weird not seeing a lot of girls of color,” she said. “It would be nice to see more of us make it and have the fundraising that would allow for us to go out there and represent our school.”
The participants were given a three-day park pass in addition to their performance day, and Anderson and her family stayed a week to explore the parks and area. On Thanksgiving itself they went out to buy souvenirs together, with plans to have a home-cooked meal together upon returning home.
When asked if she had thought about being the reason that spurred her family to enjoy such a trip, she turned the perspective around.
“I have to thank them,” she said. “Without them, I wouldn’t be here. It gives you that good feeling that you’re always going to have that group of people supporting you.”
Anderson’s 7-year-old sister may have been the happiest member of the family. A Disney princess fanatic, she came equipped with a full outfit each day in the parks to dress like Snow White, Belle, Tiana and Cinderella.
Anderson herself was more interested in tracking down Cinderella’s “wicked stepsisters,” who have gained a reputation through social media videos for their actors staying true to their characters in real life.
“I needed to see that in person. I walked around the park until I found them,” she said. “It was completely true. The attitude was insane.”
The trip, she said, was filled with little magic moments, from meeting with young fans who want to be cheerleaders, to riding a rollercoaster in uniform.
“To see the castle shoot out fireworks and have it light up, I felt like a little kid again,” she said. “Everything came back.”
