December 26, 2019, three Allen cheerleaders and their sponsors left our town, state and country for an eight day trip to Great Britain. Escorting the girls as sponsors were Sara Maloy and Andre Pegg. They returned on January 2, 2020.

Alyssa Maloy, Zoey McDonald and Makena Pegg had been named All American Cheerleaders at last summer’s UCO cheer camp and earned the honor of participating in this trip. They joined more than 700 other American high school cheerleaders to march in the New Year’s Day parade in London. The girls perform to different songs as they pass Berkeley Square, Big Ben, Downing Street, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus and the Ritz Hotel during the parade.

After landing and a rest at their hotel, the fi rst few days were spent seeing the sights. The girls had one evening of practice with all the other participants to get their routines just right. The girls also rang in the New Year with all participants at a New Year’s Eve party at their hotel. The girls rode the Underground (aka The Tube) and double-decker buses.

Stops on their agenda started with a visit to St. Paul’s Cathedral which was rebuilt in the late 17^th century following the great fire of London in September of 1666. The cathedral is one of the most famous and most recognizable sights of London. Its dome has dominated the skyline for over 300 years. At 365 feet high, it was the tallest building in London from 1710 to 1967. The dome is among the highest in the world.

They observed the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace, the London residence of the monarchy of the United Kingdom. The 775 room palace has the largest private garden in London and was originally built in 1703.

They visited the Tower of London, one of the world’s oldest and most famous prisons. The 900 year old building also houses the United Kingdom’s crown jewels. Then on to Windsor Castle, the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world. The girls saw Piccadilly Circus, the iconic and famous area in the heart of London, and enjoyed a stop at Platform 9-3/4 where Harry Potter left the King’s Crossing Station for the mythical Hogwarts College.

Other sightseeing stops on the trip included the Tate Modern Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the National Art Gallery.

The Allen girls and their sponsors also attended the play “Wicked” at the Apollo Victorian Theatre. The play, which tells the untold true story of the witches of Oz, has ran continuously at this theatre since 2006, always playing to capacity crowds.

Makena said her favorite part of the trip was getting to experience something new with her friends, and also meeting new friends.

Zoey answered the question about her favorite part of the trip by stating she liked seeing the Tower Bridge, all the castles, and especially the new friends and memories she made.

Alyssa’s favorite part of the trip was the architecture, history, performing in the parade, meeting new friends, and experiencing it all with her mother and her friends.

The girls want to thank everyone that helped and supported them as they enjoyed this once-in-a-lifetime trip.