‘I did this for him’: Loris cheerleader to honor fallen friend in London New Year parade
With the motivation to honor her family and fallen best friend, a Loris cheerleader fought for the opportunity to perform in London’s coveted New Year’s Day parade.
Loris High School senior Kaitlyn Devlin is kicking the new year off right after being one of more than 800 high school cheerleaders across the nation from the Varsity Spirit program chosen to perform a special cheer routine in the street spectacular.
“I’m really excited,” Devlin, 17, said. “Cheering is my favorite thing to do.”
Devlin started cheering in the seventh grade where she quickly became engulfed with the energy and excitement displayed during school sporting events, playing with the crowd and being part of the team. A year later she was named captain.
While crafting routines and bringing energy to each event is part of the job, the sport also includes school cheer teams opting to attend national cheer camp, Universal Cheerleaders Association in Charleston, to learn new routines, perform against other students and be chosen to join the All-American team.
At the end of the week-long camp, students are tasked with auditioning a chant, jump and dance routine before the UCA council, and those who excel earn the opportunity to perform in London. Noting the difficultly of the routine, Devlin said she was the sole competitor chosen from her school.
“The dance was the hardest part; it’s fast and you have to be really sharp,” Devlin said. “But they picked me out of everyone else.”
While Devlin had made the All-American team during her freshman year and chose not to go to London, she said this year was different, adding that she wanted to go to make her parents proud. She added it would also be the last time she could honor her best friend, Spencer, who died two years ago.
Devlin said her motto was “Do it for Spence” going into the final competition.
“It was really important to be able to do this in his honor because he would always joke around with me about cheerleading,” Devlin said. “I did this for him because he was one of my good friends and winning this showed me he is always watching over me giving me blessings.”
Along with her parents, Devlin said Spencer was someone who constantly showered her with support.
“He was the sweetest person in the world that would do anything for anyone and having him as one of my friends was an amazing accomplishment,” Devlin said.
Following the camp, Varsity Spirit, a Memphis-based cheerleading organization, invited individuals part of the All-American program, selected from UCA and the National Cheerleaders Association summer camps, to perform in the London parade.
On New Year’s Day, Devlin will join her teammates to perform a roughly three-minute routine to Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now.” She said the group will perform the routine at least nine times during the 1.8 mile parade walk.
With the parade just days away, Devlin said she’s been practicing everyday for the last month to ensure she gives the performance of her life.
“I’m ready to do this,” Devlin said. “I’m ready to perform, explore London with my mom and make new friends.”
