A parade at the Pearl

Five Moulton High School cheerleaders had the opportunity to experience the Aloha State of Hawaii. There, they were able to cheer in front of millions as part of the Pearl Harbor Day parade in Honolulu, marking the 82nd anniversary of the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor, which drew the U.S. into World War II.

Girls attending were Valeria Pinedo, Abygail Tinajero, Abigail Siegel, Katie Richter and Samantha Michal and they were picked as part of Varsity Spirit All-American Team, the apparel company that sponsored their cheer camp last summer.

Only the top 12% of the cheerleaders and dancers from Varsity Spirit camps earned the chance to participate in a performance of this caliber. Some 800 cheerleaders from all over the nation were selected.

It was quite an emotional experience for all involved. Coach Tammy Machart accompanied the girls on the trip, and as she recalled the memories they made, she was almost in tears

“It was an honor to watch them cheer and do their thing because they come from a small school,” Machart said. “To see them have that opportunity was an honor. This is one of their biggest parades in Hawaii and more than a million people were able to watch this parade. The people there were wonderful. They were very accepting to everybody who was there.”

It was a bit hectic when the parade began, according to the girls.

“There was pressure as we had to relearn the dance again because there were some changes in choreography when we got there,” Siegel said.

There was no doubt that each of the girls had an emotional, yet inspiring, trip.

“We learned a lot about the attack of Pearl Harbor. We got a chance to tour the U.S.S. Missouri and it was definitely a good experience to learn about everything that happened there,” Pinedo said. “It was emotional. After the parade, we watched the last group of girls perform and then we went to McDonalds because we were hungry. A little girl approached me, noticing I was one of the cheerleaders from the parade, and I waved at her. Then she comes up to me and gives me a toy ring of hers. I just felt very touched, and I gave her my pom poms.”

The girls all agreed that they represented Texas and the little town of Moulton with pride.

We met a lot of people from all over the state and we were able to connect with many cheerleaders there,” Michal said. “We represented Moulton well. We’re a small town and we met all these people from around the world in Hawaii. People were really surprised by how small of a school we are. We wanted them to know that small schools have opportunity too.”

Each of the girls was in awe at the serene countryside and clear beaches of Hawaii.

“I loved learning about the culture there. There are hardly any natives there and when you do see them, it’s very special to see where they come from,” Richter said. “We got to go to the North Shores, where the natural countryside is. We learned a lot.”

The girls worked hard on putting this trip together which included many fundraisers and bake sales. Together, each girl raised nearly $2,500 for themselves.

And they all agreed, they would do it all over again in a heartbeat, given half the opportunity.