Hilltown Archives — The Altamont Enterprise, December 2, 2010
Berne-Knox-Westerlo student cheers while giving thanks
By Zach Simeone
NEW YORK CITY — Megan Hoffman marched the streets of New York on Thanksgiving Day, right along with the Wimpy Kid and the Kung Fu Panda.
But they were giant balloons in the Macy’s parade, and she is a 17-year-old Berne-Knox-Westerlo cheerleader who earned her spot in the center of the crowd-lined streets because she received All-American honors at a camp run by the Universal Cheerleaders Association.
“It was really fun because you get to meet people from all over,” said Hoffman. “My roommates were from Texas and Pennsylvania, and I met someone from Alaska.
“You’re marching in the parade, and everyone’s waving at you, and it’s like an adrenaline rush; it’s crazy, but it’s really fun.”
While her family watched from their Hilltown home, Hoffman felt like a Big Apple native.
“Now, I feel like I know it like the back of my hand, because we were walking the streets the whole time,” she said of the city.
All the walking didn’t exhaust her, though. Rather, it energized her.
“I wasn’t as tired as I thought I’d be after the parade,” she said this week. “Marching-wise, it’s surprising how loud you have to be in front of the crowd, because there’s so may people screaming, and you have to be so loud when you’re cheerleading. And, looking at all the people in the windows, you have to look up and wave. It was cool how many people were looking out the windows.”
The high-school senior is used to putting her best foot forward as a co-captain on the BKW cheer squad. She may continue cheering in college, and is looking at Hartwick and Cornell. She’s interested in studying biology.
Her favorite part of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, she said, was “just meeting all the people.”
“I didn’t feel scared at any point,” concluded Hoffman.