AHS Cheerleaders Head to the Gator Bowl

Head Coach Kelly Pugliese is proud of her Spy Ponders. For the first time in school's history, the Cheerleading Squad has been invited to cheer at the prestigious and popular Gator Bowl, taking place on New Year's Day in Jacksonville, Florida.

An anonymous fan letter got the team selected for the bowl.

"We have been competing for the last four or five years, and to be honest with you, someone nominated us [to the Gator Bowl Cheer Leading Commission], but we don't know who," Coach Pugliese said. " They [the commission] were recommended over 1,000 teams and they choose 100. Out of the 100, maybe 20-25 actually get to go. But we're up and coming."

Since Pugliese took over the squad five years ago, the team has made the regional cheerleading competitions every year, and just last year, managed to help the girls win the title of Dual County League Champions.

The trip will cost the cheerleaders roughly $30,000 to put together. To raise the money the cheerleaders have been performing all kinds of fund raising efforts: dances, car washes, a Thanksgiving Day bake sale; a constant string of money making events ever since they heard about getting in the bowl several months ago. 

After cheering at AHS for the past four years, senior captain Kayla Fitzgerald said she is excited to be a part of a number of cheerleading firsts with her team. 

"Going to the Gator Bowl is really exciting because we are actually the first Massachusetts team to ever get invited to the Gator Bowl," she said.  "It's a real honor. It's just been a lot of fun and it's going to be a great trip."

The team will be competing on December 29 and perform for the Gator Bowl on January 1. The team will also cheer in the Gator Bowl Parade the following day. 

The Gator Bowl will be on CBS on Saturday, Janurary 1 at 1 p.m.