Chase County Schools senior cheers across the pond

Chase County senior McKenzie Vogt recently returned from an unforgettable trip to London, England with her mom, Emily, and stepfather, Rob Browning, where Vogt participated in a New Year’s Day parade of around 400 other All-American cheerleaders selected during Universal Cheerleaders Association camps last summer.
“We were split up into three different groups that performed in different sections of the parade,” Vogt explained.
The cheerleaders wore red, white and blue uniforms with each of the three groups matching in one of the dominant colors. “My group’s color was red,” she said.
The three groups performed a different assigned routine which each of the selectees began practicing while still at home.
“It was so exciting,” said Vogt, “but I was getting a little tired because we had to run so often to get to the next place after each performance.”
There were special grandstands set up along the 2.8-mile parade route where the cheerleaders’ parents could sit and watch the parade, Emily said.
“There were so many people attending the parade,” Emily exclaimed.
While in London, the families were constantly on the go with planned outings and activities, Rob said.
“We barely had time to catch our breath,” Emily added.
“While going on group activities, we usually travelled on coaches (like city buses in the U.S.),” said Emily.
Both Emily and Rob explained that when they did go out sight-seeing on their own, they didn’t take the coaches but rather the subway, nicknamed the “Tube.”
“There are so many people in London—nine million population, plus visiting tourists (about 30 million per year)—that taking a coach anywhere would take two hours just to go 23 miles. Whereas the subway would get us to our destination in a matter of minutes,” Rob said.
The family took in as many famous attractions as possible in the limited time available to them.
Some of the sites they visited, as all three piped in, were Windsor Castle, plus the quaint, quiet town of Windsor; Big Ben; the “London Eye,” which is like a giant Ferris wheel; the tallest cantilevered observation wheel in the United Kingdom, Westminster Abbey; Abbey Road (made famous by the Beatles); the Tower of London; Buckingham Palace; St. Paul’s Cathedral; Paddington Train Station; and the world-famous Harrod’s Department Store, where they observed the No. 1-rated chocolatier in the world.
“The old architecture was beautiful and mind-blowing. I’m a huge history buff, so I loved it all,” Rob said.
“I’ve traveled a lot, but London was my favorite,” he added.
Vogt said she loved seeing all the old architecture and different building designs.
“You could tell it was very old and amazing historically,” she said.
Vogt said she loves art and has taken art class all four years of high school.
Last semester at CCS, she said she took a college-level art class that helped open her eyes to noticing more of the main artistic details in the buildings. This helped her to really appreciate the many architectural designs in London.
“The architecture was so interesting. There were statues and carvings in the walls that were amazing,” Vogt continued.
“You could see old, inset, fancy tiles in areas of the buildings that were beautiful,” Emily added, “and cobblestone streets everywhere.”
The family took a ride in one of London’s well-known black taxis or Hackney carriage, just so they could have the experience.
“The people were so friendly, and after a 15-minute ride in the taxi, you felt like the driver was now a friend,” said Rob.
“Things weren’t that dissimilar there than here in the States. Much of the food was the same, but some of the word usage was different from the states. It did seem that they didn’t take things for granted there as much as we do here,” Emily said.
“Law enforcement all over the city rode horses and wore hard helmets,” Emily commented.
“It was always very rainy there, so umbrellas were needed daily,” she added.
Some of their favorite moments were watching the changing of the Queen’s Guard and attending the live musical, “Wicked,” in London’s West End.
“I loved that,” said Vogt excitedly.
Future plans
After graduation, Vogt plans on attending the University of Arkansas and majoring in elementary education.
The family said they would all love to go back when they could spend more time enjoying the sights in their own time.
Vogt never could have imagined that when she started cheering as a sophomore that it would lead to a trip of a lifetime, she said.