The Silver Wings will hold multiple fundraisers throughout the semester to help pay for the team to travel to New York Nov. 23-29, where they will perform in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.
“It is absolutely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” head director Lauren Wheeler said. “I was able to perform in the Macy’s day parade when I was in college, and I was in awe of how amazing the opportunity was. When [the Silver Wings] got the invitation, there was really no doubt in my mind that I wanted to give the girls the same opportunity.”
In February, the team competed at the Showtime dance competition, winning in all four categories they competed in: contemporary, jazz, modern and open. The first place spot came with an invitation to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
“Their faces whenever they found out they were going is one of the moments I’ll always remember,” Wheeler said. “It was just pure joy and excitement.”
The trip costs about $3,000-$4,000 for each Silver Wing who is attending. The cost covers travel expenses and costumes, as well as tourist sights. They will visit the 9/11 memorial, the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, along with going to a Broadway show and a Rockette performance.
For the first time, the Silver Wings held an online fundraiser in order to raise enough money for their trip. Each person had to put 20 emails into a system that blasted out a link to the fundraiser. The goal for this fundraiser was $20,000.
“Every little bit helps because, no matter what is donated, it’s going to help us get there,” head sergeant Leeah Boyd said. “We’re really appreciative of everything and everyone who’s contributed to the fundraising we’re doing and will continue to do.”
Outside of the online fundraiser, the team will also be bringing back their “Parents Night Out” for the first time after COVID-19. Parents can drop off their kids and the team will take care of them while doing a multitude of activities with them. They will also be holding spirit nights at restaurants, holding dance clinics and doing their annual Gift Galleria.
“It’s more than just a dollar amount,” Wheeler said. “We’ve been super blessed to see a high dollar amount in support and fundraising. It’s a form of support to where they are allowing us to break barriers. The support we get from fundraising symbolizes their support for what we stand for and what we do, rather than just giving money so we can go on a trip.”
Choreographers from across the country will come together to create a routine for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which the team will receive at the end of October. The team is more focused on the planning stages of the trip, as well as dances for football season.
“Everything contributes to one another,” Boyd said. “So really, everything we do in practice, even now, is eventually going to make us better to further succeed in the Macy’s parade.”
The team said they have grown in success this year, and have seen a change in their team culture. Last January, Wheeler took over as head director, and at the start of this year, the team also received a new assistant director.
“[The directors have] been so open minded to the way we do things,” captain Ava Sipko said. “[Things] do change a little bit, but it’s been such a learning experience for everyone. It’s been great to grow the organization, but still keep it the Silver Wing way.”
Wheeler took over as head director in January, and said the team placed higher in contests that February than they have in a while. Wheeler said that even through challenges, the team has been making many positive changes.
“It’s a place where more girls want to be involved,” Wheeler said. “[They] are excited to come to practice, whether we’re having a really hard practice or more of a fun day. No matter how hard we work, they’re always in it to do their best, and the team culture has made us more successful, not only as performers, but as people.”
At the parade, drill teams from all over the country will perform together. In total, there will be approximately 700-900 dancers performing the same routine and practicing in the same room at once.
“I think it’ll make us realize that dancing together is so much fun,” Sipko said. “We like dancing together, and we don’t just like each other; we like doing our art together.”
