When the Spirit of America cheer squad performs in Rome’s New Year’s Day parade next month, among those marching by the base of the Spanish Steps and through the Italian capital’s historic streets will be Bradley-Bourbonnais sophomore cheerleader Madison Sinclair.

Sinclair started attending Golden’s Gymnastics in Kankakee when she was younger, and while she always enjoyed gymnastics and later cheerleading at Bourbonnais Upper Grade Center and now in high school, she didn’t imagine they would result in experiences like the one she’ll have in a little under a month.

“I started gymnastics and was just doing it for fun, then switched to cheer and really liked it, so I did it in high school,” she said. “But I didn’t think I would have an opportunity like this.”

The opportunity to head to Rome came from Sinclair’s performance with the Bradley-Bourbonnais varsity cheerleading team at the Ultimate Xperience Cheer camp hosted by Sandburg in July.

Bradley-Bourbonnais cheerleading coach Amy Cook said that the chance to join Spirit of America was not available to all of the camp’s participants, but those who impressed over the four-day camp were selected for a skills showcase on the final day.

“Numerous teams from the state of Illinois were there, and you had to qualify, so throughout the camp, instructors were giving out awards for best jumper, best tumbler, best stunter,” Cook said. “Madison got nominated by numerous coaches there, so that on the last day of camp, she does a tryout.”

Among the several hundred cheerleaders present at the camp, Sinclair was one of the few to step back in front of the judges with a chance to head to Italy.

“After we got evaluated, it was kind of up to the judges to pick the top 10 people from the camp that showed their skills,” she said. “After I showed mine, I was nominated for the top 10.”

She was named a top 10 jumper and tumbler and was also a top 10 overall camp athlete.

Cook said that she’s seen Sinclair make strides since the start of her freshman year on varsity, and the opportunity to head to Rome is simply a result of the commitment she’s shown.

“She came in as a freshman with skills, but she’s only blossomed over the last two years,” Cook said. “To be a sophomore and get this opportunity, and be one of the top athletes at the camp out of roughly 400 people, is really a testament to her hard work. We’re really proud of her and excited she’s able to take this chance to go across the world.

“I’m really excited to see what she’s going to continue to do. This is only the beginning, and we’re really pumped.”

The trip will be Sinclair’s first time traveling to another country, and she will be joined by her mother, Angie Wright, brother Corey Wright, and grandmother Theresa Mitchell for the holiday trip.

They will be able to take part in tours of famous Roman sites, including the Colosseum, the ancient Roman Forum and St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. There are also full-day trips to Pompeii and Florence available for Sinclair and her fellow Spirit of America cheerleaders.

She will then get to take in the city from the parade route, getting a unique take on Rome that typical tourists are unable to experience, while also getting to meet her new teammates from across the country.

“I’ve never been out of the country, so I’m excited to just see all the monuments, because we get to go to the Vatican and I get to see all of the other things in Rome,” she said. “I’m just super excited to see everyone else’s skills and work with different people as a team.”