A little bit of local cheer will be televised from Florida this yuletide.

Two Mercer High School girls, who were chosen for Elite Cheerleading's All-American Squad, will be performing in the Capital One Bowl's halftime show.

Cheerleaders across the United States tried out at workshops sponsored by the Pittsburgh organization and were chosen on the basis of technique, leadership and cheerleading ability, according to a news release from Elite.

Four girls were chosen from Mercer, though only two are participating in the show.

"I am so excited. I can't wait. I think it's going to help me a lot, like working with other people and performing for a bigger crowd and stuff," said ninth-grader Brittany Lange, a junior varsity cheerleader. She and her 16-year-old sister Pamela, a varsity cheerleader, will be going to Florida.

The trip also includes a pass to Universal Studios and Walt Disney World in Orlando. The girls had to come up with the money for their plane tickets and hotel stay.

Ninth-grader Jessica Sankey, a JV cheerleader who was chosen but is unable to go during the holiday break, said she was excited about being picked and plans to try out again next year.

"I've been a cheerleader since fourth grade. I just always had a natural want to be a cheerleader, like being happy and cheering on the boys and getting the crowd into the game," she said.

Amanda Niglio, another JV cheerleader who made the team, said she enjoyed the challenge of the tryout. "We could either try out in pairs or by ourselves. We had to do one cheer and one chant. We had to like, spirit in, going in screaming and yelling and leave the same way and had to do two jumps," she said, adding that she tried out with Jessica. "It's really exciting, the chance to go down there and cheer. It's just really fun."

Brittany said the tryouts were "kind of difficult. A lot of cheerleaders probably deserved to get on the team." She also explained that she and her sister were following in the footsteps of their older siblings and mother. "My sisters have been in it and my mom was a cheerleader, so I was following everyone else. My oldest sister Tamara works for the National Cheerleaders Association/National Dance Alliance. But it's also one of my favorite things to do."

Amanda, who will not be attending the event, gave credit for her success to the JV squad adviser Gretchen Hurst.

"She's really nice and she helps us and she makes us work really hard until we get it all right," Amanda said.

Brittany agreed. "She's a great coach, one of the best coaches I've ever had. She helped me develop into a cheerleader a lot, and she helped me improve."

The girls also gave credit to varsity cheerleading adviser Debbie Gawne.

You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Sherris Moreira-Byers at sbyers@sharonherald.com