Ultimate Cheerleaders (The First Five Years)

University of New Hampshire Senior Alison Preston is missing the last week of her classes and her finals. She's going abroad to perform with three other New England Patriots Cheerleaders at US Air Force Bases. But when she get's back, she won't have much time to make up her missed school work. She's heading for Hawaii as the Patriots Cheerleaders representative to the 2005 Pro Bowl.

Here's the full story from The Manchester Union-Leader:

Bedford native Alison Preston is one of four New England Patriots cheerleaders headed to Europe tomorrow for a two-week tour to bring holiday cheer to United States troops serving overseas.

Preston, a 22-year-old senior at the University of New Hampshire, has gone twice before as a Patriots cheerleader to visit the troops and is traveling this time with the platinum-selling band, Blues Traveler, and musicians from the U.S. Air Forces in Europe Band and the Band of the Air Force Reserve.

"This is my third trip and each trip gets better," Preston said in a phone interview yesterday.

Bedford native Alison Preston is one of four New England Patriots cheerleaders headed to Europe tomorrow.

Preston, her fellow cheerleaders and their coach, Tracy Sormanti, are leaving from Boston tomorrow to a U.S. Air Force base and then traveling by U.S. military transportation to Europe. The cheerleaders have yet to be informed of the exact itinerary, but know they will be performing at seven U.S. Air Force bases in various European locations, she said.

"We have a show all planned and rehearsed," she said.

Preston said the cheerleaders perform a high-energy dance. Over the years, the troops have loved it, she said.

She said being a Patriots cheerleader is great for bringing out loyalties from New England fans and just as great for bringing out rivalries from troops from different parts of the country.

"If they're not a Patriots fan, they let us know they're not a Patriots fan," Preston said with a laugh. "We can always throw two Super Bowl rings back at them."

Preston graduated from Manchester West High School in 2001. Her mother, Sharon Preston, lives in Bedford. Her father passed away years ago, she said. She is the youngest of four children, David, 33, Melissa, 27, and Chris, 23.

Preston said she celebrated Thanksgiving with her family and that they are excited for her. The cheerleaders stay on military bases on the trip and are assured of their safety, she said.

"My family is always excited, and when I go home I can always tell them about the great experiences," she said. "It's great to see the countries and see the different lifestyles."

As a cheerleader and a college student, Preston leads a hectic life dashing between UNH to Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass. She is majoring in athletic training and spends additional time helping the college team with injuries.

The timing of the European tour, during the holidays and at the end of the academic year, will mean even more work for Preston.

"I'm actually missing my last week of classes and all of my finals. For most of my classes I took incompletes," Preston said.

When she comes back from her trip, Preston will have to hustle to catch up on her school work and retake her final exam, but she said it is worth it to support the troops.

"I just want to tell them, 'Thank you for all you do for us, be safe and God bless you," she said.

Preston, now in her third season as a Patriots cheerleader, was named last Sunday as the Patriots' Cheerleader of the Year and will go on to cheer in the Pro Bowl in Hawaii in February.

Alison, on a previous trip abroad, tests some artillery in Kunsan.