Latest / Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast / A Day in the Life of an NFL Cheerleader

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A Day in the Life of an NFL Cheerleader · Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast

0:07
SPEAKER_00: Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the table at a dance competition?
0:10
SPEAKER_00: Exactly what are the judges looking for anyway?
0:13
SPEAKER_00: This is Making the Impact, a dance competition podcast.
0:15
SPEAKER_00: Each week we'll cover a different topic related to the world of competitive dance from the perspective of the judges behind the table.
0:26
SPEAKER_00: Our day in the life series on Making the Impact continues this week with a look at the world of NFL cheerleading.
0:32
SPEAKER_00: These dancers are more than just performers, they're brand representatives for some of the biggest teams in football.
0:37
SPEAKER_00: Today we're joined by two fabulous dancers who give us an inside peek at what it takes to make the team.
0:44
SPEAKER_01: Hello, listeners, and welcome to our next episode of Making the Impact.
0:49
SPEAKER_01: I'm your host, Courtney Ortiz, and I'm here with my co-host Leslie Mueller.
0:54
SPEAKER_00: Hello, Courtney.
0:55
SPEAKER_00: We are so stoked for today's episode.
0:56
SPEAKER_00: I can't wait.
0:57
SPEAKER_01: I am really excited for this episode because if you know me, you know that I am a diehard Baltimore Ravens fan.
1:06
SPEAKER_01: Let's go.
1:07
SPEAKER_01: I love my ravens and I love going to games and watching the cheerleaders at all of the games that I attend.
1:14
SPEAKER_01: I'm always really excited to see them on the field because it feels like a little part of my dance community blending in with my passion for football.
1:21
SPEAKER_01: So But I truly like know nothing about this world.
1:26
SPEAKER_00: Nothing at all.
1:26
SPEAKER_00: Nothing.
1:27
SPEAKER_00: Well, and I'm not really a huge football fan.
1:29
SPEAKER_00: So like this is also very out of my even realm of understanding.
1:33
SPEAKER_00: I'm like, it's March.
1:34
SPEAKER_00: We don't play football in March, right?
1:36
SPEAKER_00: There's no football right now.
1:37
SPEAKER_02: No, there's no yeah, you don't even know.
1:39
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's over.
1:40
SPEAKER_02: The Super Bowl happened a month ago.
1:42
SPEAKER_00: That's right.
1:42
SPEAKER_01: The Eagles won and Kansas City lost.
1:45
SPEAKER_01: Sorry, Kansas City.
1:47
SPEAKER_01: They needed to lose though.
1:49
SPEAKER_00: I didn't even watch.
1:50
SPEAKER_00: I was sick that weekend.
1:51
SPEAKER_00: But so, you know, the NFL, it's it's a different world.
1:54
SPEAKER_00: It is a world that Courtney and I don't really know anything about in terms of the dance world, but we know this is a super viable career option for dancers out there.
2:03
SPEAKER_00: And there's just so many teams and there's so many opportunities and options.
2:08
SPEAKER_00: And we wanted to bring a day in the life of an NFL cheerleader to our listeners because we don't know anything about it and we want to provide you with all the information possible.
2:15
SPEAKER_00: So we got some amazing, amazing guests today to share with you.
2:19
SPEAKER_01: Yay! I can't wait to learn from them.
2:21
SPEAKER_01: But before we jump into our episode, we have another Making the Impact Award winner that we want to share with you.
2:28
SPEAKER_01: And for all of our listeners out there, if you attend an IDA affiliated competition event this competition season, then you and your studio might be the lucky winner of the Making the Impact Judge's Choice Award, where the IDA judges on the panel will select one dance from the entire weekend that they want to recognize through their technique, performance, execution, choreography.
2:49
SPEAKER_01: It's that dance they cannot stop thinking about.
2:52
SPEAKER_01: You not only win a beautiful Making the Impact plaque at the event, but you also get a shout-out live on our podcast right here, right now.
3:00
SPEAKER_00: So let's hear our winner.
3:03
SPEAKER_00: Alrighty, our current winner that we're going to talk about today is from Uproar Dance Competitions Event in Phoenix, Arizona.
3:08
SPEAKER_00: And congratulations to Studio Z Performing Arts Center from Scottsdale, Arizona for their production, Take It Back Now.
3:15
SPEAKER_00: Congratulations, y'all.
3:16
SPEAKER_01: Yay, congrats to all of our winners.
3:18
SPEAKER_01: And if you're a winner of the Making the Impact Award, don't forget to register your award by scanning the QR code on the back so you can get a shout-out live on the pod.
3:26
SPEAKER_00: Alrighty, and up next we have some sponsors to hear from.
3:30
SPEAKER_01: Join us for an unforgettable experience at the Dance Teacher Web Conference and Expo, taking place this summer at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas from July 22nd to the 25th, where dance enthusiasts gather to elevate their teaching skills.
3:45
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3:52
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3:55
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4:03
SPEAKER_01: And don't miss the exclusive movement and dance classes with industry professionals, where you can learn unique choreography that will spice up your lessons.
4:11
SPEAKER_01: You'll also gain invaluable knowledge on injury prevention and recovery techniques from experts.
4:16
SPEAKER_01: Plus, the Dance Teacher Web event connects you with other fellow educators and industry celebrities from around the world throughout their networking gatherings and parties during the week.
4:26
SPEAKER_01: I'll even be attending and teaching this year at the Dance Teacher Web Conference and would love to see you there.
4:31
SPEAKER_01: With extended access to their event app, you'll have the luxury of revisiting sessions and notes long after the conference ends.
4:38
SPEAKER_01: Explore the Expo Hall for the latest trends in costumes and dancewear, and be sure to participate in the grand finale giveaway, where over$20,000 in prizes awaits.
4:49
SPEAKER_01: You can save$100 if you sign up for the Dance Teacher Web Conference and Expo by March 15th, 2025.
4:56
SPEAKER_01: Or bring friends along for group discounts.
4:58
SPEAKER_01: And for even more discounts, use our exclusive podcast promo code Impact 50 in all caps for an extra$50 off your early bird registration.
5:09
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5:13
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5:17
SPEAKER_01: Get ready for an amazing journey in the world of dance education at the Dance Teacher Web Conference and Expo.
5:25
SPEAKER_01: All right, Dance World.
5:27
SPEAKER_01: We're back with our next A Day in the Life episode.
5:30
SPEAKER_01: I'm loving this new feature that we're doing over here at Making the Impact.
5:34
SPEAKER_01: It is so fun to sit down with different dancers, different industry professionals to hear about their experiences on particular jobs throughout their career as a professional in many different avenues.
5:46
SPEAKER_01: We already did one earlier the season, A Day in the Life of a Cruise Ship Dancer.
5:50
SPEAKER_01: So if you haven't listened to that, give it a listen.
5:52
SPEAKER_01: It's a great discussion if your dancers have dreams of dancing on a cruise ship one day.
5:56
SPEAKER_01: But today on Making the Impact, we're switching gears and talking about the NFL cheerleader route.
6:03
SPEAKER_01: If you want to be an NFL cheerleader, you are going to hear from some spectacular guests here who have been there and done that.
6:11
SPEAKER_01: And I have to say, and Leslie and I were saying this before we even hit record, this is an episode that neither one of us can actually contribute to because Leslie and I have never been an NFL cheerleader.
6:22
SPEAKER_01: I've never auditioned.
6:24
SPEAKER_01: I've never, I have only supported and cheered y'all on from the stadium because I'm a diehard Go Ravens fan.
6:31
SPEAKER_01: But I uh and I love watching the cheerleaders come out and the dancers come out at the games, but I've never worn this hat in the industry.
6:39
SPEAKER_01: So I cannot wait to learn from these two guests who are joining us today.
6:42
SPEAKER_01: And I'm excited to introduce them now.
6:45
SPEAKER_01: Our first guest is someone who I'm meeting right here, right now.
6:49
SPEAKER_01: They are a current active NFL cheerleader, and they've been doing this for a very long time.
6:54
SPEAKER_01: I'm so excited to welcome Jessica Butler to the podcast.
6:58
SPEAKER_01: Welcome Jessica.
6:59
SPEAKER_01: Hi, how are you guys?
7:01
SPEAKER_01: So good.
7:02
SPEAKER_01: So good.
7:03
SPEAKER_01: Thank you for and Leslie, can you remind how did we how did we get connected with Jessica?
7:07
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
7:08
SPEAKER_00: So Jessica and I like strangely had very sort of parallel Atlanta paths back in the day.
7:13
SPEAKER_00: We have a mutual connection through, and I don't know if Randy's gonna listen, but Miss Randy, who is a dance, used to own a dance store, the dance store I used to work at and one that Jessica, I think, used to shop at.
7:24
SPEAKER_00: And I remember growing up and hearing Miss Randy say, Well, well, Jessica's got this audition and Jessica's got this audition.
7:30
SPEAKER_00: I gotta outfit Jessica for her audition.
7:32
SPEAKER_00: And I was like, who is this Jessica girl?
7:34
SPEAKER_00: I remembered like when we were talking about this, I was like, I think Jessica still does this.
7:39
SPEAKER_00: And I was like, let me call Miss Randy real quick.
7:41
SPEAKER_00: And Miss Randy said, Yes, here's her information.
7:43
SPEAKER_00: She would love to do it.
7:43
SPEAKER_00: So that is our connection.
7:45
SPEAKER_00: And I'm sad we never like really crossed paths, but I think this is an exciting cross now in our adulthood.
7:52
SPEAKER_04: Absolutely.
7:53
SPEAKER_04: I love, I love, love, love me some Randy.
7:56
SPEAKER_04: She uh put me in every audition outfit from the very first one until I moved from Atlanta to Texas.
8:06
SPEAKER_04: She literally did every audition out that I ever wore.
8:09
SPEAKER_00: Nice.
8:09
SPEAKER_00: Well, and I mean you you made some teams, so it looks like the out the outfit helped.
8:15
SPEAKER_00: It's definitely part of it.
8:17
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, cool.
8:17
SPEAKER_00: Well, Jessica, can you tell us about yourself a little bit about where you started, your dance training growing up, and uh just whatever you want to share?
8:26
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, absolutely.
8:27
SPEAKER_04: So I have kind of a unique story.
8:29
SPEAKER_04: I did not dance growing up.
8:31
SPEAKER_04: I had two military parents and we moved around a lot.
8:35
SPEAKER_04: And I did everything under the sun every time we moved.
8:39
SPEAKER_04: It was like new sport, new language, new instrument.
8:43
SPEAKER_04: And then I moved from Germany to Atlanta and I started high school there.
8:49
SPEAKER_04: And my high school had a dance program, and I was like, I don't want to take PE, so I'll take dance.
8:53
SPEAKER_04: And I had done like cheerleading in middle school, but you know, nothing like competitive or anything like that.
8:59
SPEAKER_04: And I walked into my first dance class and I literally fell in love with it.
9:04
SPEAKER_04: And I just, I was 15, I think I was going into my sophomore year, and I was obsessed.
9:11
SPEAKER_04: Like it's all I could think about was like dance from that point on.
9:15
SPEAKER_04: So then I tried out for my high school dance team and then I went on to dance for two of my college dance teams.
9:20
SPEAKER_04: I started at Columbus State University and then transferred over to Kennesaw State University.
9:24
SPEAKER_04: I danced for both dance teams.
9:26
SPEAKER_04: And then after college, I was like, man, what do I do now?
9:29
SPEAKER_04: Like I love this.
9:31
SPEAKER_04: And I wasn't sure if I wanted to go the commercial route just because I was balancing like the thought of being a full-time dancer, but also still having like a full-time career.
9:41
SPEAKER_04: But I know that when you're a commercial working dancer, like the audition life doesn't pair well to a nine to five.
9:47
SPEAKER_04: So I was like, what are some avenues that I could explore to still be a professional dancer and still explore a professional career?
9:55
SPEAKER_04: And I found NFL cheer and I was so so excited.
9:59
SPEAKER_04: I knew nothing.
9:59
SPEAKER_04: I walked to my first audition, all Randy put me in an outfit and I showed up.
10:03
SPEAKER_04: That's something I had.
10:05
SPEAKER_04: And then from there, it just became like this fire that just I I had never felt so fulfilled in a room full of people before.
10:15
SPEAKER_04: And I didn't make it that year.
10:16
SPEAKER_04: And I just was like, okay, I want to audition for literally everything.
10:19
SPEAKER_04: And that's kind of just how my journey started.
10:22
SPEAKER_04: And I did, I did, you know, pro teams for a little bit, and then I took a step back and I choreographed for competitive jazz teams across like the East Coast, and that kind of was my thing.
10:33
SPEAKER_04: And then I came back to the NFL world and here we are today.
10:38
SPEAKER_01: Yes, that's awesome.
10:40
SPEAKER_01: I love that journey.
10:41
SPEAKER_01: Thank you for sharing that with us.
10:42
SPEAKER_01: It's so inspiring.
10:43
SPEAKER_01: And I love hearing everyone's introductions because I learn about you, but also it's really interesting.
10:49
SPEAKER_01: I think a lot of people think that you to make it in this biz, you have to start dancing when you're three and you have to be like unbelievable by the time you're seven.
10:56
SPEAKER_01: And it's like, no, you can start dance and make this something at any point in your life.
11:01
SPEAKER_04: So oh, absolutely.
11:02
SPEAKER_04: You just have to, you you have to love it and you have to want to do it.
11:05
SPEAKER_04: And you know, jump in classes that I used to jump in classes that were way too hard for me.
11:09
SPEAKER_04: Like they would be like advanced jazz funk, and I'm like, I don't even know what jazz funk is, but I'm signing up.
11:17
SPEAKER_01: I love it.
11:17
SPEAKER_01: Yes, that's that's how you do it.
11:19
SPEAKER_01: It's so inspiring.
11:20
SPEAKER_01: Well, congratulations on all of your success, and we're happy to have you here on the pod.
11:25
SPEAKER_04: Thank you so much.
11:26
SPEAKER_01: All right.
11:27
SPEAKER_01: Our next special guest who is joining us is coming to us from the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
11:34
SPEAKER_01: And she is no longer on the team, but she was on the team for a very long time.
11:39
SPEAKER_01: And you may even have followed her journey on television and in social media.
11:44
SPEAKER_01: She also is an occasional guest choreographer now for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
11:49
SPEAKER_01: And we actually connected on social media over all of the stolen choreography drama that was happening.
11:56
SPEAKER_01: That's how we actually got connected on Instagram.
11:59
SPEAKER_01: And once we started chatting, I said, we're gonna be doing an NFL cheer episode.
12:03
SPEAKER_01: Would you want to be a guest on the pod?
12:05
SPEAKER_01: And she said, absolutely.
12:06
SPEAKER_01: So I'm so glad and so excited to welcome Madeline Massingill to the podcast.
12:10
SPEAKER_01: Welcome, Madeline.
12:11
SPEAKER_02: Hi, y'all.
12:13
unknown: Yay!
12:14
SPEAKER_02: Thanks for joining us.
12:15
SPEAKER_02: Of course, I am so happy to be here.
12:18
SPEAKER_01: Well, I know that you've been doing this for a very long time and you have tons of experience in this world.
12:22
SPEAKER_01: So uh we're thrilled to have you and to share your experience as an NFL cheerleader and also as a guest choreographer.
12:29
SPEAKER_01: And I would love for you to just tell the world a little bit more about you, where you grew up, early dance training, and also what you're working on now.
12:35
SPEAKER_01: Awesome.
12:36
SPEAKER_03: I grew up in a little tiny town called Far West City, Utah.
12:40
SPEAKER_03: Um, kids would drive their tractors to school.
12:42
SPEAKER_03: We we had a good time, we would cow tip for fun.
12:46
SPEAKER_03: But my mom actually owned a dance studio.
12:49
SPEAKER_03: So I grew up, I lived there.
12:51
SPEAKER_03: It was my favorite place on the whole planet.
12:54
SPEAKER_03: It's still one of my favorite places.
12:56
SPEAKER_03: It's not her dance studio anymore, but it is, will always be the most special place to me.
13:01
SPEAKER_03: It's where I learned so many things about life beyond dance.
13:05
SPEAKER_03: But I was really, really lucky to have lots of really incredible dance mentors.
13:10
SPEAKER_03: My favorite style growing up was hip-hop and got to train really heavily in that growing up and all the other things.
13:18
SPEAKER_03: Lots of hours of ballet, lots of hours of all the all the things.
13:22
SPEAKER_03: And when I was 18, I went and auditioned to be a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, made it to training camp, was there for about a month and a half, and got my dreams snipped on national television.
13:35
SPEAKER_03: Uh had to go home, um, reevaluate life, what was important to me, what what made sense for me at the time, and decided that that was still important to me and that I wanted to at least try again.
13:51
SPEAKER_03: If nothing comes of it, I at least wanted to be able to live with myself, but like I gave it one more shot.
13:59
SPEAKER_03: And the rest kind of is history in my in my personal book at least, because I think my life would not be the same without that going back.
14:10
SPEAKER_01: So wow.
14:12
SPEAKER_01: Oh my gosh.
14:13
SPEAKER_01: And this was you were on the like the first round of the show.
14:17
SPEAKER_01: I mean, there's the sh there's been lots of different shows with featuring the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders.
14:22
SPEAKER_01: Most recently, what was the most recent one on Netflix called?
14:26
SPEAKER_01: It's uh Making the Team.
14:28
SPEAKER_01: America's Sweethearts.
14:29
SPEAKER_01: America's Sweethearts, yes.
14:31
SPEAKER_01: Making the team was the one you were on.
14:33
SPEAKER_03: Yes, making the team is what I was on.
14:35
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
14:36
SPEAKER_03: On CMT.
14:39
SPEAKER_03: Yes.
14:40
SPEAKER_03: Very random, very niche, but I never missed an episode.
14:47
SPEAKER_01: And I actually didn't watch it when it was maybe I just didn't watch CMT.
14:52
SPEAKER_01: And also like when this was like when, like 2016-15 time frame.
14:58
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
14:58
SPEAKER_01: So like almost like yeah, like 10 years ago.
15:01
SPEAKER_01: And it just like grew in popularity.
15:03
SPEAKER_01: It was so big.
15:04
SPEAKER_01: And and that's what actually now that the Netflix show came back and introduced America's Sweethearts, I binged that show.
15:12
SPEAKER_01: Oh my gosh.
15:13
SPEAKER_01: It was so, so good.
15:14
SPEAKER_01: So all of our listeners, make sure you go listen, uh, watch that after listening to this because it's really eye-opening and gives you an inside look.
15:21
SPEAKER_01: But there's just been so much hype, and I think there's like a rise in interest in NFL cheer because of all of these like inside glimpses into what the process takes.
15:30
SPEAKER_01: And like, you know, yes, television sometimes is a little exaggerated.
15:34
SPEAKER_01: Let's be real, like, you know, but at the same time, like that you lived that, like, you experienced that.
15:40
SPEAKER_01: And I'm sure there's others that can also share that that is that is real.
15:44
SPEAKER_01: This is how it it is.
15:45
SPEAKER_01: It's it's intense, it's an intense like process.
15:49
SPEAKER_03: The show actually isn't that much of an exaggeration, right?
15:53
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, people always assumed that.
15:56
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
15:57
SPEAKER_03: And a lot of times I actually, at least the show I was on, I feel like there was a lot of things that didn't get covered that I would be like, yeah, you think we were busy then.
16:06
SPEAKER_03: What about when we did this, this, this, and this or all the other things?
16:09
SPEAKER_03: So it does feel a little chaotic when you're watching it.
16:13
SPEAKER_03: Living it feels as chaotic.
16:17
SPEAKER_01: Wow.
16:17
SPEAKER_01: Wow.
16:18
SPEAKER_01: Well, congrats on making the team and being a part of the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders.
16:23
SPEAKER_01: They are such an like an iconic part of the NFL and also for our dance industry.
16:29
SPEAKER_01: So many dancers dream of being a part of it and so many other NFL teams.
16:34
SPEAKER_01: So we're excited to have you here and let's jump into this chat and learn more.
16:39
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
16:40
SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
16:40
SPEAKER_00: Well, guys, we're so excited.
16:42
SPEAKER_00: Like, like I said, my only experience with cheerleading was uh seventh and eighth grade cheerleading for the Mary and the Eagles.
16:48
SPEAKER_00: I was the captain, I was a flyer, but like that's a very different cheerleading experience too.
16:53
SPEAKER_00: Like, so I I do want to cover sort of the the moniker of cheerleader in the sense that you guys dance a lot more than what you think of as cheerleaders.
17:04
SPEAKER_00: So maybe maybe we can talk a little bit too about why that distinction is there and why that moniker is there.
17:10
SPEAKER_00: But first, I want Jessica to really quickly just give us a quick overview of why you are not speaking about the team you are currently on.
17:18
SPEAKER_00: We want to let our listeners know that reason.
17:21
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, absolutely.
17:22
SPEAKER_04: We have very strict social media rules and just rules about the brand and what we can and cannot speak on.
17:35
SPEAKER_04: It's really just in the best interest.
17:37
SPEAKER_04: Like that's part of our job, right?
17:39
SPEAKER_04: Like we are here for entertainment and we are here for a good time and to dance and all the community events and all of that.
17:47
SPEAKER_04: But I would say one of our top priorities is always protecting and representing the brand.
17:53
SPEAKER_04: And the way that we can ensure that the brand is always represented at the highest level and in the best light is just to shy away from sometimes using the name specifically.
18:06
SPEAKER_04: So that's why I'll be speaking more so in generic terms.
18:11
SPEAKER_04: And I know that that is um it varies from team to team.
18:14
SPEAKER_04: Some teams don't mind.
18:15
SPEAKER_04: I particularly on a team where that's just a rule, and we love to follow those rules.
18:22
SPEAKER_00: Amazing.
18:23
SPEAKER_00: Well, yeah.
18:24
SPEAKER_00: So thank you for that.
18:25
SPEAKER_00: I think, yeah, that's very important, I think, for up-and-coming dancers to understand that like this isn't just something that's fun to do.
18:32
SPEAKER_00: Like, yeah, it's a fun job, but it is a job.
18:34
SPEAKER_00: And with every job you take, in whatever avenue you're taking that job, there will be rules, expectations, and things you have to adhere to.
18:43
SPEAKER_00: So this is one of those things which we were unaware of.
18:46
SPEAKER_00: Um, so that's we're learning too here, like Courtney said earlier.
18:48
SPEAKER_00: So thank you for that.
18:50
SPEAKER_00: All right, so let's dive in even more.
18:52
SPEAKER_00: I want to start with why did you want to do this?
18:55
SPEAKER_00: Like, this is a very niche dance job.
18:58
SPEAKER_00: Was it something you always wanted to do?
19:00
SPEAKER_00: Did you did you happen to see a game once and said, oh my gosh, it's that?
19:03
SPEAKER_00: Like, tell me a little bit more about that, both of you.
19:05
SPEAKER_04: For me, I think it's like the thought of performing in front of 70,000 people or however many seats your stadium has, it's something that's so hard to wrap your brain around, but it is the most exhilarating feeling.
19:20
SPEAKER_04: And I think like all I wanted to do was perform.
19:24
SPEAKER_04: And when I got into the pro-NFL space, and I realized like there's so many different styles, and there's, you know, so many different performance opportunities.
19:36
SPEAKER_04: And, you know, you do have a set schedule.
19:39
SPEAKER_04: And not only do you get to dance and do what you love, but it comes with a community of women that stand next to you in your wedding, and they're there for the birth of your children.
19:49
SPEAKER_04: Like NFL cheer is when I realized you could have it all.
19:53
SPEAKER_04: You could dance and do what you love, you could build a family and friendships that will last a lifetime.
19:59
SPEAKER_04: You could go be an anesthesiologist if you want to and do it all at the same time.
20:04
SPEAKER_04: And I was like, wow, these women are multifaceted and they're so cool.
20:10
SPEAKER_04: And I want to be just like them.
20:13
SPEAKER_04: And I just dove into that world for that reason, really.
20:17
SPEAKER_03: I grew up a Cowboys fan.
20:19
SPEAKER_03: My dad is from Lubbock, Texas.
20:20
SPEAKER_03: So born and raised a Cowboys fan.
20:23
SPEAKER_03: And we were watching a game my senior year of high school, and one of the cheerleaders popped up on the screen, and she was glowing.
20:31
SPEAKER_03: And I was like, oh my gosh, she's so pretty.
20:32
SPEAKER_03: And my dad was like, Why don't you go audition to be a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader?
20:36
SPEAKER_03: And I laughed out loud.
20:37
SPEAKER_03: I was like, there's no way they would, first of all, want me.
20:41
SPEAKER_03: I'm like, this little 18-year-old haven't even graduated yet.
20:45
SPEAKER_03: Just like the vision was not there in my brain.
20:48
SPEAKER_03: And my mom overheard our conversation, booked my ticket to auditions, and a mic came over to me at the end of the game and said, We're going to Dallas in May.
20:57
SPEAKER_03: And I said, Why will we go to Dallas in May?
20:59
SPEAKER_03: Football season's over.
21:00
SPEAKER_03: She said, Going to audition.
21:02
SPEAKER_03: And she said, if nothing else, it'll be a good experience.
21:05
SPEAKER_03: Wow.
21:05
SPEAKER_03: You will grow, you will learn from this.
21:08
SPEAKER_03: It will be a good experience regardless.
21:11
SPEAKER_03: And little Maddie always wanted to end up in LA, which is where I'm at now.
21:15
SPEAKER_03: But I had no idea that this was the like reroute I needed to build my confidence growth as a human being.
21:24
SPEAKER_03: I always joke that I went to DCC University because I didn't go to college.
21:29
SPEAKER_03: But I learned endless amounts of things that helped me in my career still today.
21:34
SPEAKER_03: And it was the women that I was cheering with that helped teach me so many of those lessons.
21:40
SPEAKER_03: Like you were saying, you could be an anesthesiologist.
21:43
SPEAKER_03: I my one of my Ricky sisters is a doctor now.
21:46
SPEAKER_00: Wow.
21:46
SPEAKER_03: And I just watched all of these women doing incredible things, school teachers, nurses doing phenomenal things, and then coming to practice at night and looking gorgeous.
21:57
SPEAKER_03: And they were doing everything.
22:00
SPEAKER_03: Not that it was an easy task, but they were putting in the time and the energy and they truly loved what they were doing on all fronts.
22:08
SPEAKER_03: And so it was really, really inspiring every single day to show up and be like, I get to do what I love.
22:14
SPEAKER_03: And I am surrounded by people that are pushing themselves in every which way.
22:20
SPEAKER_03: And so it was an incredible environment for me to grow up in, really.
22:24
SPEAKER_03: I was baby when I made the team.
22:27
SPEAKER_03: And I got to grow into a woman and be surrounded by the best of the best as far as examples.
22:35
SPEAKER_01: You know what I really love about what you said and shared, and I think will be really inspiring for listeners is the fact that you, this was not something that you were dreaming of doing.
22:46
SPEAKER_01: This is not something that you were training to do, you know, for your entire childhood.
22:52
SPEAKER_01: You were just trained really well and versatile enough to be able to choose your own path wherever that would lead you.
23:00
SPEAKER_01: That is really important for people to hear because if you're if you're well trained in a variety of styles, because we have to be, you don't want to limit yourself from what where you can go in your professional career if you've only studied contemporary or if you've only studied ballet or whatever.
23:17
SPEAKER_01: Like you said you loved hip-hop.
23:18
SPEAKER_01: That I'm sure that came into play with your audition and part of why you got selected.
23:23
SPEAKER_01: But as we know for the DCC, like you have to have perfect kicks, you have to have perfect bat mass, you know, then that's where the ballet training comes in.
23:31
SPEAKER_01: Because you were trained how you were, it was able to allow you to go wherever you wanted in your career, places that you didn't even think that you had your eyes set on, like cheerleading for the NFL.
23:42
SPEAKER_01: And, you know, I think that's important for young dancers to hear is that you might have a dream of going here and then you might get rerouted and go somewhere else.
23:50
SPEAKER_01: And you wouldn't have even known that you liked doing that or had like the the interest in it unless you're you went and tried it.
23:57
SPEAKER_01: Like you, you know, if your mom didn't buy that ticket, you probably would have never gone because you're, oh, I'm not doing that.
24:01
SPEAKER_01: I don't want to be a cheerleader.
24:03
SPEAKER_01: I'm going to LA.
24:04
SPEAKER_01: That's like how a lot of dancers react sometimes and not look at all of these opportunities.
24:09
SPEAKER_01: I always say, go to everything and see what you like.
24:12
SPEAKER_01: Like, why not?
24:13
SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
24:13
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that jazz funk class.
24:15
SPEAKER_00: What's jazz funk?
24:15
SPEAKER_00: I guess I'll go.
24:17
SPEAKER_04: Right, right.
24:18
SPEAKER_04: And what's crazy is I am a jazz girl.
24:22
SPEAKER_04: Like that one class, I don't know if that was like the sign I needed, but that's my preferred style is like jazz, jazz funk.
24:30
SPEAKER_04: So it's just it's crazy how life works out sometimes.
24:34
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
24:34
SPEAKER_00: Wow.
24:35
SPEAKER_00: Well, so I want to talk about speaking of styles, what is the audition process like for just generally?
24:40
SPEAKER_00: I'm sure they're all different, but you know, are you walking into something that is standardized or are you walking into something that's completely different every single time?
24:50
SPEAKER_00: Like what is the audition process like for these kind of teams?
24:53
SPEAKER_04: I feel like I've been through four different team auditions, two NBA and two NFL.
25:00
SPEAKER_04: And they're all kind of different, but I feel like after COVID, they really changed a good bit.
25:07
SPEAKER_04: I remember my first NFL audition, we were in person for all the rounds.
25:12
SPEAKER_04: Like you go in for prelims and then they make a cut, and you move into semis and then they make a cut, and then you know, you go to finals.
25:18
SPEAKER_04: Well, now I don't know if this is all teams, but my current team, the first round is virtual.
25:24
SPEAKER_04: And I feel like after COVID, a lot of teams moved into that virtual space for the first round.
25:30
SPEAKER_04: So they'll send a snippet of choreography via email to people who sign up to audition.
25:37
SPEAKER_04: And you learn that piece of choreography.
25:40
SPEAKER_04: And it's usually either followed by or introduced with your own choreography of some sort.
25:48
SPEAKER_04: Interesting.
25:49
SPEAKER_04: Like a freestyle moment for about two, eight counts or so.
25:52
SPEAKER_04: So they see you do their choreography and then like a little snippet of like what you feel you're best at, and then you send it and you uh pray.
26:03
SPEAKER_04: Hope against well, you you just never know what they're looking for, right?
26:08
SPEAKER_04: And I feel like as dancers, no matter what space you're in, you understand that dance is so subjective, right?
26:13
SPEAKER_04: Like it doesn't matter if you're on a competition stage, if you're auditioning for a music video for the Super Bowl, for the NFL, it doesn't matter.
26:21
SPEAKER_04: It's it's all about that specific group of people at that time and what they're looking for in that moment.
26:27
SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
26:27
SPEAKER_04: And I mean, it's just kind of how it is in this industry.
26:31
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
26:32
SPEAKER_00: When you were in person, are we talking 50 people, 100 people, 700 people?
26:37
SPEAKER_00: How many people are we talking?
26:39
SPEAKER_04: Oh no.
26:41
SPEAKER_00: And where are they?
26:42
SPEAKER_00: Is it on the field?
26:43
SPEAKER_00: Is it in a studio?
26:43
SPEAKER_00: Is it where is it?
26:45
SPEAKER_04: I think the location does vary.
26:47
SPEAKER_04: My first NFL audition, I auditioned with over 360 people, I believe.
26:54
SPEAKER_04: And that's not including the current girls that were planning to return.
26:58
SPEAKER_04: That was just like me people coming in.
27:00
SPEAKER_04: And it was in um kind of like a convention area, like a convention center area.
27:06
SPEAKER_04: And then this year we didn't do first round in person, but finals was in the indoor practice facility.
27:16
SPEAKER_04: So on a field.
27:18
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
27:18
SPEAKER_01: Or what about your experience, Madeline?
27:21
SPEAKER_01: Similar?
27:22
SPEAKER_03: Um, yes, when I was auditioning because it was so long ago, we were doing them in person.
27:26
SPEAKER_03: My first audition, I want to say there was around 500 people.
27:32
SPEAKER_03: It might have been a little bit more.
27:34
SPEAKER_03: They'd talk about it on the show, but I do not remember.
27:37
SPEAKER_03: There was a lot, a lot of bodies there.
27:40
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
27:41
SPEAKER_03: And we were we were at AT ⁇ T Stadium, so just like a large environment in general.
27:48
SPEAKER_03: I luckily went on a stadium tour before, so I wasn't too overwhelmed by all of it.
27:53
SPEAKER_03: But yeah, it we did the first round, then they do cuts at the end of the day.
27:59
SPEAKER_03: They do a whiteboard.
28:00
SPEAKER_03: Oh the as when I was there.
28:03
SPEAKER_00: In front of you?
28:04
unknown: Yeah.
28:04
SPEAKER_00: In front of everybody.
28:05
SPEAKER_00: Wow.
28:06
SPEAKER_00: There's erase your name.
28:08
SPEAKER_03: Uh no, it's numbers.
28:09
SPEAKER_03: So your numbers are up on the uh board.
28:12
SPEAKER_03: Okay.
28:13
SPEAKER_03: One of my favorite security guards actually used to do it.
28:16
SPEAKER_03: His name's Phil.
28:17
SPEAKER_03: Rest in peace, Phil.
28:18
SPEAKER_03: He passed away last year.
28:20
SPEAKER_03: And the organization is at a huge loss because of that.
28:23
SPEAKER_03: But he his beautiful bright face would bring out the board and he would unveil it, and you would be searching for your number in panic.
28:34
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
28:34
SPEAKER_03: I want to say they took like 150 to the next round.
28:39
SPEAKER_01: Wow.
28:39
SPEAKER_01: And then weed it down, I guess, eventually, but like wow.
28:44
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
28:45
SPEAKER_03: And then from that round, they would cut down to finals, and they would take around, I would say 65 to 70.
28:52
SPEAKER_03: And then from there they would cut at finals.
28:55
SPEAKER_03: We would do an interview, a panel interview, show them the dances that we had learned, the dance, the kick line, and then we would do a solo round.
29:05
SPEAKER_03: So we do our individual solos.
29:08
SPEAKER_03: Now I know that it has changed a little bit.
29:11
SPEAKER_03: Well, and from there you would get cut down to like 45, and the 45 would go to training camp and be in training camp for as long as you're there.
29:18
SPEAKER_03: Now they do a virtual round where you send in a minute of whatever choreography you want.
29:24
SPEAKER_03: Within like two weeks, they watch all of them and they do watch all of them.
29:28
SPEAKER_03: That's good to know.
29:29
SPEAKER_03: Oh, interesting.
29:30
SPEAKER_03: I have talked to staff because I am interested as someone that's training a lot of these people.
29:35
SPEAKER_03: I'm like, yeah what's important?
29:37
SPEAKER_03: How can I help these people that I'm training?
29:39
SPEAKER_03: That's great.
29:40
SPEAKER_03: They say they watch the whole minute.
29:42
SPEAKER_03: They are interested in seeing every single ounce of what people have to offer.
29:48
SPEAKER_03: So don't be discouraged if you feel like you're sending it in and there's gonna be thousands.
29:51
SPEAKER_03: There will be, there will be thousands, but what's the thing that you have that nobody else has?
29:57
SPEAKER_03: And not being afraid to like be yourself, even though you you do have to like give what the criteria is asking for, follow rules, follow directions.
30:07
SPEAKER_03: Right.
30:08
SPEAKER_03: The role they're selling for important, so important, but they're looking for individuals, they want people that are gonna bring special things to the team.
30:16
SPEAKER_03: So yeah, they do a first round, then they send out choreography, you learn choreography and the kick line, you send that back, and then they do another cut virtually, and then they do the finals round in person, and you do an individual solo so it can be whatever style you want.
30:32
SPEAKER_03: That's where I would bring my hip-hop in.
30:34
SPEAKER_03: I didn't know it wasn't really a thing until I started to do it, and people were like, You brought you did a hip-hop solo, and I was like, Yeah, am I not allowed to do that?
30:43
SPEAKER_03: And they were like, No, it was so fun, but no one ever does it.
30:46
SPEAKER_03: And I was like, Oh, well, that made you stand out.
30:49
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, like so doing what you're good at, what you're passionate about, it carries people.
30:54
SPEAKER_03: You can feel it in a room.
30:56
SPEAKER_03: I I love when people bring out things that I'm like, oh, I did not expect that, but I loved every second of it.
31:03
SPEAKER_03: So don't be afraid to stand out in your own ways, but obviously follow the rules and know what world you're in.
31:10
SPEAKER_03: Know what world you're stepping into.
31:12
SPEAKER_01: Like yeah.
31:13
SPEAKER_01: Do your research, y'all.
31:14
SPEAKER_01: Do your research.
31:16
SPEAKER_01: Know what type of audition you're auditioning for, know what is expected of you to like what to wear.
31:21
SPEAKER_01: Talk to other people, like these conversations right here, where we're given spilling knowledge and tips to you.
31:28
SPEAKER_01: Like, talk to someone who's done it and ask, what did you wear?
31:30
SPEAKER_01: What worked for you?
31:31
SPEAKER_01: I don't know what to wear for this.
31:33
SPEAKER_01: I mean, I feel like, and you hinted at it, Jessica, even like what to wear to it of the audition.
31:37
SPEAKER_01: I think a lot of people don't know what's right.
31:40
SPEAKER_01: They just think of like rhinestones.
31:42
SPEAKER_01: Is that it?
31:42
SPEAKER_01: Is that all that matters?
31:44
SPEAKER_04: No.
31:45
SPEAKER_04: So when I went in this year, I looked around and everyone had the not everyone, that's you know, it's never everyone, but a lot of people had the name of the team on their audition outfit or like an emblem from the team on their audition outfit.
32:03
SPEAKER_04: And I looked around and I'm like, wait a minute, this is cool.
32:07
SPEAKER_04: But I like I just had a rhinestone, like little sports bra, you know.
32:11
SPEAKER_04: So obviously I made some pretty big alterations to my audition outfit prior to sending in the video submission.
32:20
SPEAKER_04: For our do your research is so important because our auditions were something I did not expect.
32:27
SPEAKER_04: We did a team knowledge test, like this is all like once you make finals.
32:31
SPEAKER_04: So you send in your audition video, they decide who makes finals, and then this goes into the weeklong finals.
32:39
SPEAKER_04: We did a knowledge test and you don't know, you have no clue what to study, right?
32:43
SPEAKER_04: They're just like there is a knowledge test, and you're like, oh my gosh, there's like a million years of football history.
32:49
SPEAKER_04: There's a like this team was, you know, inducted in the NFL at this time.
32:53
SPEAKER_04: That's like 50 years of this, and you're like, what do I need to know?
32:56
SPEAKER_04: So it's definitely something you want to start preparing for earlier than like the week of finals because we don't really know what to prepare for.
33:06
SPEAKER_04: So it's just like knowledge overload.
33:08
SPEAKER_04: And then we do a fitness assessment, and I swear to you, I love our trainer.
33:14
SPEAKER_04: He is like the best, the best trainer ever.
33:17
SPEAKER_04: But I think he forgets that we are not football players sometimes with the workouts that he gives us.
33:23
SPEAKER_04: That fitness test is so fun, so hard.
33:28
SPEAKER_04: So if you're not expecting that, you like I mean, even down to if you know you're doing a fitness test, you're not gonna dance, you're not gonna bring shoes that are super flat because if you're running sprints across the football field and blazers, that's a bad idea for the rest of the week for you, you know, because you want to take care of your body.
33:48
SPEAKER_04: So it's just like knowing the process and what to expect that you can be the most prepared you can be is so helpful.
33:56
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
33:57
SPEAKER_00: What's involved in the fitness test?
33:58
SPEAKER_00: Are we talking like weightlifting or or planks, push-ups, like cardio?
34:04
SPEAKER_04: I wish it was weightlifting.
34:05
SPEAKER_04: I'm a weightlifting girly.
34:14
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34:16
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34:22
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34:25
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34:31
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34:37
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34:44
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34:47
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34:54
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34:57
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35:13
SPEAKER_04: Some stadiums are outside, and with that comes having to dance in the elements, which could be heat, it could be, you know, extreme cold.
35:24
SPEAKER_04: So they're conditioning you to have the stamina you need to dance through a three, four-hour game in these elements.
35:32
SPEAKER_04: So it's a lot of cardio, it's a lot of running, it's a lot of a lot of reps in a short amount of time because you're just getting that heart rate up.
35:42
SPEAKER_04: So yeah, it was, it was challenging.
35:45
SPEAKER_04: I think everyone, including like, because you know, when you're at least for me, when I go into an audition, I'm looking at the current girls.
35:53
SPEAKER_04: Like before I go in, I'm like, what who looks like me?
35:57
SPEAKER_04: Who who do I want to look like?
36:00
SPEAKER_04: Like, you know, so that you have a model, you have an example.
36:04
SPEAKER_04: So I was looking around at the fitness test and I was like, okay, everyone thinks this is hard.
36:09
SPEAKER_04: So I might, I might still have a shot here.
36:12
SPEAKER_01: Right, right.
36:13
SPEAKER_01: Wow.
36:14
SPEAKER_01: Oh my gosh, this is so interesting.
36:16
SPEAKER_01: I love, love, love learning about all of this.
36:19
SPEAKER_01: And something that comes to mind that is a part of this industry, and you kind of hinted, like, who looks like me?
36:27
SPEAKER_01: Who else is on the team?
36:28
SPEAKER_01: What is the look that they're going for?
36:31
SPEAKER_01: I mean, as we know, I think a lot of us can say for NFL cheer, you're probably gonna be dancing in minimal little outfits, like the the the costuming and the the attire and the uniforms that they give you are oftentimes like a cute sports bra and a cute little brief or uh sometimes a legging, sometimes a hot short, you know, and you as a dancer have to be comfortable with that.
36:56
SPEAKER_01: You have to understand that that is what you will be expected of you.
37:00
SPEAKER_01: And I'm sure that certain certain aspects of that come into play in the casting as well.
37:05
SPEAKER_01: And making sure I think it's really important for dancers when it comes to making a selection of what you're wearing is find something that you not only feel comfortable in in your audition, but also flatters you and your body.
37:15
SPEAKER_01: That is the most important thing to understand how to make it work for you.
37:20
SPEAKER_01: Because then they'll be able to say, Oh yeah, I can totally see them in this uniform.
37:23
SPEAKER_01: They're gonna look great in this uniform, perfect.
37:26
SPEAKER_01: Like, you know, you have to convince the people on the other side right away.
37:30
SPEAKER_01: Not, and it's not always just about your dancing, unfortunately.
37:34
SPEAKER_01: Like, I do think that looks come into play a lot of times when certain jobs, I mean, that's across the industry.
37:40
SPEAKER_01: That's the the unfortunate unfortunate truth about the industry.
37:44
SPEAKER_04: Well, that's why I always say, like, do your research.
37:46
SPEAKER_04: Like, if you're somebody who is limited, I completely understand.
37:49
SPEAKER_04: But if you're like the world's my oyster and I'll go anywhere, do your research and see where you fit best.
37:55
SPEAKER_04: Like, you know, are is this team more of an athletic team?
38:00
SPEAKER_04: So everyone's kind of athletically built because they're doing, you know, that's what they're focused on, or you know, is the entire team really, really tall and you're five, four, nine or five foot, you know, or is the entire team really, really short and you're super tall?
38:17
SPEAKER_04: Like just kind of look around and you you it's so much more comforting to go in when you feel comfortable.
38:24
SPEAKER_04: So if you're putting yourself in a space where you're like, oh, I fit here.
38:29
SPEAKER_04: Like I could see myself here, they could see me here.
38:32
SPEAKER_04: You're more it's like easier for you to just like kind of dance through some of those nerves.
38:37
SPEAKER_04: It is a very nerve-wracking process.
38:40
SPEAKER_04: So if you could do things like putting yourself in situations where you're just like prepared and you know you're a good fit for where you are, I think that helps so, so much.
38:50
SPEAKER_01: Something I want to touch on briefly before we continue is the the shift in the audition process going more towards a self-tape virtual submission than to the in-person.
39:01
SPEAKER_01: And I think it's important to discuss that now because yes, our entire industry is s sort of shifting to that.
39:06
SPEAKER_01: And you know what?
39:07
SPEAKER_01: Maybe it is better in a way that you're not spending money on a flight to just get cut right away, right?
39:12
SPEAKER_01: At least there's like a pre-screen, at least they're they're expressing interest in you.
39:16
SPEAKER_01: But there's good and bad to this because the good is that you can take a million takes of that routine and submit your best version of you and you spent all day re-recording it until you were happy with it.
39:27
SPEAKER_01: But that's not how a live-in-person audition works.
39:30
SPEAKER_01: So you could make it through all these cuts because you are a great person on film and you sent in your your A plus version that you're proud of, and then you can't pick up on the spot, you don't think fast enough, you can't retain the choreography, you're not taking direction, you don't take a note, you're getting cut.
39:45
SPEAKER_01: It doesn't matter how good your first audition was on video.
39:48
SPEAKER_01: Like we have you have to be as a dancer training in all styles, all ways of learning, because not everything, you're not gonna always get a job through a virtual submission.
39:56
SPEAKER_01: Once you get in person, they're they already know you're great, they already know they like your look, they already know you're a great dancer.
40:02
SPEAKER_01: Now they're testing you on these other skills in person, and you have to prove yourself to them.
40:07
SPEAKER_01: And I'm sure that Madeline, you can you you train dancers now to prepare for this.
40:11
SPEAKER_01: And is that something that you reiterate to them and coach them on?
40:15
SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
40:16
SPEAKER_03: Being in practice is huge, and by that I mean going to take class consistently, you're learning consistently, you're taking in choreography that is not from your own brain.
40:26
SPEAKER_03: Those things are so important, performing in front of others, being in rooms full of people that you can be learning from, growing from.
40:35
SPEAKER_03: There's something to be learned.
40:36
SPEAKER_03: I say this in every class I teach, but there is something to be learned from every single person in the room, whether it's their resilience, they didn't quit when they were in group, their style, their texture, their musicality, their facials.
40:49
SPEAKER_03: There's something to be learned from absolutely everybody in a room.
40:52
SPEAKER_03: And if you're practicing at home by yourself, there's a lot you're missing when it comes to those little tiny things.
40:59
SPEAKER_03: And I have seen this be a problem for a lot of people that they will practice and they will do their solo 700 times for a video and they pick the perfect one and then they show up to auditions and they're like, why didn't my one time that I I well, I messed up this part where I didn't, whatever.
41:17
SPEAKER_03: And you're like, that's fine.
41:18
SPEAKER_03: We've all messed up at auditions, it's not oh yeah.
41:22
SPEAKER_03: But the practice of being consistently showing up and doing the thing is a lot of it.
41:29
SPEAKER_03: I have a rule when I do self-tapes at home for acting or dance stuff, that I get three takes.
41:35
SPEAKER_03: Sometimes it's for technical elements that I'm like, oh my gosh, I didn't press record.
41:39
SPEAKER_03: Cool.
41:40
SPEAKER_03: Or there was something in frame that didn't belong there or whatever.
41:46
SPEAKER_03: But if I can't do the thing in three takes, then I can't show up and do it in the one take that it needs to happen.
41:53
SPEAKER_00: Right.
41:53
SPEAKER_00: Right.
41:54
SPEAKER_03: So it just that's a practice for myself that I know that I am not setting unrealistic expectations for myself on the job.
42:03
SPEAKER_03: Like if I if I book this job from this single audition, am I gonna be able to show up and do the work in real life?
42:09
SPEAKER_03: And a lot of these auditions, you get multiple steps to prove yourself for NFL auditions, but some of them you don't.
42:17
SPEAKER_03: And so it's just nice to be like aware of the reality of being in practice because I do think it it completely changes how people show up for in-person auditions.
42:28
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
42:28
SPEAKER_00: Oh man, that's so good that's such good advice for like the new world that we live in that all of these kids are gonna come up in because we didn't come up in this world.
42:35
SPEAKER_00: No, like this is the new norm.
42:37
SPEAKER_00: So, like, that's I love that three-take practice for you because for anybody, because I just think that's fair.
42:43
SPEAKER_00: That's a fair like standard to hold yourself to.
42:46
unknown: Wow.
42:47
SPEAKER_00: All right, so I want to talk about we have made the team, go team.
42:49
SPEAKER_00: How many of us are there?
42:51
SPEAKER_00: Are there 30 of us?
42:52
SPEAKER_00: Are there 15 of us?
42:52
SPEAKER_00: How many people are on the team?
42:54
SPEAKER_03: I think it depends.
42:56
SPEAKER_03: We had 37 my rookie year.
42:58
SPEAKER_03: There was two girls that had to flip-flop out every game.
43:01
SPEAKER_03: Oh.
43:02
SPEAKER_03: So it was tricky.
43:04
SPEAKER_03: It was not loved.
43:05
SPEAKER_03: Like they obviously didn't like it.
43:07
SPEAKER_03: They didn't get to cheered every game.
43:09
SPEAKER_03: Um, our coaches hated that they had to do that to two people, and but they wanted to keep both of them.
43:16
SPEAKER_03: They were like, we can't cut either of them.
43:18
SPEAKER_03: I don't know if we're gonna cut someone, we don't want to cut anyone.
43:22
SPEAKER_03: So I guess we're keeping the 37, but our formations are all they're very nitpicky about formations and our triangle being perfect, and 36 makes a perfect triangle.
43:32
SPEAKER_03: So for Thunderstruck, it was the 36 for game day, and that was it.
43:38
SPEAKER_03: Um, the next year they said we are never doing that again.
43:41
SPEAKER_03: And they took 36, and then a few years later they ended up taking like 39 or something.
43:47
SPEAKER_03: I was like, Really?
43:48
SPEAKER_03: How'd they make the triangle?
43:51
SPEAKER_03: I think that they like added a whole row or something crazy.
43:54
SPEAKER_03: I can't remember.
43:55
SPEAKER_03: My interest my brain does not remember all of it, but wow, it just goes to show that like.
44:00
SPEAKER_03: If you are the thing, they're they're gonna do what they can.
44:04
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah.
44:05
SPEAKER_00: Wow.
44:06
SPEAKER_04: So for us, we have 30, but we do something on our team.
44:11
SPEAKER_04: If you're a rookie, you sit out.
44:15
SPEAKER_04: I believe this season it was three games.
44:18
SPEAKER_04: So we have a rotation also where it could be 26 or 27 that actually danced the game.
44:28
SPEAKER_04: Everybody does pregame, everybody does pregame appearances, but actually like the routines in-game and sidelines.
44:37
SPEAKER_04: Um in the beginning of the season it was four, and then somewhere through the season it was three.
44:44
SPEAKER_04: But if you're a rookie, it's you're on a rotation, so you don't dance every game.
44:48
SPEAKER_01: Now, can I ask when it comes and I I'm curious to know, like if the rookies aren't dancing, then are they almost maybe considered like understudies if someone like what if someone that's no?
44:59
SPEAKER_01: So like if someone's sick and can't make the game, would the rookie jump in or no?
45:04
SPEAKER_04: Yes, yes, okay, and that's why even if you're out of that particular game, you are at every rehearsal and you're learning like you're learning every ripple and every like if there's an up and a down, you're learning the up and the down.
45:20
SPEAKER_04: If there's a to the right and the left, you're learning the right and the left because that could happen.
45:24
SPEAKER_04: That actually did happen.
45:25
SPEAKER_04: We had someone morning of game, very, very sick, and a rookie jumped in for a third or fourth year, I believe.
45:34
SPEAKER_04: So it does happen.
45:36
SPEAKER_04: And then if you're out, um, we have like sideline assistance, which is so, so cool to do.
45:42
SPEAKER_04: It's it's great that they give us that opportunity to do it.
45:46
SPEAKER_04: Our coach has like a headset and a whiteboard, and her coordinator has a whiteboard and a headset, and then you get a whiteboard and a headset, and you know how like you're in the four corners.
45:58
SPEAKER_04: So my coach will decide what routine we're on, and then she relays it to the four corners through the sideline assistance.
46:07
SPEAKER_01: Cool.
46:07
SPEAKER_04: Which as a rookie, getting to do that is very, very cool because it means that she trusts you because in game things happen so quickly and you have to be able to like move, shake, adjust, pivot.
46:19
SPEAKER_04: And as a rookie, if she's putting you as a sideline assistant, it just means that they they really trust that you can handle the responsibility of that position.
46:27
SPEAKER_04: So even though it's like, oh, I didn't dance this game, it's like so cool that they give you another responsibility.
46:33
SPEAKER_04: It's just another way that they are constantly elevating you in your personal life.
46:38
SPEAKER_04: Like it's so much more than just dance.
46:40
SPEAKER_00: Well, then you get to learn that process.
46:42
SPEAKER_00: And in 10 years, you can be Madeline, you know, or you can be that person.
46:47
SPEAKER_00: Like you get to elevate yourself, you know, and it's just like working backstage.
46:51
SPEAKER_00: You know, it's like you get to learn what that process is because that's just as much of a process as being on stage.
46:57
SPEAKER_04: 100%.
46:58
SPEAKER_00: Cool.
46:59
SPEAKER_00: So interesting.
46:59
SPEAKER_00: All right.
47:01
SPEAKER_01: What about rehearsals and things?
47:03
SPEAKER_01: Like, when does that happen?
47:04
SPEAKER_01: Is it a during the day thing?
47:06
SPEAKER_01: I know you we kind of hinted at that a lot of the the cheerleaders also have a lot of them have careers and day jobs and and other jobs outside of this.
47:16
SPEAKER_01: Like, this is it fair to say that this isn't people's full-time jobs, or can it be?
47:22
SPEAKER_01: Is I'm curious.
47:23
SPEAKER_01: I am when does rehearsals happen and how?
47:27
SPEAKER_03: Our rehearsals were at night.
47:28
SPEAKER_03: Um, we started at seven.
47:30
SPEAKER_03: My first three years, we didn't have an end cap time, like that we had to be done.
47:36
SPEAKER_03: So during the training camp with our TV show, we would sometimes get done at three in the morning.
47:42
SPEAKER_01: Oh my gosh.
47:43
SPEAKER_03: And then have to be back at 6 a.m.
47:45
SPEAKER_03: to teach kids' camps.
47:47
SPEAKER_03: So I would go home and take a power nap, take off my makeup to put it right back on.
47:52
SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh.
47:53
SPEAKER_03: And then wake up and go teach kids' camps for six hours, and we would take naps in the locker room and then get ready for training camp again.
47:59
SPEAKER_03: So it was a little chaotic.
48:01
SPEAKER_03: Once someone found, like, once we were like, we can't sustain this.
48:05
SPEAKER_03: They were like, okay, we are gonna set a cap time of 11 p.m.
48:09
SPEAKER_03: That sounds good.
48:10
SPEAKER_01: They should.
48:12
SPEAKER_03: So then we were getting a little bit more sleep.
48:14
SPEAKER_03: When I think about it now, I'm like, how was I surviving?
48:18
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, let alone doing the job well.
48:21
SPEAKER_01: Right.
48:21
SPEAKER_03: I was young, so I like you're a little more bounce back.
48:25
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
48:26
SPEAKER_03: Don't think I could do that now, but it's yeah, crazy because people go to work all day long and then they show up for practice at night and they go hard, you go full out, you gotta practice how you practice is how you perform.
48:42
SPEAKER_00: So this is Monday through Thursday, or like every night, or we okay.
48:46
SPEAKER_03: We practiced Monday through Friday, Saturdays we would have appearances, and then Sundays we'd have games.
48:52
SPEAKER_03: So during the season, that's what that looks like.
48:54
SPEAKER_03: During training camp, sometimes we were practicing seven days a week.
48:58
SPEAKER_03: It just depends on the filming schedule.
49:00
SPEAKER_03: So it was a little bit of chaos.
49:02
SPEAKER_03: I know that it has shifted since I left.
49:05
SPEAKER_03: I think they're practicing four days a week now.
49:07
SPEAKER_03: That's I don't know for sure.
49:09
SPEAKER_03: That's still a lot.
49:10
SPEAKER_01: I mean, it might be so much.
49:12
SPEAKER_01: Is it?
49:13
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, what's your experience?
49:14
SPEAKER_04: We practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30 to 9 30, but our 9 30 is not a hard stop.
49:22
SPEAKER_04: It's where we would like to be, but sometimes if we have things to get done, then we're there till like 10, 10:30.
49:28
SPEAKER_04: Never anything really crazy though.
49:30
SPEAKER_03: So not three.
49:32
SPEAKER_03: That's more normal.
49:33
SPEAKER_03: That's way more normal.
49:34
SPEAKER_03: Uh, from other friends that I have on other NFL teams currently, that is like two days a week, a couple hours, a few hours a night.
49:46
SPEAKER_04: I mean, yeah, here and there, they'll want an extra rehearsal if there's a reason to add an extra rehearsal, but for the most part, we get everything we need to get done.
49:55
SPEAKER_04: Um, I think it's really cool that DCC does like the training camp because it gives you guys the opportunity to learn so much choreography in that time.
50:03
SPEAKER_04: We did like a choreography weekend and we learned, I can't exactly remember how many dances.
50:10
SPEAKER_04: I want to say somewhere between six, six and ten, maybe, with like also adding in like your your sideline stuff, like your fillers and diddies and all that good stuff.
50:24
SPEAKER_04: But we did it all in like a Saturday Sunday.
50:28
SPEAKER_04: So it and that sounds so great.
50:30
SPEAKER_04: I'm like, no, please.
50:31
SPEAKER_04: I would rather come here every day for two weeks to like actually be able to process it.
50:37
SPEAKER_04: Like when you're just like learn, learn this minute routine and then on to the next, you like film it and then you have to dump it to learn the next one and then dump it to learn the next one.
50:45
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
50:45
SPEAKER_04: Um, it's almost harder when it's time to do it because it's like you're like, oh, I have to relearn that dance.
50:51
SPEAKER_01: Right.
50:51
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
50:52
SPEAKER_04: So I mean, I think both ways have their benefits for sure, but you it definitely gets overloading when it's in like that short amount of time.
51:00
SPEAKER_00: Right.
51:01
SPEAKER_00: What would you say for both of you, like thinking about skills and technique that you learned growing up, like what is translatable to this style of dance that kids who are interested in coming up to do this, like like non-negotiable need to know?
51:17
SPEAKER_00: Like, what do you need to know?
51:18
SPEAKER_00: Do you need to know X, Y, and Z?
51:20
SPEAKER_00: Because I feel like that's something people are gonna really want to know.
51:23
SPEAKER_00: Great question.
51:24
SPEAKER_04: I think that just goes back to knowing what team you're auditioning for.
51:27
SPEAKER_04: Um, usually they'll put out a list of required skills.
51:30
SPEAKER_04: Like for us, headsprings and kip ups are required.
51:34
SPEAKER_04: Wow.
51:34
SPEAKER_04: You know, your right, your right-left leap, your calypso, like they have their required skills.
51:39
SPEAKER_04: But one thing that I really like about our team is my coach will utilize whatever special skills someone has.
51:47
SPEAKER_04: And I think that's super, super cool.
51:49
SPEAKER_04: If we're doing a routine and there's like a highlight moment, she'll say, like, oh, does anyone have this?
51:55
SPEAKER_04: Or we have a couple people that do insane tumbling.
51:59
SPEAKER_04: So, like, she utilizes that.
52:01
SPEAKER_04: I think she really like takes a look at once you know she's picked her team based on like their criteria, she gives us kind of a moment to all shine and whatever it is that we do have that's cool that maybe isn't a requirement, but we still get to highlight throughout the season.
52:19
SPEAKER_03: Nice.
52:19
SPEAKER_03: As far as technical elements for cowboys, the most we do is on the field.
52:25
SPEAKER_03: This and this is different for like our show groups thing, they don't really do it the same way they used to, but on the field, the most technical things we do are our jump split, our kick line, and double turns.
52:39
SPEAKER_03: So because we're in boots on turf, you don't get much more out of, but also like when I was cheering, I had teammates who had never danced before.
52:50
SPEAKER_03: They had only like all-star cheered.
52:53
SPEAKER_03: Okay, and they were some of my favorite performers to watch.
52:56
SPEAKER_03: I learned so much from them.
52:58
SPEAKER_03: And then we had people who were a part of like contemporary companies, right?
53:03
SPEAKER_03: And so there was like so much to be learned in all the things, but then when it comes to the technical elements, the person that was an all-star cheerleader probably doesn't have much more than a double, right?
53:16
SPEAKER_03: Whereas the contemporary dancer has extensive ballet training, and so that's when our like show group element would come into play.
53:24
SPEAKER_03: And I was a part of showgroup.
53:26
SPEAKER_03: What is showgroup?
53:27
SPEAKER_03: What is this?
53:28
SPEAKER_03: So it was like a separate kind of we did a separate audition for it.
53:32
SPEAKER_03: Oh you obviously had to be on the real team to make showgroup, but okay, we did extra performances, so we were booked on stuff at least once a week, I would say, if not more than that.
53:43
SPEAKER_03: Wow.
53:43
SPEAKER_03: Booked on performances outside of the full team stuff.
53:47
SPEAKER_01: And you could like you said you auditioned for it, so it was like optional.
53:51
SPEAKER_01: Like you could if your schedule didn't allow that, you're like, I'm not auditioning for showgroup, but like it's we had girls, yes.
53:56
SPEAKER_03: We had girls that had full full-time jobs that were like, I cannot do one more thing.
54:01
SPEAKER_03: And so they just wouldn't audition, which was totally fine.
54:03
SPEAKER_03: Or they would come to the audition, but the judges knew they were not like viable for a spot, but that was where a little bit more technical dancers were placed.
54:13
SPEAKER_03: Um, and we did a lot, a lot of performances.
54:16
SPEAKER_03: So we would go to like Formula One, perform in Austin.
54:19
SPEAKER_03: We we got to do a lot of really cool stuff being on show group, which was great.
54:24
SPEAKER_01: TV performances, yes, a lot of stuff like that.
54:28
SPEAKER_03: Now I don't think they even do that.
54:30
SPEAKER_03: I think that they're it's just like whoever gets booked on whatever gets booked on it.
54:36
SPEAKER_01: But I think this is an important, like you said, to do the research and know because every team is different, completely different.
54:44
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, like I it's it's so interesting.
54:46
SPEAKER_01: Uh I think that everyone thinks there's like this requirement checkbox, but like what a check, what a requirement for one team might be, it might not be.
54:53
SPEAKER_01: Like, do y'all have to have kip-ups and headsprings at DCC?
54:57
SPEAKER_03: No, I have those things because those are things that I trained in, but absolutely not.
55:01
SPEAKER_03: I use them for my solos and for we would do like a hip-hop halftime.
55:06
SPEAKER_03: We have a hip-hop crew on Cowboys called Dallas Cowboys Rhythm and Blues.
55:10
SPEAKER_03: So we would do like collaboration halftimes with them.
55:13
SPEAKER_03: Cool.
55:14
SPEAKER_03: Love them, they're so talented and so funny.
55:16
SPEAKER_03: If I wouldn't have done CCC, I would have probably gone and auditioned for that once I found out about it because it's so cool.
55:22
SPEAKER_03: Um and they're co-ed and they're so cool.
55:26
SPEAKER_03: But yeah, like you're saying, do your research because you also might think that you're one style of dancer and be like, oh my gosh, I want to be on this team, and then you look into a different cheer team and you're like, oh my gosh, wait, they do exactly what I do.
55:39
SPEAKER_03: They are so in the pocket of what I am already great at.
55:43
SPEAKER_03: And this is what I would love to show up and do at work every single day.
55:46
SPEAKER_03: And so, or it can be like, I don't do that, but I would love to do that.
55:51
SPEAKER_03: And every single team has something different to offer.
55:54
SPEAKER_03: I cannot think of a single NFL or NBA team that is the exact same.
55:59
SPEAKER_03: And so do your research, do your digging, be diligent because you might find exactly what you're dreaming of in a team that you had no idea existed or existed in that way.
56:14
SPEAKER_04: Yes, all of that, like you could also audition for a team.
56:18
SPEAKER_04: I, you know, I've seen it happen where people will audition for the same team for like five years and they'll get told no every time.
56:24
SPEAKER_04: And sometimes I'm like, if you just go audition for another team, like you might get a yes your first time.
56:30
SPEAKER_04: So it's like that no doesn't necessarily mean you're not fit for the like the NFL or you're not fit to be, you know, in this pro space.
56:38
SPEAKER_04: It just might mean that stylistically or look-wise, you're not a fit for that particular team.
56:43
SPEAKER_04: And I think I said this earlier, it'll just make your journey so much easier if you do what Matt, what Maddie's saying and just like do your research and go where you, you know, where makes sense for you.
56:54
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
56:55
SPEAKER_00: Well, and it sounds like you have to be in order to do that, you have to be willing as a human to say, you know what, go into Seattle.
57:01
SPEAKER_01: Yep.
57:02
SPEAKER_00: If if that's where the team is, that's where I'm going.
57:04
SPEAKER_00: Like it's it's not as easy as coming to New York City and saying, Come to me, auditions, auditions for everywhere are right here.
57:10
SPEAKER_00: Like that's not how that particular space works.
57:13
SPEAKER_00: You have to go to the place.
57:15
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, and I know we're not talking about the NBA so much, but that happened to me.
57:19
SPEAKER_04: Like when I finished my season with the NFL, I was like, I I don't want to be done dancing.
57:26
SPEAKER_04: I want to do something else.
57:28
SPEAKER_04: And I like looked at every team, NFL, NBA, and I found this NBA team and they were so jazzy.
57:35
SPEAKER_04: And I was like, wait a minute.
57:37
SPEAKER_04: They were doing they were doing turns on the court and I firebirds, and I was like, I love this.
57:43
SPEAKER_04: I would like get on the treadmill in the morning and like watch every dance they had on YouTube.
57:48
SPEAKER_04: I could literally show up at auditions and do the dances from the season before I had watched them so much.
57:52
SPEAKER_04: And when I showed up to that audition, I felt so at ease because the style came so naturally to me.
57:59
SPEAKER_04: Because I mean, obviously it was still stressful and very, very scary, but like the choreography wasn't intimidating because it felt like, you know, it felt like what I feel good doing.
58:12
SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
58:12
SPEAKER_04: So I mean, it it that is so, so, so true.
58:15
SPEAKER_04: If you're willing to go, go because it will be worth it.
58:19
SPEAKER_00: Oh, I love that.
58:20
SPEAKER_00: What I love about this conversation with both of you is that both of you are so clearly in love with when you were doing it, Maddie, you were in love with it.
58:29
SPEAKER_00: Everything about it was like, this is what I'm meant to do.
58:32
SPEAKER_00: Jess, you sound the same.
58:34
SPEAKER_00: And so, so I think for parents, if your kid wants to do this, they're going to make it happen.
58:40
SPEAKER_00: If that means they have a full-time job working towards being a doctor and they're gonna be an NFL cheerleader, that's what they're gonna do and they're gonna have a great life.
58:49
SPEAKER_00: And if that means they have three other jobs and they're an NFL cheerleader, they're gonna do it and they're gonna have a great life.
58:54
SPEAKER_00: Like you, there's no stopping the passion.
58:57
SPEAKER_03: I would do it all over again.
58:58
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
58:59
SPEAKER_03: In the exact same way I did it.
59:00
SPEAKER_03: If I mean I needed to or wanted to.
59:03
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
59:04
SPEAKER_04: I I tried to leave.
59:05
SPEAKER_04: I left for five years and I came back.
59:09
SPEAKER_04: So there's clearly something that is just like it's so much more.
59:14
SPEAKER_04: Like it is always nice to be compensated for your time and it is a job, but it's so much more than that, you know.
59:22
SPEAKER_04: Like there's so many other other benefits from being on these teams.
59:26
SPEAKER_04: And I think, you know, you could look at it in so many ways.
59:29
SPEAKER_04: Like, we are we have this and it's what we do for the season.
59:33
SPEAKER_04: We do reaudition every season, so we'll just like this is your season, but like dancers that gig.
59:39
SPEAKER_04: Like, yeah, you might get this great paying gig, and then you don't book anything else for six months.
59:44
SPEAKER_04: So it's like dancers, we just live this tricky little life of like balancing, surviving, and fulfilling our passion.
59:54
SPEAKER_04: And I think that's part of what comes, that's part of what fuels your passion, I think, in a way, you know.
1:00:00
SPEAKER_04: So it's just something that you just understand if you love to dance and you want to do that as a career, then that's just a part of it you have to understand comes with it.
1:00:09
SPEAKER_01: Yep.
1:00:10
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
1:00:10
SPEAKER_01: So before we wrap up our fabulous discussion, I would love to hear one of your favorite and most memorable experiences uh within your time as an NFL cheerleader.
1:00:22
SPEAKER_01: Does anything come to mind or what's that moment that you'll never forget uh that you want to share with the world out there?
1:00:28
SPEAKER_03: There's, I mean, a million things.
1:00:30
SPEAKER_03: When I think of my time on the team, it's mostly memories and trips with the girls hanging out in hotel rooms and playing card games and giggling.
1:00:40
SPEAKER_03: But career-wise, one of the coolest things, uh honestly, probably the coolest thing I have ever gotten to do, might ever get to do.
1:00:48
SPEAKER_03: We got to dance with Queen and Adam Lambert to Fat Bottom Girls.
1:00:53
SPEAKER_03: Wow.
1:00:53
SPEAKER_03: Oh my god.
1:00:54
SPEAKER_03: It was the most iconic thing I've ever been a part of.
1:00:57
SPEAKER_03: Oh my god.
1:00:58
SPEAKER_03: To be a part of that history.
1:01:00
SPEAKER_03: And it's it's a band that I grew up on and have adored my whole life.
1:01:05
SPEAKER_03: My parents were so excited about it.
1:01:07
SPEAKER_03: Yes.
1:01:08
SPEAKER_03: I have never felt the rush of exhilaration as I did.
1:01:12
SPEAKER_03: I walked on the stage to the iconic Fat Bottom Girls Beat, and it just that was like life highlight.
1:01:22
SPEAKER_00: That is so cool.
1:01:23
SPEAKER_00: That's amazing.
1:01:24
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
1:01:25
SPEAKER_00: It was unreal.
1:01:27
SPEAKER_04: Um, I think for me, like you said, there's so many memories, and a lot of them have to do with like your teammates.
1:01:33
SPEAKER_04: But I think the coolest thing that I've done in my career so far was dance at a Super Bowl.
1:01:40
SPEAKER_04: I feel like that is just like there's no words.
1:01:44
SPEAKER_04: And I think too, it's like my mom is a huge sports fan, and she put her name in the raffle every year for Super Bowl tickets.
1:01:52
SPEAKER_04: And so it was like when I got the opportunity to go, I was able to bring my mom that knocked off a bucket list item for her.
1:01:57
SPEAKER_01: And amazing.
1:01:59
SPEAKER_04: The song that we danced to.
1:02:01
SPEAKER_04: I'll never forget because I didn't know until after.
1:02:03
SPEAKER_04: Obviously, we don't have our phones, but we like danced to that I can make your hands clap song.
1:02:09
SPEAKER_04: You know what I'm talking about?
1:02:10
SPEAKER_04: And they were there at the Super Bowl and they tweeted it.
1:02:13
SPEAKER_04: And I was like, oh my god.
1:02:16
SPEAKER_04: Oh, so I would and and and to like the icing on the cake was I was a rookie.
1:02:21
SPEAKER_04: So it was like my first time in the NFL, my first team, and here I am, like this pivotal moment that I'll never ever ever ever ever ever ever forget.
1:02:32
SPEAKER_04: And it was just like so, so cool.
1:02:35
SPEAKER_04: Cause I mean, you could you could cheer your whole career and never make it to like, you know, Super Bowl or never dance a playoff game.
1:02:43
SPEAKER_04: Like there's so many, there's so many layers to this that like you could really do it for five, six, seven years and every year experience like a new first, which is another thing that's so cool about being in this pro space.
1:02:55
SPEAKER_04: But yeah, that was probably like the highlight so far.
1:02:59
SPEAKER_02: Wow.
1:03:00
SPEAKER_00: It's very cool.
1:03:03
SPEAKER_02: I never got close to a super bowl.
1:03:07
SPEAKER_01: Oh wow, this is so cool.
1:03:10
SPEAKER_01: I I feel like I've learned so much.
1:03:12
SPEAKER_01: I feel like I missed my calling.
1:03:14
SPEAKER_01: Like, why didn't anyone tell me to go audition to Beregio?
1:03:18
SPEAKER_01: It's you're right, it's never too late.
1:03:20
SPEAKER_01: I need to get my rhinestones on.
1:03:22
SPEAKER_01: I need to, I mean, hey, auditions are coming up.
1:03:25
SPEAKER_04: So fun fact, I'm the oldest on my team.
1:03:29
SPEAKER_04: So come on.
1:03:30
SPEAKER_01: Ah, interesting.
1:03:31
SPEAKER_01: Let's go.
1:03:32
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
1:03:33
SPEAKER_01: And I'm sure that's a great point.
1:03:35
SPEAKER_01: I'm sure there are all ages of dancers that at different points in their life.
1:03:40
SPEAKER_01: My close friend Amanda Mills, who's a studio owner in North Carolina, she had dreams of being an NFL cheerleader.
1:03:47
SPEAKER_01: She auditioned a million times, never got it.
1:03:49
SPEAKER_01: She had two babies, was about to have her third, and had a blown-out knee and running multiple businesses and said, I'm auditioning.
1:03:56
SPEAKER_01: And she went and she booked it and she did it for a season and she got to check it off her list.
1:04:00
SPEAKER_01: Like, I was so proud of her.
1:04:02
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I was like, you can do it at any point, juggling businesses and babies and a life with her husband.
1:04:08
SPEAKER_01: Like she made it work and she got to say, I did, I got to live my dream for that year.
1:04:12
SPEAKER_01: And, you know, I think there's so many dancers out there who are gonna feel that after listening to y'all's stories and being even more eager and excited to like tap into this world of NFL cheer.
1:04:23
SPEAKER_01: So y'all were fantastic guests.
1:04:24
SPEAKER_01: This was so much fun to learn from you.
1:04:26
SPEAKER_01: Thank you for sharing your experiences and joining us on Making the Impact.
1:04:29
SPEAKER_03: Thank you for having me.
1:04:31
SPEAKER_04: Yeah, thank you so much.
1:04:32
SPEAKER_04: You're so welcome.
1:04:34
SPEAKER_04: Welcome.
1:04:34
SPEAKER_01: This was great.
1:04:35
SPEAKER_01: All right, so final thoughts.
1:04:37
SPEAKER_01: We always end with a little final thought for our listeners.
1:04:40
SPEAKER_01: Just one final thing that you'd like to share with the world.
1:04:43
SPEAKER_01: Uh, it could be about your advice to anyone out there who's interested in doing this, to dance studios on how to prep their dancers, parents who might be interested in their kids pursuing this career.
1:04:55
SPEAKER_01: Any anything you want to share to all of the dancers out there about a day in the life of an NFL cheerleader?
1:05:00
SPEAKER_03: If this is something that you've dreamed of, find a way to make it happen.
1:05:04
SPEAKER_03: It is the opportunity of a lifetime.
1:05:07
SPEAKER_03: You won't regret trying, and you will learn so much about yourself and grow as a human and a dancer.
1:05:15
SPEAKER_04: I 100% agree with everything that she said.
1:05:18
SPEAKER_04: I would just like to add, just always remember that you're enough and that as long as you are authentically being you, that's your superpower, and no one else has that superpower.
1:05:31
SPEAKER_04: And that's what they're looking for.
1:05:33
SPEAKER_04: Like they're looking for these amazing superheroes to come in and represent their brand.
1:05:39
SPEAKER_04: So just always remember that and put your best foot forward and dance a little heart out, and you will not regret it.
1:05:48
SPEAKER_01: We hope you enjoyed our latest episode, all about a day in the life of an NFL cheerleader.
1:05:54
SPEAKER_01: Huge shout out to our guests, Jessica and Madeline, for joining us on this awesome discussion.
1:05:59
SPEAKER_01: Stay connected with them on Instagram.
1:06:01
SPEAKER_01: You can find Jessica at Jess91 and Madeline at Madeline underscore Matico.
1:06:08
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1:06:29
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1:06:35
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1:06:45
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1:06:49
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1:07:23
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1:07:27
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1:07:28
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1:07:36
SPEAKER_00: Stay tuned for episodes coming up, including our next genre spotlight episode on breaking and over sexualization of kids in dance.
1:07:43
SPEAKER_01: Join us next week for some more great episodes on making the impact.
1:07:47
SPEAKER_01: Until then, keep dancing.