The truth is that many people who watch women's sports have ulterior motives. Not to say that their athleticism and impressive skills aren't appreciated, only that they draw in massive attention also because of their uniforms. Regardless, we still have several celebrated female athletes who have set records and proven that they are forces to reckon with, even off the field. We are talking about sports stars like Serena Williams and her sister Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, Linsey Vonn, Danica Patrick, and Mia Hamm.
However, today we want to focus on the world of American football and, to be more precise, the cheerleaders. The sport dates back to more than a century ago when only men made up cheering squads. Women joined in 1923, and it wasn't long before they dominated these teams. The reality series Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team introduced us and made us better acquainted with this list of notable cheerleaders.
Emily “Starr” Spangler
Emily "Starr" Spangler appeared in three seasons of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team. She initially made the squad as part of the 2006–07 squad and later returned for 2007–08 and 2008–09 seasons. She exchanged vows with Tyler Rey in 2013.
Starr competed alongside her brother Nick in the 13th season of the reality competition show The Amazing Race. Despite their lack of travel experience, they finished first and won the race. Her LinkedIn page says that she works as the Senior Manager of the Change Management and Global Recruitment Operations at Facebook.
Jordan Chanley
Jordan Chanley grew up in New Mexico and tried her luck at the Miss New Mexico pageant. She fared well and earned the Miss Congeniality title in addition to getting to the top ten. Chanley earned a degree in education, hoping to impart knowledge to children who she believes are the future.
Chanley decided to try out for Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (DCC) because of her love for dancing. She appeared during the third season of Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team (DCC: MTT) and returned as a veteran for the fourth, 11th, and 13th seasons. Chanley lives in Rockwall, Texas, with her husband and their adopted son.
Brittany Evans
Brittany Evans was part of the DCC between 2008 and 2012 with her rookie year during the show's third season. In a heartfelt farewell post that she wrote, Evans said that being one of America's Sweethearts had been the biggest blessing in her life. She even had the opportunity to go on a South Korea tour with the United Service Organizations (USO) during her rookie year.
Evans is married, and in fact, her husband Blake, as well as her mother, accompanied her on the eight-hour drive from Mississippi to the Texas Stadium to try out for the DCC. She also shared her plans to coach little girls in dancing.
Melissa Rycroft
Melissa Rycroft studied dance from an early age and was the first lieutenant of her high school drill team. She majored in marketing at the University of North Texas, and after graduating, she auditioned for the DCC. She joined the squad in 2006 and stayed on until 2008. Since 2009, Rycroft has served as a recurring guest assistant/judge/mentor.
Rycroft featured on the 13th season of The Bachelor and the 15th season of Dancing with the Stars. She has also appeared in several other reality shows, including Redneck Island and Bachelor Pad. She is married to Tye Strickland, and they have three children.
Jennifer Nix
Jennifer Nix danced for the Dallas Mavericks between 2003 and 2005. She then had her rookie season with the DCC squad in 2006 and appeared on the first season of DCC: Making The Team. She returned to the show as a veteran during the 2007–08 season, and she retired going into the 2008–09 season.
Nix also achieved her life-long dream of working at Walt Disney World as a dancer and character performer between 2009 and 2011. Nix then joined Dana's Studio of Dance, a drill company based in Coppell as a dance instructor.
Gina Ligi
Gina Ligi started dance class at the San Diego Dance Center when she was two and a half. In 2015 she shared her goal of becoming an NFL cheerleader, explaining that dance will always be part of her life, and without it, she wouldn't be who she is.
Her hard work paid off because she joined the DCC during the 2017 season and returned as a veteran for the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Ligi plans to get into choreography on a larger scale. She also envisions opening a training facility to accommodate hopefuls who want to join the dance industry.
Amy Reese
Amy Reese grew up with the dancing bug, and she trained in all forms of dancing, but pointe and ballet were her favorites. She joined the drill team in high school. She later co-captained the Southern Methodist University's squad to finish first twice at the Daytona-based National Dance Alliance Collegiate Cheer and Dance Championship.
When she graduated from SMU, she became part of the DCC. Her time with the squad saw her travel worldwide and entertain the U.S. military troops in different regions. Reese was also able to better and hone her performing and dancing skills while on the squad. Reese left the DCC when the 2010 season kicked off.
Brittney Schram
Brittney Schram first tried out for the DCC during the 2010 season, but she was cut. She tried again the next year and ended up staying with the team for the next four seasons. Schram grew up in Dallas, Texas, and she revealed that she is a descendent of gypsies from her mom's side of the family.
Schram also sets out to prove that cheerleaders are more than just their good looks and dancing skills. She shared an Instagram post showing how she teamed up with her teammate Holly Arielle to jump a car battery. Schram retired from the DCC following the 2015 season.
Mia Greenhouse
Mia Greenhouse grew up in Texas when she started dancing from the age of three, and she cheered throughout her time in high school. She tried out for the DCC and said that she hoped to make an impact on others the same way cheerleaders had a great impact on her life.
Greenhouse spent five years with the DCC after joining the squad in 2009. She appeared on the fourth season of DCC: Making the Team and returned for the show's fifth to eighth seasons. She retired following the 2014 season.
Abigail Klein
Abigail Klein started learning just about every dance form from lyrical jazz, ballet, tap, and hip hop when she was nine years old. Fresh out of high school, Abigail Klein made it on the DCC squad in 2007. She gained prominence on the team and gained even more fame when she dated former NFL star Troy Aikman in 2012.
Klein retired following the 2010 season. Klein also tried her luck at acting, and she ended up starring opposite Adam Sandler in a couple of movies. She has also appeared in Transformers: Age of Extinction, That's My Boy, and Butterfly Caught.
Mackenzie Lee Weeks
Mackenzie Lee Weeks joined DCC: Making the Team in its sixth season, and being an underdog won her widespread admiration. The odds were stacked against her, and it didn't seem like she would make the team despite being the total package. Her inability to get the kicks high enough was the issue she faced.
Her hard work paid off, and she made it on the squad. Hailing from Saint Augustine, Florida, Mackenzie attended Florida State University and cheered for the school's squad. Mackenzie got married to Miles Alan Terry in 2014.
Whitney Isleib
There's no denying that Whitney Isleib has the looks and skills to command attention on the field as a cheerleader. It doesn't mean that she hasn't made some questionable decisions, like when she dressed up as rapper Lil' Wayne for Halloween and topped it off with a black face.
Isleib advises girls who want to join the DCC to be true ladies. She says that it requires having the dance skills as well as being physically fit. Isleib also added that cheerleaders are more than that, and they are intelligent women with big hearts. She retired from the squad after the 2013 season.
Rachel Wyatt
Rachel Wyatt grew up dancing, and it led her to the world of pageantry. She was the first runner up during the Miss America pageant held in 2017. The following year she joined the DCC, which she thinks is somehow similar to the pressure she experienced competing for Miss America.
Wyatt says that you can only do your best, and the rest is up to a higher power. She also says that both expect you to be more than just a pretty face. She's presumed to get back on our screens as a veteran for the 2020 season of DCC: Making the Team.
Heather O'Connor
Heather O'Connor grew up in Arizona, and she played volleyball when she was at Ironwood Ridge. O'Connor even tried her luck at pole vaulting, but she always felt drawn to dance. While attending the University of Arizona, she perfected her skills as part of the Arizona Pom Line. In 2016, she joined the DCC.
Since then, she's appeared in the 12th, 13th, and 14th seasons. She was named Veteran of the Year after the 2018 season and Rookie of the Year when she joined the squad. O'Connor retired following the 2020 season.
Kelsi Reich
At 17, Kelsi Reich participated in a national dance competition where she caught the attention of Shelly McCaslin, a former DCC recruiter. McCaslin asked Reich to audition for the DCC, but she had to wait a year to turn 18, but she got a bypass to skip the preliminaries.
Her rookie season was in 2008, and she recounted that her teammates made her feel right at home. Reich went on four USO tours and said that she loves what they stand for, vowing to support the military forever. Kelsi retired following the 2012 season.
Sunni Cranfill
Sunni Cranfill spent three seasons with the DCC after joining in 2009. She was cut after her first year, but she was determined to get back on the squad the following season. Cranfill quit the team following the 2012 season to embark on the next chapter of her life.
Cranfill got married and fully settled into what she loves most, and that is being a mom. She explained that she wants her children to grow up understanding the value of hard work and that it's the element they need to achieve their dreams.
Alyssa Sarasani
Alyssa Sarasani is from Thailand, but she grew up with her family in Texas. She only spoke Chinese and Thai until the age of five, when she learned English. As a child, she watched Cowboys games with her dad, and that started her journey to join the coveted cheering squad.
Sarasani said that she hopes to be a role model for young girls who are not blue-eyed or blonde-haired. She aims to let them know that there are different faces of what it means to be an all-American girl. She spent one season with the team and retired in 2011.
Brandi Kilby
Brandi Kilby retired in 2010 after spending one year with the DCC. Kilby tried out for the squad in 2008 and didn't make it. She chose not to give up, and in 2009 she made it on the team. Kilby had never cheered before that, for she graduated with a degree in criminal justice from Southeast Missouri State University.
Kilby explained that they are, in an actual sense, dancers, and they don't chant or perform routines as most people believe. She relocated to Texas after making it on the team, and besides cheering, she took online classes. Kilby also still made time for her friends despite her busy schedule.
Amy Leonall Feril
Amy Leonall Feril has spent five years with the DCC after joining the team in 2015. She retired going into the 2020 season with accolades, including being the 2020 Pro Bowl Representative and Point. Feril co-owns a dance studio where she teaches babies the art of dancing.
Her husband, who co-owns the studio, proposed to her when they staged their first dance recital. She also works with Sarah Gourley, who she expressed was a huge mentor. Feril says that running the business is a true blessing and her daughter also learns dance at the studio.
Tobie Percival
Tobie Kay Percival became a DCC member in 2006 and retired in 2011 after spending five years with the team. Given that physical fitness is a huge part of being part of the DCC, Percival gave SportsRec her tips on staying in top shape, saying that breakfast should always be part of everyone's morning.
She also recommends eating nutritious snacks throughout the day and mostly consuming lean proteins. Percival explained that you'd feel less hungry when you eat at frequent intervals throughout the day, as the day progresses. She also recommends having healthy snacks at hand like fruit, almonds, and crackers.
Natalie Woods Stanyer
Natalie Woods Stanyer retired in 2008 after spending a season with the DCC. She attended the Panola College and served as the Panola Pipers show choir's choreographer. Stanyer also participated in several musicals staged by the school's drama department. The school recognized her as their 2018 Alumna of the Year. After the DCC, Stanyer switched over to TV.
She worked as a reporter for Dallas-based WFAA-Channel 8, ABC in Austin, and KVUE-TV. Stanyer also returned on DCC: Making the Team as a producer. She shares three children with her husband, Joseph.
Crystal Cavender
Crystal Trevino retired in 2011 after spending 3 years with the team. She got inspired by her sister Trisha to join the squad. As per tradition, she deployed to the Middle East with the DCC in December 2019 to perform in USO shows.
Crystal adopted her husband's last name, Cavender, after they tied the knot in 2010. Several DCC members attended the big day and took part in the ceremony at the Bahamas as her bridesmaids. Trisha Trevino, Kandi Harris, Michelle Keys, Brooke Sorenson, and Jordan Baum were part of her bridal party.
Candice Carr
Candice Carr became one of America’s Sweethearts in 2007 and appeared in the second season of DCC: Making the Team. She retired after spending one year on the squad. Carr then launched the Social Photo Booths based in Canada. The company provides photo booth rental services in the Edmonton, Alberta region.
She also lent her voice for the 2009 documentary Against The Tide. She's amongst the list of former DCC members who have also kept a relatively low profile since leaving the squad, and not much is known about her these days.
Evan Anderson
Evan Anderson became a DCC in 2009, and she did it for the service side. Working with the armed forces is a way to offer some much-needed entertainment to the troops while deployed at various locations worldwide. She brushed shoulders with Sarah Gourley from her dance background in Texas.
Anderson and Gourley were even roommates at some point. Gourley explained that Anderson was very shy, but she had to step out of her comfort zone because being a DCC meant being outgoing. She must have found her rhythm eventually because Anderson spent two years with the DCC before retiring in 2011.
Brennan Cook
At the age of three, Brennan Cook started learning dance, and she grew up taking part in dance competitions. She then attended the University of Oklahoma, and once she graduated, she launched an insurance company. She still pursued her ambition to join the DCC, and she made it on the team in 2018.
Cook made it work with her days starting at 5 AM when she practiced routines they had learned. She would follow through with her insurance job from 7 to 7.30 AM, and the rest of the day would be dedicated to the DCC. After two years with the DCC, she got cut in 2020.
Caroline Sundvold
Caroline Sundvold hails from Missouri, and her love affair with dance began at the age of three. Sundvold danced her way through high school, and she also joined the University of Missouri's Golden Girls. She says that her father has been her greatest role model.
Sundvold's dad played professional basketball for Miami Heat, the Seattle SuperSonics, and the San Antonio Spurs. He advised her to always believe in her capabilities and to chase after her dreams. In her rookie season in 2018, she faced navigating financial classes and the training camp. Sundvold nailed it, and she's expected to return for the 2020 season.
Madeline Molloy
Madeline Molloy tried out for the team, and she got cut because she wasn't confident enough. Molloy, who is from Illinois, explained that she had been overwhelmed during her rookie year at the training camp by the talent around her. It got the best of her, and she felt gutted not being able to join the squad.
Molloy says that getting cut made her grow and put more effort into dancing. She didn't give up and was fortunate enough to get a second shot, and so far, she's spent two years with the DCC. She's expected to return as a veteran for the 2020 season.
KaShara Garrett
KaShara Garret became a DCC in 2015, and she earned the Rookie of the Year recognition. After meeting during auditions, she moved in with Raylee Stearman, and both of them made it to the training camp. KaShara made a gamble and spent the better part of her savings to make the move to Texas, and it was worth it.
KaShara spent four incredible years with the DCC before retiring in 2019. Her list of achievements with the squad also includes being on during the 2018–19 season and 2017–18 season and Pro Bowl 2018 Representative.
Jennifer Colvin
Jennifer Colvin, who also goes by Jennifer C and Jennifer Alexis, became a DCC in 2012. Colvin moved from D.C. to chase after her dream leaving behind a finance position at Lockheed Martin as well as her family. While essentially starting afresh was tough, she said that she wouldn't have it any other way.
Colvin ended up rooming with Kim Nicole and later with Brittney Schram and Mackenzie Lee. She decided to teach Zumba while she figured out her job situation, and while it was a gamble, things worked out. Colvin ended up spending three years with the DCC, and in 2015, she retired.