The secret is out: The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders could give any football player on the field a run for his money as far as toughness goes. "It's a very demanding job and injuries certainly come with dance," longtime squad director (and 1980s-era cheerleader) Kelli Finglass recently told E! News . "We have a trainer and we spend more time now with prevention of injuries.
" And in case you hadn't noticed when 36 women are leaping into the air and flawlessly executing moves in tight synchronicity, "it can be quite aerobic," Finglass added. "Requires a lot of stamina, a lot of strength and a lot of flexibility." Meanwhile, those are the requirements once the dancers are on the team .
And that only happens after they've made it through the application process, virtual interviews and auditions, a 90-second in-person routine and then a full-on, DCC-choreographed group performance at AT&T Stadium in hopes of being among the chosen who get invited to the team's seven-week training camp, where they learn roughly 50 dances. So, yeah, maybe putting on pads and getting tackled by a 275-pound linebacker would be easier. The pay is famously better.
But as seen on CMT's Making the Team and Netflix 's hit series America's Sweethearts , becoming a member of this hallowed institution that's been around since 1961 remains a goal for countless women deep in the heart of Texas and beyond. "The performances that they will experience are unlike any other," Finglass said, explaining the enduring app.