Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders tryouts today require beauty, brains

By Eric Aasen
The Dallas Morning News
May 23, 2009

So, you’re beautiful, you’ve got a great body and you know you can dance. Think you have what it takes to be a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader?

Think again.

You also have to have talent, be comfortable speaking in front of strangers and impress the judges during your interview.

Oh, and you also need to know a thing or two about the world around you.

Can you name one country that borders Iraq?

That question could be on the audition test as hundreds of cheerleader wannabes begin a grueling tryout today at the Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine to make the 2009-10 squad. The test includes 80 to 100 questions covering the Dallas Cowboys football team, the cheerleaders’ history, the National Football League and current events.

Here’s a brain teaser: How many stars are on the cheerleaders’ uniform?

By early June, only 45 will be invited to join cheerleader training camp. When preseason begins, the final crew will be trimmed to 36. Cheerleaders director Kelli Finglass said she’s looking for entertainers who are poised, attractive and confident. But she’s also looking for women who take their roles seriously.

“We’re obviously looking for dynamic performers, but there’s so much involved in this job that has nothing to do with dance,” Finglass said. “That’s why we have to take a more wide-ranging approach in the audition.”

When they’re off the field, the cheerleaders appear at community events and speak at schools. They meet children at hospitals. They perform for the troops overseas.

“It impresses me when we see energy about our football team, about our new stadium,” Finglass said. “It further impresses me when someone knows the tradition of the Dallas Cowboys, the history of the cheerleaders, and when you can tell they pay attention to the world around them.”

Finglass was a Cowboys Cheerleader for five seasons in the mid-’80s. Audition time was intimidating, she said.

“There were times where I certainly thought everyone in the room was a better dancer, prettier and skinnier,” she said.

Meredith Oden has been a Cowboys Cheerleader for two seasons – and she’s hoping for a third. Oden and the other veterans get to skip the first part of the audition. But Oden said it makes sense for vets to have to try out year after year. It prevents them from getting complacent.

This year, Oden’s preparing by staying in shape, eating right, taking care of her hair and skin – and studying.
To do her best on the test, she’s watching the news. She follows the Cowboys and NFL news on ESPN and online, too.

“Whenever I first heard about the test, I laughed and thought, ‘Oh man, I’m going back to college,’ ” Oden said.

But she realizes knowing the answers helps her and the other women, who often field questions from fans and the media. For Oden, cheerleading is in her blood – her mom, Kim, was a Cowboys Cheerleader in the early ’80s.

“It’s always been a dream to be a cheerleader, but as you get older, the reality of the dream comes true,” she said. “It gets harder and harder and you realize how competitive it is.”

Oden tried out in 2005 but didn’t make the final cut. She took a break to graduate from TCU. She made the team in 2007. Oden said her fellow cheerleaders are like sisters.

“There’s so much pride with wearing that uniform,” she said. “Being part of the cheerleaders is special, but being part of the Cowboys family is special, too. I’m part of America’s Team.

“Not many people get to say that.”

CHEERLEADER QUIZ

A sample of the questions – including current-events queries – that could be posed to potential Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders:

1. Where will the Cowboys play their final home game this season?

2. Where will the Cowboys hold their 2009 summer training camp?

3. Name the Cowboys legend who served as head coach for the team’s first 29 years.

4. What year was the Cowboys’ first season in the NFL?

(A) 1960
(B) 1962
(C) 1964
(D) 1965

5. How many stars are on the Cowboys Cheerleaders’ uniform?

6. Who is commissioner of the National Football League?

7. How many yards are in an NFL end zone?

(A) 10
(B) 20
(C) 30
(D) 50

8. Name one country that borders Iraq.

Answers:
1. Cowboys Stadium
2. San Antonio
3. Tom Landry
4. (A) 1960
5. 15
6. Roger Goodell
7. (A) 10
8. Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Turkey and Iran
SOURCE: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders