Colts Cheerleaders Extra
By Danielle Turnbull
Ball State Daily News
Lauren Greene is a senior marketing major at Ball State and is in her second year of cheering for the Colts following years of cheering and dancing in her youth. She grew up surrounded by football because her dad was the football coach for her high school.
“I pretty much grew up on a football field,” Greene said. “I cheered as soon as I was able to in school.”
Four years ago, Greene came to Ball State to cheer for the football team. For her sophomore year, she joined the Code Red dance team. Her fellow dancers on the team encouraged her to try out for the Colts.
“So I just decided to go for it,” Greene said.
Senior dance and exercise science double major Sara Falconer became a Colts cheerleader when a friend of hers wanted to try out for the squad. Her friend had always talked about it, so the two of them tried out together. They looked up information and started going to clinics. Tryouts rolled around, and the two of them made the team on their first shot.
College kept senior telecommunications major Lauren Madden from trying out for the Colts earlier than last April. She was in a sorority and busy with schoolwork. However, now that she’s in her fifth year at Ball State, her schedule has opened up, allowing her the opportunity to try out. She said friends and family helped throughout the process.
“I had a lot of friends on the squad already, and they helped me,” Madden said. “My mom was definitely a huge help. I tried out, and it was probably the most nerve-racking thing I’ve ever done.”
Being a cheerleader for an NFL team is not an easy job. The cheerleaders have two practices a week on Tuesday and Thursday nights from 6 to 9 p.m. They also have 20 community service appearances throughout the state that they’re required to complete each season. These two-hour events include signing autographs and meeting fans in the Indianapolis area.
All members of the squad are required to be at games six hours early, which means they have to be in Indianapolis at 7 a.m. if a game is at 1 p.m. In these cases, they have to leave Muncie by 5:30 a.m.
“It’s an early, early day for all of us,” Madden said.
There’s also a diet and workout plan the cheerleaders must follow. They must workout with their trainer at least once a week. Along with that, they have to make it to the gym four to five times a week.
Despite the rigorous demands, Falconer said her schedule doesn’t bother her or her schoolwork.
“I wouldn’t say that it interferes,” she said. Other than being unable to schedule classes late on Tuesdays or Thursdays, “I haven’t run into any problems at all.”
Instructors on campus help make this easier. Professors have been understanding of the cheerleaders’ situation and allow them to make up work whenever they need to. Greene said that they’re treated like other student athletes on campus. It’s really all about organization.
“I constantly live off a list. I have a list everyday of what I need to get done and what time, and I just go by that list and try not to alter from it,” Greene said.
However, the women won’t even be thinking about schoolwork this weekend as the Colts take on the Jets in the AFC Championship. All the girls are excited for the big event.
“I’m ecstatic about the Colts being in the playoffs,” Madden said. “I mean, I thought the regular season games were fun, but the playoff games are amazing. There are just so many people there and the fans are even more riled up than usual.”
Greene has seen the day coming all along.
“I knew that this team was a really strong team,” Greene said. “We’ve had some really good rookies come in and we had some younger guys from previous years that have stepped up to starting positions.”
Greene said that cheering for the Colts is not just a good gig, but a life-changing experience.
“It definitely made me a very independent person because I’ve had to really rely on myself to be able to stay focused and stay determined and get through school, get through workouts every week and practices and get to and from there and to be able to maintain a part-time job,” Greene said.
Madden said that the experience has led to her meeting other people she never would have met otherwise.
“I’ve met so many girls that I have a lot in common with that I probably would have never met if I hadn’t done Colts, even the girls from Ball State,” Madden said. “It’s just been a great experience. I mean, just saying that you’re a Colts cheerleader is really cool. It’s a great job, why not? You get to throw on your makeup and your rhinestones and go out on the field and dance for fans.”
Falconer agrees but adds that she’s gained much more than responsibility and friends. It has given her the opportunity to be a role model for young girls, especially young cheerleaders. She said they watch her every move.
