Team Spirit: Salem Woman Joins Patriots Cheerleading Squad
By Nathaniel Snow
Salem Gazette
The fall season has quickly come to New England and that means three things: apple picking, Halloween and football.
Rabid Patriots fans have been gathering all throughout New England, watching the local gridiron gang fight their way back to dynasty status. One local fan has a front-row seat for each and every exciting play — in fact, she takes part in all the game-day action.
Siobhan O’Keefe, a 2008 graduate of Salem High School and current UMass-Amherst student, is one of the newest members of the New England Patriots Cheerleaders.
O’Keefe, who was born and raised in Salem, got her start at Dance Enthusiasm on Mason Street, where she started taking dance classes at the tender age of 3.
“Because I loved to dance I thought I would also like cheerleading,” said O’Keefe, “so when I went to Salem High I joined the football cheerleading team and had a blast! To this day my favorite part of high school is the pep rallies.”
When her academic path led her to UMass-Amherst, O’Keefe was faced with the choice of dance or cheering, since both teams require major time commitments at the college level. She chose the UMass dance team and was part of the team that claimed second place at the 2009 National Dance Team Championships in Daytona, Fla.
“It was at a dance team practice that a few teammates were talking about trying out for the New England Patriots Team and of course I wanted to join,” said O’Keefe. “Since I was 18 I have always dreamed of going [to the Patriots tryouts]. Every Sunday my family would get together for dinner and watch the Patriots games.”
With the chance of fulfilling this dream, O’Keefe joined three of her dance teammates on the two-hour trip to Gillette Stadium on a cold February morning to participate in the competitive tryouts. The selection process, which takes place between February and March, involves a preliminary round where the women perform their own freestyle dance routine followed by a choreographed routine. Cuts are then made to determine the finalists.
“You just never know when you try out for something what the judges are looking for,” said O’Keefe of the rigorous selection process. “You could be the best dancer in the room but if you’re missing something they still might not take you. You just got to go in, give it your all and hope for the best.”
This upbeat attitude worked wonders for O’Keefe, as she was chosen to join the Patriots Cheerleaders this season, a task which she now has to balance with her studies as she pursues an accounting degree. O’Keefe admits that taking on this responsibility while attending school can be challenging, but she also feels that it has its benefits.
“I have to be extremely organized all the time and that has taught me great time-management skills,” said O’Keefe, who graduated eighth in her class at Salem High. “I always need to know when my assignments are due and when to study for tests because I have to fit that around my practices, promos and games for the Patriots.”
All this juggling of time and attention pays off for O’Keefe when she gets to be a part of one of the most exciting sporting events that New England has to offer, as she takes the field with her teammates to cheer on the Pats each Sunday at Gillette Stadium.
“Game days are the best,” the 20-year-old said. “All of our hard work gets put to the test when we go out on the field to do our dances and cheers. I have danced and performed my whole life and going on the field in front of 70,000 fans is most definitely the best experience ever!”
O’Keefe was front and center for last weekend’s overtime thriller against the Baltimore Ravens.
“This past Sunday was so intense,” said O’Keefe. “They went back and forth trying to be the first team to score and I was right there cheering them on, being a part of such a great win.”
Being a Patriots cheerleader is not just about what happens on the field during games, though, as O’Keefe has realized in her first season with the team. The women are responsible for appearances at charity and fundraiser events for many local and national causes.
O’Keefe has participated in events such as traveling to Gardner, Mass. to fundraise for a new healthcare center in Haiti and meeting with Special Olympic athletes at Gillette.
“We just do it all,” O’Keefe exclaimed.
O’Keefe hopes she will have the opportunity to travel with her team, as some cheerleaders have, to promote the NFL in China and London, and also make trips to Iraq to meet with the soldiers stationed there.
O’Keefe is proud of what she’s accomplished and realizes there are many women out there who would love to be in her place. To them, she has these words of advice:
“Keep practicing, dancing and cheerleading of course, but also try and be the best person you can be. Because whether you are a Pats cheerleader or not, at the end of the day you need to be proud of yourself knowing that you have done your very best.”
