Her life’s full of good cheer

Ashley Petry
Star correspondent

May 7, 2011

To Indianapolis Colts cheerleaders, Theresa Pottratz is simply “Mama T.” After working for decades in musical theater, the cheerleading coordinator is now in her fourth season with the Colts, managing everything from emotional auditions to international appearances.

On April 27, she wrapped up the annual three-week audition process, selecting about 35 young women to represent the Colts during the upcoming football season. The process started April 9 with about 200 aspiring cheerleaders, and Pottratz and other judges had been making cuts — many of them painful — every few days since.

What is the audition process like?

In the first round, (the choreography) is fairly short and simple, because we’re looking for overall fitness and whether they can keep a beat. We cut it to 100 girls (on the first day). If they make it through that, they come every Tuesday and Thursday; usually on Tuesdays they learn a routine, and on Thursdays they perform for the judges again. It gets harder and harder, particularly for me, because I tend to get attached really quick, and I have to make those objective cuts without thinking, “Oh, she’s really sweet.”

What are you looking for in terms of appearance?

We really look for athletic, fit girls. It used to be more looking for the anorexic, model type, but that’s not what we’re looking for, because we really want them to be role models.

How do you manage the emotional drama?

One of the things we look for in auditions is girls who can get along. I always tell them, “I don’t need any divas.” You have to get along with all of your teammates . . . you have to be professional. You have to go to an appearance and act like there’s nowhere else in the world you’d rather be.

What is a typical game day like?

We arrive about 61/2 hours (before the game), and we’re the first on the field. We usually practice for an hour, and if we have a halftime show, we practice for two hours. Tyler Mason comes in and starts doing hair and makeup about three hours out, and once the gates open about two hours out, we start doing appearances.

What rules do the cheerleaders have to follow?

The most important rule is how they represent the organization. I feel like they always need to be on top of their game, particularly if they’re at an appearance. Any time they are dressed representing the Colts, they need to behave in the way we expect them to behave.

People joke that athletes’ uniforms are getting larger and cheerleaders’ uniforms are getting smaller. Where do you draw the line?

That’s an interesting conversation we have all the time, because there’s a fine line between being sexy and being slutty. I’m an old-fashioned, conservative Catholic girl, so “Mama T” wants to keep her girls in line.

Have you ever had to break up a player and a cheerleader?

I personally have not. We don’t encourage fraternization, and none of the teams do.

What changes are you seeing in the professional cheerleading community?

I think in general there’s more respect — that they’re beautiful, but they’re also smart, well-educated women, and they’re very talented. . . . We get a lot of requests to come into schools and speak to young girls about achieving their goals. I don’t think we used to do as much of that.

Are you a big football fan?

I’ve always been a big football fan. As soon as the Colts moved here in 1984, my husband and I were excited. It was the same year we got married.

What advice would you offer to aspiring Colts cheerleaders?

Showmanship is huge. You can get away with missing some dance steps if you have a genuine smile on your face.