Colts Cheerleaders salute the troops, and enlist some to dance in a USO halftime show

Dateline Indianapolis: Local officials report the unusual occurrence of throngs of young men, literally in the thousands, patiently sitting under apple trees throughout central Indiana for no apparent reason. Investigators are perplexed, with the only common thread among these men being that they were present for the halftime performance at the most recent Colts home game at Lucas Oil Stadium. This behavior, clinically known as the “Isaac Newton Phenomenon,” has not been observed in Indiana since World War II.

In recent seasons, during the Colts home game near Veterans Day, the Colts Cheerleaders participate throughout the game in a salute to the troops. The squad dons four sets of really cute, and truly unique, uniforms that represent the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines branches of the military. Throughout the game day schedule of the November 4th Colts-Miami game, recognition of those that serve in the military was the theme of the afternoon. For instance, as the Colts Cheerleaders lined up for pre-game introductions, each of the Colts ran onto the field with a member of the military, with their families cheering.

Through the years, the Colts Cheerleaders have travelled the world to visit military bases and participate in USO shows, but on this day, the Colts Cheerleaders brought a World War II era USO show home, to the 50 yard line of Lucas Oil Stadium. Active military personnel circled the stage as three of the Cheerleaders grabbed microphones to sing. Allie J, Megan M, and Stefanie B performed of “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else but Me).” Truthfully, based on the faithfulness to the original and getting the sound right in the big stadium, I assumed they were lip synching until I learned later, nope, they were belting out the Andrews Sisters hit themselves, live! The Andrews Sisters, who were kind of the Spice Girls, but without the spice, of their day, would have been proud of the Colts Sisters version.

After the singing, the Colts Cheerleaders began a swing dance routine, with the participation of some active military personnel. The Cheerleaders and Cheerleader Coordinator Theresa Pottratz really enjoyed seeing the dance partners take their parts so seriously, some without much notice that they would be on center stage. I guess that is the sign of military preparedness that we benefit from every day. The Cheerleaders donned WWII era inspired costumes, and the Colts Junior Cheerleaders joined in as well.

UltimateCheerleaders thanks Theresa and the Colts Cheerleaders for all of their help, and throughout the year for all of their work to support the military! Also, thanks to the Colts Pam Humphrey for her wonderful assistance.

There are more photos of the game below and also an extensive gallery at this link.