Harlingen-native Living Her Dream as a Texan Cheerleader
By David Hinojosa
The Monitor
I have never met Amanda Michel in my life.
But within, say, 20 seconds of our first conversation over the phone, I could tell it takes a whole lot to get her down in the dumps. That eternal optimist voice just jumps out. You know it when you hear it.
That optimism spills over full brim these days. As a second-year member of the Houston Texans Cheerleaders, life is good for the Harlingen-native and UTPA graduate.
“I love the Texans and the organization,” said Michel, who graduated from Harlingen South in 2005. “Everyone that works there is great, and we’re all a part of the team. It’s like everyone in the Valley. It reminds me of everyone back home.”
Michel is a proud member of the Texans organization. She’s active on social media, promoting the Texans constantly. She appreciates the opportunity to represent it because it wasn’t an easy climb there.
Michel, 25, graduated from UTPA with an English degree in the spring of 2010. During that semester, she decided to audition for the Texans’ cheerleading squad. She made it to the last stage of the process, which meant a month-long training camp that would determine the team for the 2010 season.
And for her, that meant commuting from the Valley to Houston two to three times a week for rehearsals. She’d get out of class, drive to Houston, drive back to the Valley to return to class the following day. Her parents flew her up and back once to help her cut down on the driving.
“I had a lot of nerves,” Michel said of her feelings during that time. “I still had classes to take. I was stressed out at school. I was hoping that I’d make it on time. Looking back at it, it was a real fun process.”
Michel made appearances on behalf of the Texans cheerleaders as part of that audition. She felt like she was part of the team. Michel had put in all that time and work during that semester only to find out in late March that she did not make the team.
“I was sad, especially to have gone so far,” Michel said. “When you are in the audition camp, you feel like you are on the team. You are wearing the Texans’ gear and the colors. I had to go back home and finish my last semester. I had to figure out what I wanted to do and start my career.”
Although Michel didn’t make the 2010 squad, she was determined to try again.
“I was extremely sad, but I think that’s what gave me that push,” Michel said. “I have always been an optimistic person, but there were times when I felt bad. My parents bought me a round trip flight to and from Houston. I felt like I totally wasted their money when I didn’t make it. But I have no regrets.”
After graduating from UTPA, she decided to move to Houston with the main purpose of trying to make the Texans cheerleading squad. She searched for jobs in the area and landed a spot as a freshman English teacher at Galena Park North Shore High.
The following spring she tried out again and made it, beginning her first season on the Texans’ squad in 2011. That just so happened to be the breakout season for the gridiron version of the Texans. Michel has witnessed the team’s rise first hand.
“Finally, they are getting up there and showing everybody what they are all about,” Michel said. “We’re in the playoffs. We still have things we need to work on, but we are getting better.”
Michel grew up in one of richest parts of Dallas Cowboys’ country. While she skirted the question about whether she was a Cowboys fan growing up — “I’ve always been a big supporter of the NFL,” she says — she is extremely grateful to one person who represented the Cowboys a decade ago.
Michel first came across Nora Cano, a former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, in 2007. Cano was director of the Snakecharmers, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers’ dance group, when Michel first made that squad in 2007. Michel danced for the Snakecharmers for two seasons before deciding to try out for the Texans.
“She really got out there and tried to make a professional team,” Michel said of Cano. “She’s one of the best directors I’ve ever had. I thank her for her passion. I like to say she played a big role to where I’m at right now.”
And right now, Michel is happy. She’s happy to be a Texan. She’s happy to be in Houston. And she’s happy that she didn’t give up.
“I’ve learned that you can pursue your dream and goals,” Michel said. “It might not happen the first time around, but you can make whatever you want a reality.”
The eternal optimist. Always.
