TAMUCC graduate and Hammerheads cheerleader makes top 54 finalists for Dallas Cowboys cheer squad

Sarah Acosta
Caller.com
May 14, 2013

A Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi graduate and former Hammerheads cheerleader has made it to the top 54 finalists during the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders tryouts for the 2013 squad.

Cassandra Liska, 27, graduated from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi in 2008 with a Bachelor’s degree in marketing and danced on the Corpus Christi Hammerheads cheer squad, “Lady Hammerheads.”

Liska tried out for the Dallas Cowboys cheerleader squad in 2010 and also made it to the top finalist round. She appeared on CMT’s season 5, “Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team.”

She said being a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader has been a dream of hers for as long as she can remember.

“It’s something you don’t do for the money,” Liska said. “You do it because you love performing and entertaining.”

More than 500 girls from all states and even other countries tried out during the preliminary round on May 4. About 150 auditioners made it to the semifinals round on May 5, where the top 54 rookies were announced.

Liska and the other 53 rookie auditioners will do their final interview rounds Friday and find out if they will be going to training camp Saturday.

“The hardest thing during this whole process is not comparing yourself or letting yourself be intimated by all the other beautiful and talented girls,” Liska said. “And the fact that it is all televised adds a little bit of pressure as well.”

Liska moved to Austin in 2008 when she got a job at the Internet marketing company Reach Local. She married this past summer to Trey Pazderny who met during her freshman year at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

She said her husband has been super supportive through this entire process and has been driving her to the auditions and helping her with football trivia.

This is the first year that fans can vote online for their favorite rookie trying out for the Dallas Cowboys cheerleading squad.

Even if Liska makes it to training camp, which lasts all summer, no one is guaranteed a spot on the squad until the official first game day.

“It’s a long process,” Liska said. “I can potentially relocate my entire life and not even make the squad.”

Despite the difficult and unsure process, she said it’s all worth it.

“I have a contagious personality and want to be able to share it with the Cowboys fans and get people at the games excited,” Liska said.

The rookie who receives the most votes will get a guaranteed invitation to training camp.

Voting is open online at DallasCowboys.com/dccvote until May 17 and will be limited to one vote per email address.

View Cassandra’s profile and try out dance video here.

The auditions for the Dallas Cowboys 2013 cheer squad will be documented in the CMT show, “Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team” and season 8 will air this fall.

Fans can vote for Cassandra here.