Former Ball State Student Living Her Dream as a Colts’ Cheerleader
By Robby General
Ball State Daily News
In 2012, Olivia was just another college graduate.
Now, she is living her dream, performing in front of 67,000 screaming fans as a cheerleader for the Indianapolis Colts.
“[Making the Colts’ cheerleading team] was incredible,” Olivia, a Ball State alumna, said. “It was a whirlwind. Super stressful, long nights, but definitely rewarding and exciting.”
Olivia’s life quickly changed after becoming a professional cheerleader. She has experienced a number of opportunities, such as traveling to Puerto Vallarta in Mexico earlier this year as part of the squad’s calendar photoshoot.
Between all the travel, late-night practices and tours, Olivia said the 27 women on the team view each other more as family than teammates.
“It’s like a sisterhood. We’re with each other all week every week,” she said, “We all have the same goals … We all have that common bond. We love to dance.”
While at Ball State, Olivia was a part of the Code Red Dance Team, a student cheer organization that performs at numerous school events.
During her time on Code Red, Olivia was coached by Amy Wilkins, whom she credits for motivating and mentoring her throughout her college career.
Prior to Ball State’s home game against Northern Illinois on Nov. 5, Olivia was back in Muncie, only this time as part of the Colts in Motion Tailgate Tour. The tour, which was making its fifth of six college stops across Indiana, featured an interactive traveling museum and gave fans the chance to win autograph memorabilia from Colts’ players and cheerleaders.
Olivia knows nothing can be taken for granted, and so she continues to work hard, use the connections she’s made and look to take advantage of the opportunities she is offered.
“Never give up. Just keep pushing, and don’t let anything get you down,” she said. “If it’s something that you really want and you keep trying, it will happen.”
