Whatever Happened To: Cowboys cheerleader Ashley Ferrel

Virginia Olson
The Argus Leader
April 30, 2015

After three seasons as a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, Ashley Ferrel says she is “hanging up her boots.”

Ferrel, a 2004 Washington High School graduate, has been cheering professionally since 2012. But with a master’s degree in counseling and a marriage of five years, Ferrel is stepping away to pursue a career and start a family.

Ferrel was a High Stepper at Washington before she went on to dance at the University of Nebraska for the Scarlets. It was there that she couldn’t let go of the idea to become a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader — to wear the ionic outfit and dance on the sidelines on the biggest stage around, AT&T Stadium.

“I grew up as a dancer,” she said. “I had been involved in dance, jazz and ballet since I was 6. Ballet was my first love. Becoming a dancer was something I always wanted to do.”

Inspired by her mother, Angela Nieman, who owns and directs Champion Legacy Dance in Sioux Falls, Ferrel says she learned the value of hard work.

“My mom taught me by example,” said Ferrel. “She showed me that it takes perseverance to get what you want.”

Ferrel moved to Austin, Texas, in 2010 and received her M.A. in counseling in 2012. That year, she tried out for the cheerleading team, competing against 600 others for one of 39 spots.

Professional cheerleading is a year-round commitment. Ferrel cheered at 10 Dallas football games each season and attended practices three to five nights a week from 7 to 10 p.m., along with making many special appearances.

“Each game day was a workout because you move for three hours straight. The biggest challenge is to keep your energy level on high,” Ferrel said. “It’s so important because the Dallas Cowboy fans are the best.”

But Ferrel admits criticism sometimes seems to follow professional cheerleaders.

“Sometimes it is tough feedback that you don’t want to hear,” she said. “You just have to trust in your heart.”

Ferrel says her career as a professional cheerleader has had highlights, including her work with children and at veterans hospitals in Dallas. Then there were the Thanksgiving Day halftime shows with Kenny Chesney, Selena Gomez and Pitbull, as well as traveling to Mexico to be part of the Dallas Cowboys annual swimsuit calendar.

She admits she is a true Dallas Cowboys fan and has met owner Jerry Jones, calling him “polite and quite sweet.”

Ferrel continues to inspire young girls in Sioux Falls.

“What Ashley has achieved after moving from South Dakota to pursue a personal dream shows determination,” said Carla Thomsen, whose children danced with Ferrel at Washington High. “She serves as a good mentor to other young South Dakota dancers and cheerleaders. Watching what she has accomplished shows that hard work and perseverance will pay off.” Thomsen believes that although Ferrel was a professional cheerleader, she still made it a point achieve her personal career goals.

Ferrel says her husband, Chris, has been supportive of her cheerleading. But, she says, “I am ready to be home with him and enjoy the freedom to go on a vacation when we want.”

She returns to Sioux Falls frequently to be with family and maintains connections with Champion Legacy Dance, meeting up for competitions in various parts of the country.

“I still work with my mom’s studio, traveling back to Sioux Falls to set choreography for competition teams as well as travel with them to national competitions. Just recently I met them in Orlando, Fla., for Dance Worlds.”

Ferrel currently works as an academic adviser at Southern Methodist University and is a licensed professional counselor-intern at New Leaf Clinic in North Dallas. She and her husband plan to remain in Texas. And, of course, she will continue to dance.

For Ferrel, life is all about being true to yourself, finding something that you love and following your dreams.

“To be a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader was a milestone for me. And it was lots of fun,” said Ferrel. “But there are more of those out there to achieve.”