Former resident up for spot on Cowboys cheerleading squad

By ANNETTE WHITE Tribune staff writer
Daily Tribune
May 6, 2015

Growing up, Colby Hanks said she remembers watching Christy Van Meter and Brooke Sorenson perform as Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders during the 1990s.

“Those girls were cheering in the Super Bowl,” Hanks said. “Christy was a hometown girl, and Brooke was from Sulphur Springs, but it was amazing getting to live that dream through them as a little girl.”

Hanks said she has always felt like a cheerleader, and that perhaps that feeling is one of the biggest motivations for deciding to try out for the Dallas Cowboys cheerleading squad.

“Growing up, I never really thought one could do this as a part of your career,” she said. “But that dream came back to me. It all happened so fast.”

Hanks, the daughter of Tom and Karen Hanks of Blodgett, graduated from Mount Pleasant High School in 2002. She was a MPHS cheerleader her freshman year before becoming a Tiger Doll her sophomore, junior and senior year.

“I have to say, Tiger Dolls helped me a lot in this,” she said. “The one thing that came back to me and felt pretty natural were those kicks.”

Hanks also graduated from the University of Texas with degrees in finance and Spanish. After completing college, Hanks traveled back to Mount Pleasant to work for her former dance studio, the Academy.

“I had been a part of the pom squad at college, and I had grown up dancing at the Academy there in Mount Pleasant,” Hanks said. “Around the time I graduated, the studio sold to a group out of Dallas and I was able to come in and help run the dance program my first year out of college. It had been a long-time dream to be in a studio environment.”

Hanks recently moved back to America after living in London for the past seven years.

“I was working for Estee Lauder Companies as an online marketing analyst,” she said. “I actually have my British citizenship. I just felt like it was time to come home.”

The decision to leave London wasn’t an easy one for Hanks, who also helped manage a fitness studio, Slice, where she was teaching dance and fitness classes to students of all ages.

“I felt like God was leading me home to greener pastures, but I sure didn’t picture it in the form of a football field,” she said.

Hanks auditioned for the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders last weekend, but she said she has been preparing for this dream for months.

“I was actually watching the Cowboys play in London when I saw the notice about the cheerleaders’ tryouts,” she said. “I moved to Dallas, and I began training in February. It’s been a transition for me, bringing out the performer that’s been dormant for 10 years.”

Hanks said she has also been able to meet many veteran cheerleaders, including Brooke Sorenson.

“Brooke has been really supportive of me through this process,” she said. “She’s given me great tips and feedback.”

Hanks is one of 59 finalists selected from the audition to move on the DCC Vote 2015, where fans can vote for their favorite cheerleader(s). The cheerleader with the most fan votes will receive an automatic invitation to the 2015 Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders training camp.

“Anyone who has watched the show on TV can probably tell you that the real challenges will kick off when we get to training camp,” Hanks said. “You’re able to see how it allows us to take on the full DCC style – how we’re expected to live, dance and interact with people.”

Hanks said the training camp will include everything from makeovers to choreography to character building.

“This is the part I’ve been looking forward to most,” she said. “I would love to be able to be there and train with these coaches and girls that I really admire, who are all incredible women who have a lot to give.”

Hanks said the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders is a squad that celebrates differences, and that the audition and training camp is really all focused on building a team that relates to the fan base and that people can feel connected to.

“The vote ends Friday, and I go back on Friday for my panel interview with Charlotte Jones, Jerry Jones’ daughter. I’ll also be doing a kick routine and dance routine with the other rookie candidates, as well as a solo on Saturday. They’ll announce the results of the fan vote this weekend, and the names of the 43 other candidates who will be invited to training camp,” she said.

Fans can view Hanks’ audition tape and vote online at www.dallascowboys.com/content/dcc-vote-2015. Voting ends Friday, and fans are eligible to vote once per 24 hours.

Regardless of the results, Hanks said she feels incredibly blessed to be able to follow her dream.

“It’s never too late to do something you want to do in your life,” she said. “The truth is, I’ve found my American dream and it’s cheering for America’s team.”