Karmen & Kirsten Nyberg Cheering For The Vikings
From KelolandNews.com
Being a professional athlete is something every child that plays a sport dreams of, even cheerleaders. Two former Lincoln High School cheerleaders dream came true this year with the Minnesota Vikings.
Karmen and Kirsten Nyberg have cheered since they can remember. After graduating from Lincoln in 2010 the fraternal twins stuck together in their hometown to cheer at Augustana. They enjoyed being Vikings so much that they decided to try out to be Minnesota Vikings cheerleaders. After a month of auditions, they got the call.
“My sister got the call first from our coach, Tami, saying that she had made the team. I was standing there and tears were just rolling down my face. I was upset thinking that I didn’t make it, but then I got the phone call and everything was ok. There was about five minutes though I wasn’t sure whether I was going to make it or not,” Vikings Cheerleader Karmen Nyberg said.
“Right away there was a lot of excitement, but also nerves because we had to pack up our lives and move to Minneapolis the following week. It was all worth it and now we are ready to have a great season with the Vikings cheerleaders,” Kirsten said.
The Vikings Head Cheer Coach is Tami Krause. She says the twins from South Dakota stood out among the other 148 cheerleaders vying for 35 spots on the team.
“They have a real spark about them,” Krause said. “When we are doing auditions we truly look for women of excellence with the whole package. They are beautiful, well spoken, fit, athletic, strong, great performers, and they are wonderful fans of the Vikings,” she added.
What started out as a childhood fantasy has become a reality due to the Nybergs hard work and more importantly their strength in numbers.
“Our ultimate dream as cheerleaders and dances was to be a part of the NFL. It is the top level you reach as a cheerleader. Specifically doing it together has been the ultimate goal. We are more than happy to be doing it,” Vikings Cheerleader Kirsten Nyberg said.
The Nybergs will get plenty of practice as the Vikings have five preseason games. The first is the Hall of Fame Game this Sunday in Canton, Ohio against the Steelers.
