From Augustana Vikings to Minnesota Vikings, Twins from Sioux Falls Cheer Professionally

From KSFY.com

The Minnesota Vikings are now 7-2 and leading the NFC North. Of course the players and fans are happy, but so are the cheerleaders, especially two from Sioux Falls.

Kirsten and Karmen Nyberg are twins and graduates of both Lincoln High School and Augustana College. The two tried out for the Vikings squad this year, and they both made the team on their first try.

“I don’t think we ever fully expected to make it this far, especially on our first try,” Kirsten Nyberg said.

“We grew up as cheerleaders and dancers, so the epitome and the biggest, highest tier you can get in the dance world is to cheer for the NFL,” she said.

After an extensive try-out process, the two waited for that phone call. Kevin Nyberg, the twins’ dad, said he wasn’t sure if they would make the team after seeing all the women who tried out.

“I got to tell you. I left Minneapolis and thought ‘there’s no way they are going to make the team this first year.’ It is that competitive. You have 150 women trying out and 35 make it. I would imagine next year you will even have more women trying out because of the new stadium,” Kevin said.

He also said he was not sure what he would do if one would have made the team and the other had not.

“You do think of that, and especially the day that one of them got the call, and you’re just hoping the other gets the call, so there’s a lot of tension,” Kevin Nyberg says.

Luckily both got the call. “I got the call before Karmen which was funny, but she was kind of panicking, but as soon as I hung up that phone, two seconds later, Karmen found out that she made the team as well,” Kirsten said.

“We were elated, especially being Vikings fans. We get to go up and see them every weekend. We’re having a lot of fun with it as parents also,” Kevin said.

The woman have been cheering at all the home games and doing a lot of meet and greets, especially here in Sioux Falls.

“I thought it was really cool that the Vikings cheerleaders came because they are twins, and I like their uniform,” 2nd grader Isabella Quintanilla said.

Quintanilla is one of many youngsters who participated in the Augustana Cheer Camp put on by the Nyberg’s old cheer coach.

“I was like wow, they’re actually here,”4th grader Grace Hansen said.

“They were so pretty, and I told them about my school,” 4-year-old Brooke Weber said.

“My favorite part was dancing to them because I want to be a cheerleader when I get big,” Brooke added.

“I love that they have taken the time to come back and be with the kids here today as well as my team of cheerleaders and dancers,” Augustana Spirit Squad advisor Jenna Simpson said.

Simpson coached Kristen and Karmen at Lincoln High School and at Augustana College. Simpson was also a teammate of the twins for the Sioux Falls Storm dance team, the Lightning.

“It’s such a phenomenal thing for them to see,” Jenna said. “Sometimes you just get stuck on ‘oh, I’m just in Sioux Falls’ or at this smaller school, but they have done it. They have gone after it and shown that it is an obtainable dream,” she said.

The two say they don’t forget about their South Dakota roots, as they have many fans from back home.

“It’s so exciting to come back here and coming to events like this and the community comes out and supports us. It’s helpful that Minnesota is so close, so we have such a big fan base here,” Kirsten said.

“Everywhere we go when we represent the team, we see people from Sioux Falls, and they are so into it, and so excited to meet us,” Karmen said.

All 35 cheerleaders have to try-out again next season. The Vikings will be in the brand new U.S. Bank Stadium. As Kevin said, and both Kirsten and Karmen added that they agree, they expect many more than 150 women will try out next season because of the perk of the new indoor stadium.