Laredoan Kelly Sherwood Closing Out First Season with Texans
By Clara Sandoval
Laredo Morning Times
Every NFL game features personalities that enhance the action without stepping foot on the field. Cheerleaders have become a vital part of NFL teams and earning a coveted spot once is a difficult task, but one Laredoan has achieved this goal twice in her career.
Kelly Sherwood beat out over 1,500 other cheerleading candidates in April to earn a spot on the Houston Texans cheerleading squad which is only comprised of 34 athletes every season.
“This is my first year of being on this team and it is an incredible process,” Sherwood said. “Being one of the top 34 girls is incredible. Just being here cheering for thousands of fans, I can’t describe the feeling. This is amazing and I love what I am doing. I just love performing and I love representing Laredo and making Laredo proud.”
Sherwood still feels the same enthusiasm when she is about to perform in front of thousands of Texans fans that she felt when she first started in the local dance academies including Camelia’s and El Estudio.
“I still get the butterflies prior to each game, just the feeling of performing” Sherwood said. “It is a nervous feeling mixed in with a lot of excitement. It just never gets old.”
Being a cheerleader for a professional team has its perks like visiting Puerto Rico for the annual Texans cheerleader calendar shoot during the summer. However, many do not realize the amount of work that goes into each dance routine in order to make it look flawless when the cheerleaders get in front of thousands of fans every Sunday.
“People just do not know how much work is involved in being a cheerleader,” Sherwood said. “Sometimes we have practices until midnight. We work hard and practice Monday through Thursday, then we have games. We can practice from one to three hours or more, it just depends.”
One of the best aspects of being a Texans cheerleader is the public appearances that Sherwood and the rest of the squad get to do throughout the season to bring happiness to their fans through a variety of events.
“I just love the appearances,” she said. “It was incredible. We went out and gave gifts to the boys and girls and that was just so gratifying. It was an incredible moment. I love going to the hospitals and making an impact doing everything that we do through the organization. I am just so happy to be a part of it.”
When the Texans are in season, Sherwood is very limited in visiting Laredo but it is a place that holds a very special place in her heart since her family still lives in the Gateway City.
“I would love to go and visit more often but I am so busy going to school and cheering,” Sherwood said. “I have been there once this semester for one day. I wish I could go back but I will when the season is over. Right now I am so busy.”
The Alexander High School graduate started her dancing career at the age of four and was involved in a lot of dance academies in Laredo before making her first professional dance team. Two years ago while working on her undergraduate degree, Sherwood made the Dallas Mavericks cheerleading squad to become one of the few Laredoans to hold that distinction. What sets her apart is that she also earned a spot on the Texans cheer squad to become the first Laredoan to be on two different cheerleading squads for different professional teams.
After completing her undergraduate degree in Arlington, Sherwood decided to continue her education at the University of Houston and pursue a master’s degree in speech communication. She also opted to try out for the Texans cheerleading squad and had to juggle finals and the long drive from Dallas to Houston for the tryout process.
“I got into the master’s program and I decided to try out for the Houston Texans cheerleading squad,” she said. “I love performing and let’s see what happens. The first thing that I love about tryouts is it is all about fun. There were over 1,500 girls and it was a big party. Everyone was having fun and just dancing.
“After the freestyle round, you get to do whatever you want to do. The second round you learn a dance and the third round you learn another dance. Then it is finals, interview rounds and then they announced the squad for the upcoming season.”
Dancers were eliminated each round and Sherwood’s dance number kept showing up on the screen indicating that she had advanced. When the moment came for the final squad to be announced, Sherwood was ecstatic to be part of a great organization.
“To be part of this incredible team, I just don’t have words,” she said. “It took a while to process of what I had done.”
Sherwood has to be on top of her game on a weekly basis because she has to compete with the other Texans cheerleader to make the weekly squad that will perform on Sunday. She attributes her success at the professional ranks to dancing and performing with the Alexander dance team during her high school days.
“Being part of the J.B. Alexander dance team has prepared me for the weekly tryouts,” she said. “Even though we are part of the team, we have to try out every week, the same thing that we did at Alexander. Having that experience just paid off because I am used to that routine. I am used to all that hard work and dedication.”
Sherwood encourages anyone who has their goals set high to go out there and make their dreams come true through hard work and dedication.
“I encourage anyone who wants to be an NFL cheerleader. It is just not dancing. We do so many other things,” Sherwood said. “We go and help the community. We have done so many appearances that are just touching and incredible. This does not even feel like a job because I love it so much.
“I feel sometimes being in Laredo people think that they are not going to make it, that it is too hard. I would like to tell them if you believe it you can do it. I always dreamed of being an NFL cheerleader and it is awesome to see your dreams come true. All that hard work paid off. This is something that I dreamed of and to be going out there and performing in front of thousands of people is a great feeling. Just entering the stadium and performing is so much fun.”
