Beaumont Native is Rookie Texan Cheerleader
By HeatherNolan
Beaumont Enterprise
The first time Houston Texans Cheerleader Carrie Kaufman stepped onto the grass at Reliant Stadium, her toes went numb and chills ran up her body.
The gridiron field was nothing new to her – she was captain of the West Brook High School drill team during her senior year, and she was on the University of North Texas dance team.
The 71,500 fans – decked out in red, white and blue – cheering on their hometown team was something Kaufman could never prepare herself for when she hit the turf for the first time this fall.
“It was completely different from a high school or college game,” Kaufman, 27, said recently by phone. “There was so much excitement and everybody was screaming so loud. It was much more fun.”
This is Kaufman’s rookie year with the Texans. She’s hoping that by working as a Texans representative, she can help shake off the negative notions many have about cheerleaders.
“There is a stereotype that cheerleaders are bimbos and don’t have brains, that they are the silliest people,” she said. “But we’re really not. It’s frustrating that people see you that way.”
To be a Texans cheerleader, Kaufman said each woman must be either a full-time student or full-time mom or have a full-time job.
“That’s one thing that makes me really proud to be on the team,” said Kaufman, who works in the public relations department at a Houston-based oil and gas company. “I am a career-driven person. I take my career very seriously, and one of my long-term goals is to make it up the corporate ladder.”
As a member of the cheerleading team, Kaufman said she must make 40 appearances throughout the year at community events, including fund-raisers or charity events. She enjoys the appearances, she said, because it gives her and the other women a chance to get to know their fans and dispel stereotypes.
Each week, Kaufman said every woman on the team is challenged, having to try out to make it on one of the teams that dances during the game.
