DeKalb alum becomes new Colts cheerleader
Dave Kurtz
FW Daily News
June 5, 2010
AUBURN — A former Auburn resident has survived an intense competition to be chosen as a cheerleader for the Indianapolis Colts.
Megan M. made one of her first official appearances as a cheerleader when a Colts public relations tour visited Angola Thursday. The Colts do not allow publication of their cheerleaders’ last names due to concerns about stalking.
Megan is well-known in Auburn as a recent Miss Indiana. She served as a football cheerleader for four years at DeKalb High School.
“I’m a huge Colts fan,” Megan said, explaining why she auditioned to become a Colts cheerleader. She said she also enjoyed performing in high school as a member of DeKalb’s show choir, and likes public appearances and community-service activities.
“Almost every single one of my aunts,” was a cheerleader, she added. “My mother was a cheerleader. Even my grandfather. He would do backflips across the floor” as a cheerleader in Washington, Ind., Megan said.
The Colts choose 32 cheerleaders every year, and even returning members of the squad must audition again, Megan said.
This year’s competition began with 250 applicants and stretched over the course of one month. The final 65 contestants took part in a runway show with a group dance and judging in swimsuits and evening gowns.
“Sometimes you go to high-profile events. They wanted to see how you carry yourself and your poise,” Megan said, explaining the evening-gown competition.
“When I made it to the interview round, my confidence just went through the roof” because of her experience from scholarship pageants, Megan said.
Megan is looking forward to cheering at her first home game, because she never has attended a game in the Colts’ new Lucas Oil Stadium, she said. She works at a nursing home in suburban Brownsburg as an occupational therapist for residents and outpatients. The nursing home celebrates “Blue Fridays” where residents support the Colts.
Megan said her patients are “really excited” about her selection as a cheerleader, and she hopes some of her fellow squad members will visit the home.
