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Aggielife
The Battalion
Page 3 • Tuesday, June 15, 2004
This Texan has talent
Former Texas Aggie Dance Team member replaces Reed Arena with Reliant Stadium
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By Lydia Adams
THE BATTALION
Some say cheerleading is all about
beauty but. as Celina, Class of 2004 and
former Texas Aggie Dance Team mem
ber will attest, making the Houston
Texans professional cheerleading squad
takes skill, dedication and motivation.
"They want girls that have brains,
beauty and talent,” said Celina, whose last
name is withheld under Texans bylaws.
As her senior year at A&M wound
down, Celina began searching for jobs in
professional dancing and performing;
although she didn’t have experience in
cheerleading, she decided to give it a shot.
“1 was looking into the Houston
Rockets and Dallas Mavericks, but
started considering football,” she said.
Houston was her first choice because
there she could be near family, work at
her father's advertising agency and still
continue to do what she loves; dancing.
Celina said competing against 1,200
talented women, some who had
already been on the Texans squad, was
rather daunting.
“1 didn't think 1 would make it,” she said.
But Celina, who has danced since sev
enth grade, had just what the Houston
Texans recruiters were looking for when
she stepped into Reliant Stadium in April.
Celina’s friends, family and coach
never doubted her abilities. Celina’s
mom, Maria, played the ultimate sup^
portive role, even registering to try out
to be by Celina’s side.
"They said everyone except partici
pants had to leave, so me and some of the
other mothers signed up and we were
allowed to go in,” Maria said. “Once they
started dancing, I think I pulled a muscle,
but we got to see the first tryouts.”
Texas Aggie Dance Team coach
Jennifer Hart encouraged Celina to be a
professional cheerleader.
“1 knew she would do well,” Hart said.
“She’s very motivated and responsible.”
Ashley Breitigam, a senior psychol
ogy major and friend of Celina’s from
the Texas Aggie Dance Team, said she
knew Celina would make it.
"The Texans wanted dancers who
had an all-around package, and she’s a
sweet, attractive, talented and smart
girl,” Breitigam said.
The two-week tryout process nar
rowed the hopefuls from 1,200 to 75,
who learned several dances and practiced
together until the last 36 were chosen.
The biggest factor in making it was
a dancer’s technique, Celina said.
Celina attributes her preparation to
the type of dancing she practiced while
on the Texas Aggie Dance Team, but
she also has experience from her days
at Oakridge High School near Houston
where she was colonel of her drill team.
Celina said a benefit of her experi
ences on A&M’s dance team has been
her ability to handle a hectic lifestyle.
Balancing 11 hours of practice a
week, performances and a full course
load took a lot of work to dance through
college, but it was worth it, she said.
"Anytime you are a part of an organ
ization, you learn to plan your time,”
Hart said. “That will help her a lot as she
juggles a full-time job and practices.”
As a cheerleader, Celina is not just
encouraged to be well rounded, but is
required to have a full-time job in addition
to the practices, games and appearances
she does for the Texans. Contrary to popu
lar belief, cheerleaders aren’t
paid a high salary.
“You do it because you love
it,” Celina said.
“A high point of the job is
making required appearances to
the public,” she said. "We recent
ly visited 2,()(X) Marines about to
fly out to Iraq. It was great.”
Although she left friends
on the Texas Aggie Dance
Team, Celina said she is
becoming close with her fel
low Texans cheerleaders.
“It’s a tight squad,” Celina
said of the Texans. “The girls are
so friendly and we mesh really
well. They're a great group.”
“She’s definitely goal-ori
ented. She wanted to dance
after college and look what she
did,” Breitigam said. “Ever
since she got in, I've been
thinking about trying out.”
As for Celina’s future plans,
they include her life's passion of
dance and her drive for success.
“I’m not ready to retire my
pom-poms yet,” Celina said.
Randal Ford • THE BATTALION
Celina was one of 36 dancers chosen for the 2004
Houston Texans professional squad.
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