It's been a long and hard road for members of the newest Texans cheerleading squad, but none of the cheerleaders had a longer route than Lynnette to make the team. This was her fourth year trying out and it proved to be the most rewarding and also nerve-wracking.
After four tries she finally had her foot in the door. It was just going to be a tougher road getting in the door than the other cheerleaders had to take. She was one of three women vying for the final spot on the team. The squad was selected on April 18, but Lynnette, along with two other finalists, was forced to wait until fan voting on the Texans' website was tallied and announced May 10.
"It was bittersweet definitely," Lynnette said. "I was ecstatic that I wasn't completely out, but at the same time it's so emotional already trying out for the squad. It was really emotionally exhausting. But I still had it in the back of my mind that this could still be a reality for me, so I had to stick it out."
Luckily for Lynnette, she had a tremendous fan base she didn't anticipate.
"You go through your day and you never really realize how many people are in your corner until you have to do something like this," Lynnette said. "I work for a bank, so that is a big number right there as far as the employees standing behind me. Come to find out, the email that I sent to maybe 10 or 12 people here in the company ended up going to London and India. All the employees got together and stood behind me. You never know how big your network is until you have to do something like this. I felt like a little politician."
With her dream finally realized this past week, Lynnette remembers the road she took and some of the disadvantages she faced. She was a member of the ROTC drill team in high school, and she was also pushed academically, not leaving much time to pursue her dream of dancing. She didn't perform in front of a crowd until her first Texans cheer tryout in 2003.
"Going to high school and middle school, my parents kind of reinforced academics," she said. "Dance and cheer is not really what they saw me doing. One year I just said 'I'm 20 and this is what I want to do, this is what I've always wanted to do.' I was thinking there is no time like the present. Just go out there and see where I land."
Now the hard part is over, sort of. Lynnette can now look forward to meeting her new teammates and getting started with practices in June and getting on the field in August to cheer for her team.
"I'm really looking forward to the Texans really wowing everybody this year," Lynette said. "I feel like the changes that have been made with the football team will definitely wow the fans this year. And also the awesome cheerleading squad we have this year. I'm looking forward to a great season."
Click here to go to the Houston Texans Cheerleader home page.
