Texans go virtual to unveil newest cheerleaders
Even during a pandemic, the Texans cheerleaders have spirit. On Thursday, they celebrated the newly selected 2020-21 cheerleaders on Facebook.
Thirty women were picked from more than 500 who tried out virtually.
“We went a little small with the team this year,” Texans cheerleader program manager Casey Potter said. “We looked for rookies who were not only talented but also were adaptable and who could roll with the punches because of what’s happening in the world now.”
They had initially planned to have tryouts in March, then announce the team in April.
The city’s stay-home order changed that. Instead of the in-person tryouts with hundreds of candidates, each applicant was emailed a video of choreography and given a few days to learn it. Tryouts started May 15, and there were no outside judges this year.
“It was so time-consuming to look at every candidate’s video and go back over them,” Potter said, “so we used staff members, full-time staff and alumni cheer staff. It really took a lot of time.”
With the NFL pre-season canceled, the cheerleading team still plans to start virtual practices soon, with the hope of moving to small group practices.
“We are planning like we’re still performing (at) a game, but what the team does on game day is half of the job,” Potter said. “They spend much of their time out in the community.”
The team recently hosted a Bingo with Seniors virtual event in which cheerleaders played bingo with residents in seniorliving facilities. Many of the cheerleaders also have day jobs; some are teachers, forensic scientists, nurses and dental assistants. The Texans releases only the first names of its cheerleaders.
“It’s a challenge to find ways to interact with the community, but no matter what the season looks like, we still have things we can do,” Potter said.