Turning defeat into victory
After being cut in the second round of tryouts in 2015, a Texans cheerleader used the experience to find success.
The first time Morgan auditioned to be a Houston Texans cheerleader in 2015, she was cut after the second round.
It was hard enough to deal with the loss, but her family, who drove in from Louisiana to cheer her on, was in the audience to witness her defeat. Afterward, they all went to IHOP, where Morgan drowned her sorrows in pancakes.
“It was so devastating,” said the 25-year-old, who laughs about it now. She earned a spot on the team the next year. “I had to regroup and focus on the things that were going right in my life. I took that energy and turned it into something positive.”
On Saturday, Morgan will be among hundreds vying for one of the 34 spots on the team. Even current cheerleaders are required to tryout for the upcoming season. (For safety reasons, they only go by first names.)
Morgan, a graduate of Grambling State University in Shreveport with a degree in kinesiology, moved to Houston right after college to start an internship at Methodist Hospital. She had attended college on both academic and athletic (track and field) scholarships.
Although she knew no one in Houston, she found a job she loved as a behavioral health specialist, working with psychiatric patients at a medical center in west Houston. She also was recently accepted to medical school.
Still, Morgan, who was a cheerleader in high school and always ran track, wanted to be a Texans cheerleader.
“I was really prepared,” said Morgan about her first tryout. “I took cheer prep and dance classes. I was in shape, but I didn’t quite have the look. I never modeled or had pageant experience. You know, in Texas, everything is bigger — the hair, makeup — and costumes have bling, and you gotta have boots.”
Morgan started following Texans cheerleaders on social media to study their look, not just their cheerleading skills.
In 2016, she was the 989th person to audition and thought none of the judges would be paying attention at that point. But Morgan’s makeup, including fluttery eyelashes, was flawless. She had added extensions to give her more volume for hair tosses, and she wore boots.
“I went to that audition like I was claiming my spot. I did a tumbling routine that wasn’t even a part of the choreography. They were going to notice me.”
They judges did notice, and Morgan made the team.
While some of the cheerleaders are college students, others, like Morgan, have full-time careers. It’s a challenge juggling it all, especially the workouts, she said.
Morgan starts the day off at 6 a.m. with a 20minute cardio workout that includes 10-second full sprint on a treadmill, then ab work, then back to the treadmill.
She eats a hearty breakfast of egg whites, Brussels sprouts, half of a banana, a slice of white toast and a protein shake.
By 9 a.m., she’s at work, where she monitors the behavior of patients who in a “crisis time in their lives.” She often practices her cheerleading routines in the break room.
Texans cheerleading practices are held three times a week and every day of the week when there are consecutive Texans games.
To stay in top shape, Morgan works out nearly every day using resistance bands, a jump rope and 10-pound weights following exercises provided by Texans’ cheerleader trainer Shawnette Shields and adds Pilates and hot yoga classes when she can.
“It’s a part-time job, but it’s a full-time commitment,” Morgan said. “You are an ambassador for the team. We’re not just pompoms and flawless makeup.”
Morgan was featured in the Texans swimsuit calendar in 2016 and 2017, yet, she says what she enjoys most are the game days and personal appearances.
“I love seeing the little girls’ faces when we see children because I was that little girl. When you put on your uniform, you become a superhero to them.”