Becoming a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader is one of the most coveted jobs in the dance/cheerleading atmosphere. The women who hold these positions are some of the most recognized cheerleaders in all of sports.

The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders rose to popularity in the 1970s when the cheer squad began to appear in TV commercials or on network specials. Fast forward to 2024, there are shows such as "America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders" or the CMT show called "Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team."

The show "America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders" has expanded onto one of the most popular streaming platforms in the world, Netflix. In this documentary-style show, you see an inside glimpse and get behind the scenes of what it takes to get this job.

Someone from eastern Iowa is part of the squad!

Kennedy Lynn Hannan

According to Woman's Health Magazine, there are 36 members of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleading team and Kennedy Lynn Hannan is a rookie member of the squad. Kennedy is from Marion, Iowa, and was once a cheerleader for the University of Iowa! She is also a social media specialist and her special talent is "being able to talk like a duck."

Get our free mobile app

The article posted on June 20th, 2024, says that "rookies are first-year cheerleaders. They endure an extensive audition process and rigorous training before being able to perform the veteran cheerleaders."

If you visit Kennedy's Instagram page, it appears that she was actually selected to be part of the squad last season, which will make 2024 her second year as a Cowboy Cheerleader, at least as far as I can tell.

It turns out that Cowboy cheerleaders need to re-audition for the team every year. Returning cheerleaders do get to automatically skip to round 3/final audition, according to Visit Arlington.

My Cause, My Boots.

In November of 2023, Kennedy performed for the "Wave of Hope for the Kiddos" for the children of the Stead Family Children's Hospital, as part of the cheer squad's #MyCauseMyBoots campaign.

What Does It Take to Become a Cowboy Cheerleader?

According to the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader website, it takes more than just being a good dancer to make the team. Judges focus on; dance technique, high kicks, splits, showmanship, personal appearance, energy, enthusiasm, poise, figure, and personality.

The next time you watch a Dallas Cowboys football game, be on the lookout for Kennedy cheering the team, and fans, on from the sidelines! Iowa officially has a small piece of one of the most popular cheering squads in the world.