DCC Alumni Spotlight – Jacqueline Grice

I grew up in New Mexico, raised by a family who loves the Dallas Cowboys. Since the age of five, I have always wanted to become a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. I was a little girl with big dreams and didn’t have any examples of women to look up to who had achieved their “big” goals.

I spent four years dancing for the University of New Mexico, where I was introduced to Jacqueline Grice, the Spirit Coordinator. Jacqueline turned our spirit program into a collegiate team. She held us to high standards which brought us to a new level. She was the first real life Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader I met. Seeing a woman from New Mexico who achieved her dream gave me hope that I, too, could achieve mine.

The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders audition process is like no other. You may have seen the television show “DCC Making the Team,” but even before the birth of the show, every woman who has earned their boots has put in hours, and years of hard work to achieve this dream. Throughout the grueling process of 4-5 hour practices daily, media training, written tests, and much more, the girls form a bond, a sisterhood, that lasts a lifetime.

Life has now come a full circle, and I recently had the opportunity to interview DCC alum, Jacqueline Grice, several years later, but this time as a DCC sister. She cheered from 1996-1998. I asked her what was the most valuable lesson she learned while on the team, she responded, “I didn’t see this right away, but as I got older, I saw that my years on the team taught me these 3 ‘P’s’ – 1. Preparation 2. Professionalism and 3. Poise. I learned how to look the part, handle stressful situations, and be prepared for the unexpected.”

I personally knew this to be true, as she passed these principals down to us when she was my Spirit Coordinator at UNM several years back. Her time as a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader not only taught her life lessons that would last a lifetime, but also equipped her to inspire thousands of young women in New Mexico, like myself. I am grateful for the time we had in the coach/athlete relationship, but now we have a bond that will last a lifetime. We will forever be DCC sisters.

Jacqueline Grice has paved the way for women from New Mexico to believe that they too can go after their dreams. She has left a lasting impact, not only in the Dallas Cowboys family, but in the state of New Mexico as well. And she has inspired me to do the same for future generations. As Jacqueline would say, “Embrace every day”, because you don’t know when one choice you make today could affect thousands tomorrow.

DCC Kristin