DCC Alumni Spotlight – Bobbi Claar Quigley
Bobbi, affectionately called her full maiden name ‘Bobbi Claar’ (pronounced Claire) by Kelli Finglass, was only 18-years-old when she first auditioned for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders in 1999. This was not the normal, says Bobbi; the majority of the ladies who made up the team that year were above the age of 24, and up to the age of 35. Originally from Plano, Texas, Bobbi was an officer on her drill team and then a cheerleader at Plano East Senior High before deciding to try out for the DCC her senior year. To courageously audition at that age was an amazing goal, and to go forward and actually make the team, as Bobbi did on her first audition, was an even greater accomplishment!
Bobbi went on to cheer a successful two seasons right at the turn of the century. Simply being a part of the huge organization that is the Dallas Cowboys was one of Bobbi’s proudest moments. “Just being a part of something that big and well known at such a young age was an achievement in itself,” she says. “So many favorite memories come to mind, so many different moments and feelings. The best feeling was knowing I was on the team when the picture was officially revealed.” Being a Texas native, Bobbi had her family close by to be a part of her experience as well. “I was Game Day Girl my second year, and my mom and sister were actually at that game!” She also enjoyed participating in community appearances such as hospital visits and nursing homes visits around the Dallas area. But the out-of-state appearances were some of the most exciting for a 19-year-old. “It was fun to see how many fans there were in different states and to get to know other cheerleaders better just by being with them in a different atmosphere,” Bobbi says about her most memorable times. “My favorite trip was a visit to Chicago with one other cheerleader, our director Kelli, and her assistant Rachael. We ate at the coolest restaurants and even met Mike Ditka, the Chicago Bears coach and his wife. It was amazing.”
Today, Bobbi credits much of her success in her New Homes sales career to the lessons she learned as a cheerleader for the Cowboys. While still a DCC, she began working in the title business after a teammate who was working at one of the offices introduced her to the job. It was a good fit with the busy DCC schedule, as they were flexible and worked around her practice hours. Afterwards she continued into the mortgage business, then started her long career in sales. “I can say without a doubt that I would not be as successful as I am in business and sales if I had not been a part of this organization,” she claims. “Being a cheerleader here is not 100% about performance solely.” Bobbi attributes her high morals and values to her mother, but she adds that the DCC really solidified those. “They taught me at 18-19 years- old how to talk to ‘High C’ level people – how to work a room and small talk with strangers, and how when you meet a child, you get down to eye level. So many skills that I use today, and so much more.”
In interviewing Bobbi, I couldn’t help but relate my own experience to hers and agree with so much in what I’ve learned and taken from my four seasons with the DCC. It is so special to hear that many of the traditions they celebrated 20 years ago are still being continued within my team today. Bobbi said that her favorite tradition was the gold pinky ring that we receive after completion of rookie year. She told me she still wears hers every day and only took it off when she was pregnant for each of her two children, after which she had a crease from the ring for several weeks! I was happy to share with her that we have even expanded on the tradition- now leaders receive a gold band with a tiny diamond star to add to their rookie year pinky ring from their groups.
I also took the opportunity to talk with Bobbi about one of my newest favorite traditions: My Cause My Boots. She told me that if she were able to pick a cause to represent on the star of her Cowboy boots, she would choose Aniridia in honor of her daughter. Her 13-year-old daughter Emmerson has a rare eye disorder called Aniridia, which means she was born without the colored part of the eye, the iris. Despite being legally blind and sensitive to light, beautiful Emmerson is very independent and an amazing big sister to the family’s newest bundle of joy, 10-month-old baby boy Briston! (I was able to find the ribbon that represents rare disease for Aniridia, and it just so happened that one of my current teammates had chosen to represent rare disease on her My Cause boots this past season! So I was able to share with Bobbi a photo of what her boots might look like for Emmerson!)
Currently, Bobbi resides in Prosper, Texas with her husband of 15 years and her two children, Emmerson and Briston. She is very involved with her church at Presonwood Baptist, through student choir and student ministry. Her husband is a deacon of the church and teaches the newly-married adult bible fellowship class, and she invites all newlyweds to come and join them!
DCC Tess
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