Jaclyn, or better known as “Jax” is from Gonzalez, Louisiana, where she was born and raised and now currently resides. She attended LSU and informed me of the fun fact that the university has a live tiger on campus! She said it is a fun attraction to see when tourists visit the area. Jax was a DCC for two years, from 2015 to 2017 and was best friends and roommates with Amy. The year following her retirement, she married her husband who she had gone to school with since they were 12 years old. Amy was a bridesmaid in her wedding and Jax had the biggest smile on her face reminiscing on her wedding and the fact that 13 DCC’s drove 8 hours to attend her wedding. She remembers being so shocked and surprised that so many girls made the trip out just to attend her wedding and that all the other wedding guests were raving to her about how nice the “DCC girls” were. Jax and her husband now have a one year-old son named Owen, and the couple recently celebrated their 3rd year anniversary.

Jax talked about her time on the team and how blessed she was to have the friendships and people she has done life with. Her love and admiration for DCC stems from the fact that each member of the team has their own unique style. She had Jennifer Amburn as her group leader for both years she was on the team, and said how she was the best group leader ever! Jen allowed her to utilize her strength and power while incorporating her own style into the DCC choreography. Jax was on the team when practices were still at Valley Ranch. She said the “blue carpet in the locker room was old and worn, but I loved every piece of it!”. She never had practice at The Star, however the ribbon cutting ceremony was during her final year on the team. Jax felt lucky that she was there for all the big transitions, yet bummed that she never was able to use the new studio. She decided at auditions her final year that she was going to retire, and made sure to make the most of her final year on the team. Jax emphasized how important it is to make every moment worth it and appreciate it.

Jax is now a Special Education Inclusion teacher for 2nd and 3rd grade students. She feels like DCC prepared her for life outside of cheer and dance, instilling confidence in herself and communication skills when being interviewed for job positions. A cute story she mentioned was that she was the only teacher at school to wear a Cowboys jersey on Jersey Day, and a second grader from another class was also wearing a Cowboys jersey. When they saw each other in the hallway wearing Cowboys, Jax and the young boy established a great connection and he would come into her class every morning after that day to give her a hug.

At the conclusion of the conversation, I asked Jax what advice she has for me as a rookie who is hoping to continue on this incredible journey as a DCC. Jax said the most important thing is to take it all in. She talked about how quickly it goes by and that the relationships you make are what leaves the lasting impressions. It is all about positivity and spreading it around you. She reminded me that we don’t know what type of day someone else has had and if they need a distraction, which is the beautiful part about DCC – being surrounded by such uplifting women who can turn your day from terrible to great. Although the time and commitment to the team can be draining, she reminded me to never lose sight of the original reason I am there and to not let myself get competitive. She chuckled as she said “Kash will tell yourself to not take yourself so seriously”.

Jax was such a joy to speak with and meet. I had several valuable takeaways from our conversation that I will take with me as I continue on this incredible journey as a DCC.