GREENFIELD — She’d come so close to her dream but fell short of the finish line. The first time.
In 2015, Katie Lawrence auditioned for a spot as a cheerleader for the Indianapolis Colts and made it into the last round of the selection process. But she didn’t make the final cut.
In that moment, there was heartbreak, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise, Lawrence said. With her spirit bruised but not broken, she decided to go to college, spending a year studying dance and business at Anderson University.
The Greenfield-Central graduate made her shot three years later; Lawrence was one of just seven new cheerleaders selected for the NFL team this April. For Lawrence, who has been in love with dancing her entire life, receiving her official cheerleading boots was a dream she’s had since second grade.
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Mom has your back
Some parents might be slow to embrace the idea of their child striving for a career in performing arts, Lawrence said. Not hers.
Katie began dancing when she was 4-years-old, and from the start she knew it was something she wanted to do long-term, said her mother, Christine.
Lawrence first auditioned in 2015 after graduating high school, and her family actively served as a support net to give her the confidence she needed to push on, she said. After missing the cut in her first audition, Katie went out to Anderson to pursue a higher education in the arts realm.
Even though it’s always unnerving to chase after a field of work with unreliable success rate, her parents encouraged her to follow her dreams, backing her 100 percent of the way, Katie Lawrence said.
Looking back, Lawrence realizes now that the timing was perfect. Those years of study gave her time to perfect her craft, as well as invaluable life experience, she said.
“Holy moly, how difficult would that have been trying to be a cheerleader without that college experience?” Katie Lawrence said.
The time paid off. When it came time for the 2018 auditions, Katie arrived twice as prepared, she said. She trained extensively, even in the months before going to the cheering workshops the Colts hold before the official tryouts.
Auditioning is a grueling process, one that even returning cheerleaders have to undergo to stay on the team. There are 26 available spots, and each lady at the tryouts has to fight to make it, Katie Lawrence said.
Katie had to conduct a professional interview and take numerous exams testing her fitness, dancing skills and performance quality.
The final section of the auditioning process requires each contender to perform an individual showcase before a panel of judges, Katie Lawrence said. When it came to her turn, she took the stage in a glitzy gold flapper dress, rocking out to Tina Turner’s rendition of “Proud Mary.” Determined to win, Lawrence laid out every detail of her routine, from her costume to the choreography, months in advance, she said.
Hundreds convened in the cheering area at Hilbert Circle Theater to watch the final stage of auditions, and at the end of the number, the volume of the applause from the crowd was noticably louder for Katie than anyone else, Christine Lawrence said.
Of course, that was likely in large part due to the screaming of the Lawrence family, she noted with a laugh.
When Katie’s name was announced as a 2018 Colts Cheerleader, their victory shouts were deafening, Christine Lawrence said.
“We sounded like a bunch of baboons up there screaming and hollering,” Christine Lawrence Laughed.
Their love and support carried her to where she is today, without question, Katie Lawrence said.
“You know, you get in your head a lot,” Katie Lawrence said. “You only get once chance at life, and they are really supportive of me, no matter what I want to do. Now I’m not sure who was happier to get my boots, me or my parents.”
“I’d never seen my dad cry before,” she added.
Dreamer no more
Katie Lawrence’s childhood dance teacher, Debbie Wilkerson, remembers her as a talented pupil and a gifted teacher. She attended classes at the studio for 15 years and served as an instructor a year before leaving for college.
Katie was a student of every form of dance taught at the school. She was the recipient of Wilkerson’s Ballerina award, a prestigious award that has only been bestowed on 10 of the studio’s dancers in 40 years, Wilkerson said.
Wilkerson now points to Katie as a role model for her younger students, an example of a dreamer who tenaciously worked toward her goals and was rewarded for doing so.
“Katie is one of the most talented, hardworking students we’ve ever had,” Wilkerson said. “She’s so creative, and I think she’s going to do wonderfully well.”
Katie’s passion for dance and teaching have allowed her to set her sights even beyond cheering for the Colts. One day she hopes to open her own dance studio, one that includes special classes to focus on instructing young dancers with disabilities, she said.
Right now, Katie is focused on living out and enjoying the newest chapter of her life.
“I’m part of the NFL now, part of a sisterhood,” Katie Lawrence said. “I’m still pinching myself.”
