forever in our hearts : a minute ago the director of dalla cheerleaders Kelli Finglass’s have just been announced dead just now..
Kelli Finglass’s voice is the firste
you hear in America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, the new seven-episode docuseries from Cheer creator Greg Whiteley. It’s not her inside voice, either — like she’s done countless times before, the longtime director of the squad is corralling her team backstage before a halftime show.
“OK y’all, are we ready?” Finglass shouts from off-screen. “Yes ma’am,” the group dutifully answers. “Listen up!” Finglass says, increasing her volume by just the right number of decibels to let you know she means business. Her tone implies that what’s coming could be a series of last-minute corrections or a full-blown dressing down. But then her voice softens.
“I just want to remind y’all that you are known as world-famous, the best in the business … how hard y’all worked to get here. You’re going to perform like you practice. Let’s do it.”
Ear-penetrating calls to attention followed by a series of supportive affirmations seem to be Finglass’ signature blend, a motivational one-two that has the power to make someone watching at home sit up straight and try their cheerleader best. It also perfectly sums up Finglass as a coach and mentor, which she has been for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders for the last 34 years. She’s not going to mince words, but if you listen carefully, you might like what you hear.
Of course, it’s not the first time Finglass has opened up the world of the DCC — fans will remember Country Music Television’s Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team. Structured more like a reality show than a doc series, it focused primarily on the squad’s ruthless tryout process. Whiteley’s America’s Sweethearts gets to the heart of that process (and yes, it’s still cutthroat) but also goes deeper into the lives of those vying to make the team — and of course, the woman at the head of it all.
Here, Finglass sits down with Tudum to discuss the ways she’s improved and expanded the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders brand, the tough lessons she’s learned as a coach, and how America’s Sweethearts captures a cheerleader story that’s never been told.
Do the girls really get along? Are they really friends inside the locker room?” The common answer to that is, yes, they become very, very close friends. Many of them don’t know each other at the [beginning of] the audition process — they survive the battle of training camp together and become close friends. We usually have four or five weddings a year, then they all become bridesmaids, and the next thing you see are all the baby showers. And I’m living proof; I’m very close to my rookie friends. In fact, several of them were just at my daughter’s wedding. It [goes] beyond their experiences as a cheerleader … the friendships get stronger once we all grow into families, careers, and real-life situations.
