Baker University 2005 graduate Brooke Glenn tried out and made the Kansas City Chiefs cheerleading squad this month.??
Glenn graduated from Baker with a major in biology and a minor in psychology and is currently enrolled at the Baker School of Nursing in Topeka, she said.
During her time at Baker, she said she was involved in volleyball and cheerleading her sophomore and junior years, dance team her freshman and sophomore years, choir and also was a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority.
Head cheerleading coach Cathy Ritter?said Glenn joined the 2005 squad after another cheerleader suffered an injury prior to conference competition.
“She came in and worked 110% for the squad when we had a girl injured during the HAAC competition last year,” Ritter said. “It was like she had been there all year.?I can see why she made it, she’s very good at dance and she was good at everything in cheerleading. She had a very good presence and showed a spirited attitude.?She was fun to watch and fun for others to watch her.”??
Glenn said she decided to tryout for the Kansas City Chiefs cheerleading squad because she needed a different opportunity to meet people and socialize.
“I really missed dancing and I figured it would be a great opportunity to get involved in not only the team,” Glenn said. “But it would give me the opportunity to work in the community because they are involved in a lot of appearance and volunteer work, such as dance programs for young girls.”
She said while she was at Baker she had wanted to try out but always missed the tryout dates. This year, however, she started looking early and attended class sessions in preparation for the audition, she said.
“They made sure to let us know that this wasn’t just for pretty girls, but girls with good hearts and good attitudes,” she said. “At our very first class, when they were saying all of this I didn’t believe them, but the more classes I went to, I really saw how different things were.”
Ritter said Glenn had been a positive influence on the team.
“She was a leader,” Ritter said.??When she came on,?even though she was only there a semester, she came on and she did what she was supposed to. The other girls looked to her about what to do, and she helped out a lot with the newer kids.”
Glenn said the women on the team get along.
“I’ve been to many competitions, and it was always girls competing against each other with cattiness, but here everyone was very supportive of each other and had fun together,” she said.
Tryouts for the squad started April 7, and Glenn was called back to the two additional tryout sessions before she made the team.
“It was quite an accomplishment just to make it to finals because there were about 150 trying out, and they narrowed it down to 33 new girls, plus 28 returnees for the finals,” she said.
Glenn said all of the women who auditioned had their pictures taken in a Chief’s cheerleading uniform and could check the Web site to see if their photos were posted to indicate they had made the squad.
After waiting anxiously, Glenn said she saw her picture on the Web site and let out a huge scream, she said.
“I had a test at 1 (p.m.), and I was getting ready to take my test when my boyfriend called me and was acting very suspicious,” she said. “I asked him not to tell me. I think that was the fastest test I had ever taken. I went into the office and asked them to pull it up for me, and I let out the biggest scream when I saw my picture on the Web site.”
Glenn said many responsibilities come with her new job.
“Everywhere we go in public, we have to watch how we’re dressing, how we’re acting and how we’re acting toward people because people start to recognize you from performances and because we’re representing the Kansas City Chiefs,” Glenn said. Glenn said she will be performing with the 2006-2007 Kansas City Chiefs cheerleading squad for the first time at Draft Day Saturday at 12:30 p.m.