Especially knowing that they don’t have a lot of money, or maybe individual fame that they can then monetise that into something further the way an athlete might…I’m thinking of Caroline, who had to have hip surgery after retiring and at the same time watch her younger sister join DCC. Were there any other legacies that stood out to you?
Well, you had Madeline’s mom. She actually met her husband, who was a camera operator for the Dallas Cowboys, through DCC. And then there are all those alumni that come back. We interviewed dozens of them.
The recurring theme is just that the older they get, the more they’re able to look back with extreme fondness over that period of time in their life. And there is this: They use this phrase sisterhood. There is a sorority that exists among all of the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders.
I think there are only 800 of them on planet Earth, somewhere around that number. But when they meet and they get together, there is a bond that, to me, sort of reminds me of people that have served in the military; they’ve been through some very unique, singular intense experience. They’ve bonded. They will be bonded for the rest of their lives. They could not say two words to each other for 15 years, but the moment they see each other, they have tons to talk about and relate and bond over. I found that aspect of it to be interesting.
Were you a fan of the original CMT series, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team?
I’d never seen the show, and I still haven’t ever seen the show.
Really? Do you plan to?
No, I don’t plan to. There are certain elements of the show that we’ve borrowed from because different girls that we were following referenced specific moments of being on the show, so it became salient to telling their story. But for whatever weird reason, I have never seen it. I’m not opposed to it. I don’t even know how I would watch it now.
Did your work on Cheer influence at all the way you wanted to cover the DCC? They’re obviously very different, but were there any unusual similarities?
I don’t think that there are any similarities that I couldn’t also apply from my days of filming Last Chance U. There’s a group of people involved in a very intense activity that they love. They each want something, and we’re doing the best we can to film whether or not they get it.
The only thing that the show Cheer and America’s Sweethearts have in common is that technically they’re both cheerleaders. They both belong to the world of cheerleading, but that world is so vast. The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders… It’d be way more accurate to describe them as a dance team than a competitive cheer team.
What is the plan for next season? Is there going to be another season?
Personally speaking, just as a filmmaker, I think there’s plenty of story to be told. There’s enough turnover at the DCC; and with our style of filmmaking, we only get to a small handful of them. Even with the existing members of the team that we didn’t film, those that choose to return, there’s plenty of story to be told. I’m curious to see how this show does, and then we probably address that question then.
I really want to know what happens with Victoria, though I guess they’re probably coming up on tryouts for the following season already.
Yes, they’re in the middle of figuring that out now.
Was there anything else you wanted to share about the process, about the girls, about your own experience? Are you a former dancer or cheer person?
I’m not. I’m not. Much to my shame. I wish I had that skill, that talent. I do not.
Had to ask!
This article originally appeared on GLAMOUR (US).