Permian grad makes the Cowboys Cheerleader squad

Aug. 13—Julissa Garcia recently fulfilled a long-held dream of becoming a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader.

The former Permian Panther Paw and Texas Tech University cheerleader was born and raised a Dallas Cowboys fan in Odessa.

Garcia has danced and cheered since she was 2 1/2 years old.

"When I was 6 years old, my parents took me to a DCC camp at Valley Ranch and it was absolutely a dream come true. I spent three incredible days surrounded by my role models. Just getting to dance next to the cheerleaders, I think that was the moment I knew that I wanted to audition for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and hopefully one day be a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader," Garcia said in a phone interview.

"That camp was the most amazing thing I ever did as a little girl. After the camp was over, I went home and wrote the DCC organization a letter and they wrote back, so I've had that letter for 16 years. That was my inspiration to follow my dreams of becoming a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader," she added.

She started dancing and cheering at a very young age.

"My parents enrolled me in dance classes when I was 2 1/2 years old, so I've been dancing for 20 years now. Dance has always been a huge part of my life ever since. I've loved every second of it. I love performing and dancing. I've had so many amazing journeys with my dance and cheer career, especially in the West Texas area," Garcia said.

She was a competitive twirler, a member of Shout Cheerleading, Alpha Cheer and Dance, Tammie Locklar's Dance Studio, a four-year member of the Varsity Panther Paw dance team at Permian High School and a four-year member of the Texas Tech University Pom Squad where she got to perform and help around the community.

Garcia majored in journalism with a minor in sports media, athletic coaching and media strategies at Tech.

"I've always been involved in dance and cheer and I knew that it was something I wanted to pursue as I got older," Garcia said.

She added that she is thankful to her parents, her coaches and everyone in the Permian Basin that helped her throughout her dance career and believed in her since she was a little girl.

The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders' audition process starts with a preliminary video submission where they do an introduction and a 60-second dance.

"Then it goes into a semi round ... still online. We do choreography that they send us and answer some questions about ourselves. Then we make it into finals where we do another solo and more DCC choreography. From there, we make it into training camp," which lasted a little over a month, she said.

Then the team was announced and she found out she'd made it.

"It was one of the best days of my life. I'm not going to lie. The moment the team was announced will be the moment that will always hold a special place in my heart. In that moment, I just felt extremely blessed and grateful. I was filled with so much excitement, especially when I was handed my uniform. There were so many thoughts and emotions running through me, but I just couldn't believe that my dreams of becoming a DCC were actually official and coming true."

This year, she said there are 24 veterans and 12 rookies on the squad.

"They are truly the most inspirational, kind and talented women. Everybody in the DCC organization, (the) staff and all my teammates are truly the best people I've ever met. The sisterhood is something so special and something I'm just very honored and excited to be a part of. It's a complete dream come true to be a part of this organization that has so many beautiful and amazing women both inside and out," Garcia said.

The first home preseason game is Aug. 24, so the cheerleaders are in the process of practicing as much as they can to be as prepared as they possibly can be.

The practice schedule depends on the week, but right now, they are practicing Monday through Friday from roughly 7 p.m. to about 10 p.m.

The practice is mainly the preparation, but Garcia said she believes to be successful at anything in life you have to be prepared.

"So you have to do your own preparation as well, and as a dancer and cheerleader, I think that preparation goes both mentally and physically. I've just been practicing a lot, reviewing as much as I can on my own to be prepared for practices, watching film and just dancing as much I can to make sure my stamina, my mental strength and my energy are all in good shape for game days," she said.

They have practiced at AT&T Stadium.

"But just getting to be inside AT&T Stadium and to say I'm a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader is something that my mind still hasn't wrapped around, but it's the coolest feeling in the entire world," Garcia said.

"I'm extremely grateful and blessed for every appearance and football game that's to come and I'm very excited for this upcoming season," she added.

Her family will come to every game they can come to support her.

"I owe all my thanks to them for just being able to give me so many amazing opportunities in my life and sacrifice so much for me. I have the best parents ever," Garcia said.

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