Posted on 13 September 2012 by La Habra Journal
By Jay Seidel
La Habra Journal
For decades, The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Organization has been entertaining and capturing the attention of people all over the world. This year, one local girl achieved her dreams when she was named to the 2012 squad.
After years of cheering on two continents, La Habra native, Jenna Jackson achieved her goal and made the squad.
“I’m super excited,” Jackson said. “I cant wait to get on the field for a home game.”
Jackson has been cheering for nearly all her life. Raised in a home with two older brothers, Derek, 22, and Tyler, 21, she said that she always wanted to do what they did.
“I really wanted to play football, but my mom said no,” Jackson said.
However, her mother, Channa Robles, did introduce her to cheerleading. Jackson started cheering for the La Habra Lions Pop Warner team at the age of four and continued with it as she got older. She also became active in other sports.
“I played baseball for five years when I was younger,” said the 18-year-old Jackson. “My two older brothers played in La Habra Little League and I wanted to do what they did.”
She later switched over to softball where she played through high school.
Jackson went to Sonora High School where she played softball and was a cheerleader through her sophomore year.
However, that was when her stepfather, who is in the army, was relocated to Korea.
Not the type of person to let changes affect her, Jackson continued to play softball and cheer at the high school on Camp Casey in Seoul, South Korea. This is where she met the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
They were there to perform on a USO tour and they also put on a cheer clinic. After working with the professionals, Jackson was hooked. She knew what she wanted to do.
She finished her schooling and stayed in contact with some of the Dallas cheerleaders who acted as mentors to her.
She knew that her family was going to be moving back to the United States and she also knew that the tryouts were coming up.
Committed, she and her mother moved to Dallas as her stepfather took over his new assignment at Ft. Drum, New York.
“We got to Dallas May third and the first auditions were May fifth,” Robles said.
As for the auditions, Jackson said it was nerve wracking She watched as 600 girls were cut to 150, then to 50. “They cut five veterans,” Jackson explained.
To add pressure, the Country Music Television network is filming a reality show called “Making the Team.”
“It’s a little different with the cameras,” Jackson admitted, “You get used to them. Now it’s like they’re not even there.”
Then, when the final 39 girls were named to this year’s squad, Jackson was on that list. Since recently turning 18, Jackson is the youngest on the squad.
Jackson, her mother and her brother Tyler are in Dallas getting adjusted to the new city and state. However, they all said that they like it so far.
As for Jackson, she is just preparing for what the season will hold for her and what opportunities my be in her future.
“I’m an alternate for the USO tours and I hope I can get a chance to tour with the team,” she said. “It would be great to go back to Korea as a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader and see my friends.” She hopes that maybe she can inspire other young girls to not give up on their dreams.