Oldest Cowboys cheerleader gives stereotype the boot

By MICHAEL PRECKER / The Dallas Morning News (Dec. 30, 1996)

(See Related Photo) ... (Also see Recent Pictorial Essay of Cheerleaders)

DALLAS - Linda Badami, 37 and a mother of four, had pulled into the gas station when the attendant noticed the blue and white pompoms in the back seat.

"Is your daughter a cheerleader?" he asked.

Shame on us for our unfair stereotypes.

The Texas Rangers had Nolan Ryan, whizzing fastballs well into his 40s. The U.S. Senate has Strom Thurmond, legislating between naps at age 94.

And the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders have Linda Badami, making history of her own.

"I've never had an age barrier problem," says Ms. Badami, who's in her second year on the squad.

"If someone can look at me and say, 'If she can do that, I can do something, too,' that's great. But I just don't think about it. I just enjoy what I'm doing."

Besides, she adds with a laugh, "I'm the same age as (Cowboys backup quarterback) Wade Wilson."

True, but unless disaster strikes Troy Aikman, Wilson spends Sunday afternoons standing around with a headset on.

Linda Badami climbs into a skimpy outfit and performs three hours of grueling dance routines - picture a marathon aerobics class with lots of splits and high kicks tossed in - in front of 60,000 people and working with teammates literally half her age.

"One day Mom was dancing in the garage and I tried to do what she was doing," says Christopher, Linda's 13-year-old son. "It was real hard. I don't know how she does it."

In the cheerleaders' silver anniversary season, Ms. Badami is rewriting the record book.

The squad takes pride in including women of different backgrounds and ages, not just perky teenagers. But never has one been so, uh, mature.

A number of cheerleaders have had their own children cheering them on. But no one ever had four (all boys; ages 13, 8, 5 and 3).

"Sometimes I get wisecracks from the other girls," she says. "They call me 'Mommy Badami.' "

This midlife comeback hasn't attracted the attention of, say, George Foreman's return to boxing or those new Beatles songs last year. On the job at the TWA ticket counter at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, she says, "I have my glasses on and my hair pulled back. I don't look like a cheerleader."

In the chunk of the world where people view Ms. Badami as wife or mother, a lot of people are either unaware or incredulous.

"When I told my friends that my mom's a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, they didn't believe me," says Christopher, an offensive lineman at Young Junior High in Arlington. "They said things like, 'Yeah, and my dad's the president.'

"So I brought them an autographed picture. They were astonished."

Chris Badami, proud husband and account executive at Roadway Package System, uses the same strategy.

"Especially the women can't believe it," he says. "So I always carry a picture with me. Most people are pretty astounded to meet someone who's married to a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader."

Linda credits her astounding, astonishing story to hard work and perseverance, proper diet and a lot of help from her family. But an unexpected move to Texas made it all possible.

Growing up in Kansas City, Linda Badami always danced and performed. At 17, she earned a spot on the Kansas City Chiefs cheerleader squad, which has the amazingly creative name of ... the Chiefettes.

She lasted five years, even while she attended the University of Kansas down the road in Lawrence. But then the usual grown-up pursuits intervened: marriage, career, children.

"We wanted a girl, and we kept trying," she says.

Three years ago, Chris Badami was transferred here from Kansas City. Once they settled in Arlington, Linda took a look at a photo of the Cowboys cheerleaders.

"They didn't all look 18," she says. "We were new here, and I wanted to feel more part of the community. What better way than being a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader?

"But I'd just had Michael (her fourth child) and it was just after the tryout deadline. So I thought, 'I've got a year to get myself back in shape.' I figured it was my last hurrah."

She worked at the gym and in the garage, on aerobics and flexibility, and she kept her plans to herself.

"I didn't even tell my husband," she says. "I was afraid I'd be embarrassed. And I didn't want any negativity."

One Friday in April 1995, Chris says, "She said, 'Guess what I'm going to do in the morning? I'm going to try out for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.'

"I thought, 'She can't be serious,' and I really didn't think much more about it. Sure enough, the next morning, she was out the door."

Hundreds of women turn up annually for the open tryouts, hoping to impress the judges enough during a brief dance routine to be invited back for the second round.

Kelli McGonagill Finglass, a former cheerleader who is now the director, says age wasn't a factor.

"There were no special considerations for her whatsoever," she says. "Linda earned her stripes."

She survived two qualifying rounds to make the finals, "and that alone made me feel really good," she says. Then she performed well enough in training camp to take the field at Texas Stadium in the fall of 1995.

Cowboys fans, of course, want to hear that this is nothing like being a Chiefette. Of course, it's not.

"It's just an unbelievable experience," she says. "I'm so glad I got to do it. People here think a lot of the cheerleaders and all the things they do in the community, like charity events and visiting hospitals. To me, that part of it has been special."

And that tight-fitting, navel-baring outfit?

"I don't think it's anything more than you see in a swimsuit," she says. "It's a tradition. As soon as you put it on, you feel like you're part of history. And it's sure a motivation to keep in shape."

For her, that may be the easy part. Take a deep breath, then imagine keeping this schedule:

During the season, cheerleader practice at Valley Ranch lasts from 7 till 10 p.m. at least three nights a week, followed by a long drive home. Her half-day shift at the airport starts at 5:30 a.m., which leaves afternoons free for four very active boys.

Factor in outside appearances, autograph sessions, game days, workouts and all the rest, and this starts to sound like one of those old Geritol commercials.

"You just make it work, if this is what you want to do," she says. "I have my mother role, I have my role at TWA and I have my cheerleader role. Instead of thinking how do I do it, I just kind of 'Nike' it. I just focus on what I'm doing at the time."

She hastens to add that this wouldn't be possible without a very supportive family.

"Chris has sacrificed a lot for me," she says. "It's kind of a tag-team parent situation. But I think the kids have gotten a lot closer to him because I'm so busy."

He agrees. "We all pick up the slack when she's gone," Chris says. "But I think it's great she's able to do this. People just assume cheerleaders are all blond and dumb and flaunt themselves around. There's a lot more to it, and she's gotten there through a lot of work and dedication."

Inspired by her example, he jokes, "Next year I'm going to try out for the Cowboys."

The younger Christopher is happy for Mom, but concedes, "We miss her. It's really kind of hard without her some nights."

Eight-year-old Anthony is more sanguine.

"I think it's really cool," he says. "Now I'm kind of famous."

Linda's first season ended at the Super Bowl, where she was briefly captured on TV.

"We were sitting at home watching the game, all of a sudden we all yelled, 'Hey, there's Mom!' " says Christopher.

The cheerleaders have to try out every spring, with no guarantees of reclaiming their spot. Bidding for a second year, Linda designed a routine poking fun at her "other" life.

She put on a housecoat, put up her hair and set up an ironing board in front of a screen.

"I came out and started ironing," she says. "Then I went behind the screen, took off the housecoat and came out ready to dance."

It worked. This season, she says, "it's not so stressful. Your rookie year is an education. Your veteran year, you enjoy it so much more."

Physically, she says, the only concession to, uh, maturity, "is that I need to warm up a lot more than the younger cheerleaders, and it takes me longer to recover. You have to be flexible and you have to be cardiovascular. I'm 37, but I'm probably in the best shape of my life."

For the record, the next most mature cheerleader is a mere 31.

"She really likes me to be on the squad," Linda says.

But not for long. Barring a last-minute change of heart, Linda's ready to hang up the pompoms at the end of this season.

"I really wanted to come back for a veteran year, but now I want to concentrate on my children," she says. "I'm ready to move over and let another 37-year-old move in."

She pauses and laughs. "Or 47," she says.

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Distributed by The Associated Press