DAVIE, Fla. – Hundreds of young women danced their hearts out in Davie Saturday morning in hopes of becoming a Miami Dolphins cheerleader for the upcoming football season.
Among them was Nicole, a 41-year-old who never gave up on her cheerleading dreams.
"I've been wanting to do this for a while," Nicole said. "This is actually my seventh time trying out."
The cheerleaders and dancers prepared for months to compete in front of judges.
"It would be a dream come true to be on this team and be on it for years," Ally said.
One of the judges this year was Local 10 News meteorologist Julie Durda, who is a former San Francisco 49ers cheerleader.
"I'm honored to be one of the many judges that are going to be judging these talented, beautiful women behind me,"Â Durda said.
This year's auditions are a bit different than in previous years, as the Dolphins organization went looking around the world for cheerleader hopefuls.
Competitors came from places such as Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and Colombia.
"We're the only team in the NFL that could really do this and make it authentic, because it is authentic,"Â Dorie Grogan, a senior director of entertainment for the Dolphins, said. "It's who we are. It's our culture here in Miami, and we are excited to be the first in the NFL to do this."
For Nicole, tryouts aren't about age, but about reaching for a long time goal.
"I just have to continue to convince myself to keep coming back, even though sometimes I think, 'I'm crazy. Oh my God. I'm 41. What am I doing out here?'" Nicole said. "Literally, these girls are, like, the age of my daughter, but I'm just like, 'I'm just going to do it anyway.'"