(Editor’s note: This is the second of two columns about two current members of the iconic Dallas Cowboys cheerleading squad who graduated from the University of Kentucky. This column features NFL cheerleader Ava Lahey.)
By Jamie H. Vaught
Growing up in Jacksonville, Illinois, which is less than an hour drive from the state capital of Springfield, Ava Lahey didn’t expect to study and dance at UK.
However, Lahey did wind up coming to the Bluegrass state. How?
“I ended up at UK honestly just by the grace of God,” she said. “I happened to have met Kleine (Powell, a member of UK’s dance team) in 2021, who I knew graduated from UK, and then also one of my previous teammates from my dance studio in Illinois told me that she was going to visit UK and going to a dance team clinic.
“So, I thought that I would go, too. I just so happened to get signed at that clinic, and that's how I ended up at UK. I know it’s kind of crazy, but it just happened, and it was meant to be.”
Why dancing? It is something she has done since she was a toddler.
“I think originally it was my mom's decision,” recalled Lahey. “She grew up and always wanted to be a dancer. Initially she put me in dance classes when I was two years old, but very quickly it became my own decision because I loved it so much. I remember being probably around eight years old that it was up to me (to pursue dancing) and I was like, ‘You know what? I want to start going more. I want to join the competition team at my dance studio.’
“It quickly consumed my life and became my whole world and my passion. I was obsessed, and I was dedicated.”
During her early days, she performed at many events in New York City, Houston and San Francisco, among others.
At UK, Lahey really enjoyed her time as a two-year member of the school’s dance squad. She said her favorite Wildcat memory or game “was definitely my very last game my senior year. It was the University of Kentucky versus University of Louisville (football) game, which was a huge game, a huge deal. It's our main rival. It was the last game of the (2023) season and it was such a really close game. UK did win (38-31 in Louisville), so that was amazing and just a really fun game that I got to experience as my last with my fellow dance team members who were also seniors.”
In May 2024, she graduated with a bachelor of science’s degree in education with emphasis on health promotion.
“I plan on promoting health and wellness by being a certified health education specialist,” Lahey said. “So working in hospitals, I would be teaching and promoting to clients that come in with a certain health condition per se.”
But for now, she is focusing on her job as a rookie cheerleader with the Dallas Cowboys. In addition, she is very impressed on how much the squad has prioritized community service and military support.
Interestingly, Lahey even tried out for the Cowboys squad not long after her high school graduation and that was before she went to Kentucky.
“My story is kind of confusing,” she admitted. “Actually, I was a freshman, but I wasn't at the University of Kentucky yet. I was taking community college classes online in my hometown. I tried out in 2021 because I graduated high school in 2020, and I was only 17 when I graduated. I was really young for my grade. So I tried out in 2021 when I was 18.
“Because everything was just so up in the air because of the (COVID) pandemic, my mom was like, ‘You know what? Why don't you just try out this year instead of waiting after college like you originally planned?’ And I was like, ‘Okay.’ So, from there on, I went to a DCC (Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders) Prep Intensive and I tried out when I was 18 in 2021.” (Prep Intensive is a fun weekend training camp that is filled with all the tools the prospective cheerleaders need to get ready for the auditions.)
Currently, what is Lahey’s favorite moment as a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader?
“I'd say my favorite moment so far this year was initially making the team,” she said. “That’s just a memory that I kind of relive and replay in my head over and over every day and I can just hardly believe it still. I'd say my favorite part about being a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader is just the impact that we have on the community around us and the world. It's kind of hard to wrap my head around and grasp the fact that people are invested in us and that we are an inspiration to others.
“For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a professional dancer, but I didn’t know exactly in what capacity. As I got older, I realized I wanted to dance in the NFL, and no other team came to my mind other than the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.”
Lahey credits her family and former teachers for her current position.
“I give tons of credit to my parents, my brothers, my siblings and my boyfriend,” she said. “I wouldn't be where I am today without them. But I also would love to shout out my teachers and coaches that I've ever had because each one of them have a very unique and specific aspect on how I made this team as well. So, friends, family, and past teachers and coaches are for sure the only reason why I'm here.”
What did Lahey think about popular country singer Dolly Partin, then 77 years old, wearing a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader outfit for the Thanksgiving halftime show at AT&T Stadium last year?
“If I looked that good at 78, I would absolutely love to wear the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders uniform again,” she smiled. “I think that is just incredible, and to put two iconic things together like that, that's just amazing. I think that was awesome.”
When she was a little girl, Lahey spent a lot of time with her horse and that was her favorite childhood memory. She also has a couple of interesting personal tidbits. She rarely drinks soda, if any, and has four dogs.
“I have just never liked it,” she said of soda. “My mom says that she just never gave me a soda when I was younger, and so I grew up to not drink it or like it. I also hate carbonation, so I don't like it. I've never drank a soda in my life.”
Added Lahey, “I have four dogs. They (three of them) don't live here with me. They're all in Illinois, but I do have a lot of dogs and they are my whole world. I love them so much. Three of my dogs are my family dogs that I grew up with. They're at my parents. And then one of the dogs is mine and my boyfriend's dog that we have together. Three are with my parents and one is with my boyfriend. After I'm done dancing (this season), I'll meet up with them again because I miss them very much.”
Lahey encourages everyone to follow their dreams.
‘’Just to tell everyone to keep following their dreams and you never know where you'll end up,” she said. “I love that I can be a testament to girls and boys that grew up in a very small town and there is still potential. You can do it. You can make it out of your small town and do big things and follow your dreams. So, I'd love to just encourage everyone to never give up on their dreams.”
Jamie H. Vaught, a longtime sports columnist in Kentucky, is the author of six books about UK basketball, including recently-published “Forever Crazy About The Cats: An Improbable Journey of a Kentucky Sportswriter Overcoming Adversity.” Now a retired college professor who taught at Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College in Middlesboro., he is the editor and founder of KySportsStyle.com Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter @KySportsStyle or reach him via email at KySportsStyle@gmail.com .
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