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Cheerleading At The Superbowl
Taking a break from preparing for the Super Bowl this Sunday, Jocelyn Sutphin, 22, said her years of classes with the Kathryn Barnett School of Dance in Red Bank and the leadership qualities she learned at her alma mater, Red Bank Catholic, helped her land a spot on the 32-member Indianapolis Colts cheerleading squad.
"Being chosen for the team was based on a lot of qualities: talent, skill, attitude, personality and the ability to handle pressure. During the tryouts for the team, I was commuting more than two hours from school (the University of Louisville in Kentucky) to Indiana two or three times a week. You never knew each time you arrived if you would make the cut that time. That tested you a lot,'' said Sutphin, who is known as Josie.
She spoke by telephone from Fort Lauderdale last Tuesday, when the cheerleading team had arrived for a day on the beach (while Monmouth County endured bitter cold weather) and shopping. During the week, the cheerleaders will attend events as representatives of the Indianapolis Colts.
Sutphin, who is the daughter of Tara and John Sutphin, Red Bank, said she and her team members must report to the Miami stadium on Sunday six hours ahead of time.
"We will have a couple of hours of practice, then get made up and have our hair done and they cater a meal for us before the game. I can't say who I think will win, but I am very confident that the Colts are a great team!''
As a student at the University of Louisville, Sutphin had already traveled to Miami for the Orange Bowl, which her school team won. She was graduated from Red Bank Catholic in 2006, where she was class president for three years and president of the executive board in her senior year. In those years, she said, she learned the skills that help her meet new people and travel to new places with ease and confidence.
She said her years of studying with Barnett helped her develop the talent and strength to successfully land the competitive cheerleading job; she was chosen from among hundreds of young women for the 32 member team.
While she is working for the Colts as a cheerleader - the squad is paid for cheerleading and for appearances and events during and after the season - she is completing her college degree online from the University of Louisville, where is working toward a degree in sports medicine and exercise science.
"I expect to be in Indiana for the next 10 years and then I will probably work my way back East for my career,'' she said.
She and two roommates from the cheerleading team share an apartment outside of Indianapolis, which she says is a "big, new city with fans who are absolutely crazy about sports. They are awesome. They will wait three and a half hours for us to come back home just to get our autographs after a game. They are truly diehard fans."
Sutphin said the pace in Indiana is less hectic, more laid back than in New Jersey and that the transition to living there was made a bit easier by attending school in the less hurried Louisville.
Eventually, Sutphin says, she probably will pursue a career in physical therapy working with children with muscular disabilities on the East Coast. For the time being, she is enjoying her life as a cheerleader for a team in contention for the Super Bowl championship. In any free time she has, she enjoys working out, naturally, and cooking, especially Italian cuisine.
Sutphin has three siblings: Jake, who lives with their parents in Red Bank; Sarah, who lives in Long Island, and Eddie, who lives in Shrewsbury, with his family.
