Scientists, Moms, and Good Samaritans: Amazing Super Bowl Cheerleaders to Watch Out For

Before you go lumping all of Sunday’s Super Bowl cheerleaders into that tired old category of “just another pretty face,” know that the individuals who make up each team are a bunch of intriguing women — from moms and athletes to scientists, engineers, activists, and medical marvels. Here’s just a sneak peek into the various stories that make up the cheerleading squads of the Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots.

Jamie Ratliff and Andrea Cadigan may cheer for different teams — the Falcons and Patriots, respectively — but when it comes to helping orphans overseas, they are united in vision. Ratliff, 37, an eight-season cheering vet, was a 2007 Pro Bowl cheerleader, and has two kids, ages 7 and 8. She’s also founder of the James 1:27 Foundation, a non-profit that helps to fund Christian orphanages globally.

“My husband had a dream to start an orphanage when he was growing up, and I have always loved kids and hate seeing any kids suffer,” Ratliff tells Yahoo Beauty. “But when we both went to Brazil about nine years ago, we realized there was so much red tape to starting an orphanage… and that there are great orphanages out there that just need to be funded.” Now they help support orphanages both in the Philippines and Haiti.

The latter country is where Cadigan has focused her efforts — when she’s not cheering, modeling, or pursuing a fashion degree. “I am most proud of my work that I have done in Haiti,” she notes on the Patriots website, referring to the four years she’s spent volunteering with orphans through the Saint Rock Haiti Foundation. Though Cadigan is a team rookie, by the way, her Patriots roots run deep: Her grandfather was the team doctor from 1970 to 1981, her mother was a cheerleader from 1977 to 1980, and her sister was also a cheerleader, from 2011 to 2015.

On the Falcons, Ratliff is not the only mom with pom-poms. Shana Sheppard has been balancing life as a cheerleader, an “Airforce bride,” and mom to a 1-year-old. “My son, Graham, actually turned 9 months old while I was on the middle of final auditions,” she tells Yahoo Beauty. “I was figuring out gluing on fake lashes, what tights to wear, and setting out bottles and diapers for him while I was out of the house.” Still, she’s used to all sorts of chaos, as she’d moved 13 times around the world before the age of 21, when she got married, due to her father being an Air Force colonel. “I wouldn’t take any of the experience back,” she says. “It made me responsible and adaptable, which are huge pluses when being a professional cheerleader.”

Team members work in or have studied a range of fields, including those in STEM-related areas — such as Jenna Cloutier and Theresa Oei, both rookies with the Patriots. Cloutier is pursuing her degree as an electrical engineer and also works full-time as an electrical engineer, as a member of Local 369 – Utility Workers Union of America. “I was the only female electrical engineer in my class at UMass Dartmouth,” she notes in her bio. “At times I felt I needed to prove myself more to gain respect. As a woman in engineering you learn to be independent and adapt to being in a male-dominated field.”

It’s something Oei can no doubt relate to, as she studied molecular biophysics and biochemistry as an undergraduate at Yale University, and began working in 2015 at the Broad Institute, a biomedical research facility in Cambridge. Oei, who was inducted into the National Gallery for America’s Young inventors in high school for a water filter she created, and who is also a member of the Cloud Appreciation Society, notes in her bio, “I love working on cutting edge science that pushes the boundaries of discovery with incredible potential to revolutionize research and medicine.”

Meanwhile, at least a couple of those cheering this year have overcome serious medical issues, which you’d never know to watch them jump, dance, and fly around the field. In 2007, when Karen Link (above), of the Patriots, was a senior in high school, she survived a head-on car collision with a broken spine. Now a three-season vet, Link went through years of rehab and surprised everyone by not only learning to run and dance again, but completing a half marathon to celebrate her father overcoming cancer — and by becoming a member of the Patriots cheering team.

“I still have all of the hardware in my back today from the spinal fusion surgery, but through hard work and dedication have found my way back to the dance floor…” she notes on the team’s website.

Similarly, Jenna Milavec of the Falcons had hip reconstruction surgery a year and a half ago, telling Yahoo Beauty, “I wasn’t sure if I would be able to dance or cheer again, much less professionally,” while Bailey Madeiros, a Patriots rookie, dealt with treatment for scoliosis as an adolescent, having to wear a brace 20 hours a day for three years.

“It was very easy to get caught up in the feeling of unfairness,” she notes in her online bio. “As an adolescent, I also greatly struggled with the insecurities that came along with it. However, my family helped guide me through this difficult time by instilling faith in the fact that everything would work out. With everything said and done, I’m thankful for this hardship helping me to truly understand the saying: ‘Everyone you know is fighting a battle you know nothing about.’”

Related: Super Bowl Beauty: NFL Cheerleaders Break Down Their Game Day Routines

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