At 4:45 a.m., when most of McNeese campus is still asleep, the Cowgirl Kickers are already awake. Freshman Addison Robertson ties her shoes and begins her day hours before most students open their eyes. After stretching and eating her usual breakfast of a toasted cinnamon bagel and orange juice, she is ready to perfect her dance in the aerobics room.
Robertson is a member of the Cowgirl Kickers, McNeese’s official dance team known for bringing energy, pride and passion to university events. The Kickers perform at football games, pep rallies and community appearances, representing McNeese with enthusiasm and spirit.
For Robertson, becoming a Cowgirl Kicker was always a dream. As a young girl in her recital costume, she watched the older dancers with admiration.
“I had several dance teachers who were Cowgirl Kickers in the past,” Robertson said. “They always had the posters up, and I would just look at it and be like, I’m going to be that one day.”
After years of tapping her toes on stage floors, learning and relearning numerous dances, and perfecting her body through movement, Robertson was ready for her Cowgirl Kicker audition.
“We had to do a solo dance,” she said. “We were also judged on a jazz, pop and hip-hop combination. The hip-hop combination we had to learn on the spot, and the jazz and pop we learned the week of.”
Robertson earned her place on the team and now she balances the life of a game-day-ready Cowgirl Kicker with the daily grind of a college freshman.
“We practice three days a week, averaging 14 to 16 hours. We are 50 percent on the field and 50 percent in the aerobics room, with early mornings and late nights,” she said.
Like many students, Robertson also spends late nights studying until 3 a.m., doing homework and balancing outside class events.
“The amount of time that I am here may shock people, but we do have lives,” Robertson said. “It is not just about being a Cowgirl Kicker. When I’m dancing, I’m there; I am devoted to being a Cowgirl Kicker, but I have a job outside of that. We do go to class; we are as much a student as anyone else.”
The Cowgirl Kickers entered the homecoming season with dances, new routines and glamorous outfits and makeup. Between classes, homework and perfecting intricate dance routines, Robertson said the season tests her endurance.
“For the pep rally and the parade, we’ve been preparing our hip-hop pep rally number for about a month now,” she said.
Thursday Night, the Cowgirl Kickers performed that routine to the crowd of students, faculty, and community members.
The next time they will be seen in full apparel and ready to entertain will be at the Homecoming game against Houston Christian on Saturday at 6 p.m.
