{"id":341,"date":"2018-12-08T00:44:27","date_gmt":"2018-12-08T00:44:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.courtneytee.com\/wordpress\/?page_id=341"},"modified":"2019-11-06T16:38:25","modified_gmt":"2019-11-06T16:38:25","slug":"never-give-in-how-mia-watkins-claimed-her-spot-in-the-nfl","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/www.courtneytee.com\/wordpress\/never-give-in-how-mia-watkins-claimed-her-spot-in-the-nfl\/","title":{"rendered":"Never Give In: How Mia Watkins Claimed Her Spot in the NFL"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Courtney Thompson<\/p>\n

You\u2019re talented, you\u2019re in your element, and you give it your all at auditions day\u2026but you don\u2019t make the team.<\/p>\n

This a pain many know too well. The disappointment can be daunting, especially when you are used to making teams and achieving your hard-fought-for goals.<\/span><\/p>\n

But, when you\u2019re facing \u201cfailure\u201d while aspiring for a space on foreign ground, then how do you handle it?<\/p>\n

You pick up the pieces and try again.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf at first you don\u2019t succeed, dust yourself off and try again.\u201d \u00a0\u2014 Aaliyah<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This is similar to the story of Mia Watkins, a 25-year-old from Fayetteville, North Carolina, entering her second year as a cheerleader for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Her journey to becoming an NFL cheerleader was no easy one, but it makes it that much more special.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started dancing officially at age 16 in high school,\u201d said Watkins.<\/p>\n

As someone with a \u201clate start\u201d compared to other aspiring dancers, it may seem like the odds were against her. But, Watkins is literally born to thrive \u2014 she was a natural and quickly rose in the ranks as a performer.<\/p>\n

Watkins attended the University of Tampa, where she majored in dance was on the Spartan Scarlets Dance Team for two years.<\/p>\n

Hungry for success and to actualize her dreams, she decided to audition for a spot on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during her senior year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first time I auditioned, I made the finals,\u201d Watkins said. \u201cIn the midst of finals, I realized I was not prepared at all. I wasn\u2019t prepared for the auditions. I wasn\u2019t prepared for the interview. I didn\u2019t research the team, I didn\u2019t really know the coach.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not only did Watkins not make the team, but she auditioned\u00a0three<\/i>\u00a0more times before finally being offered a spot.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s like many professional hopefuls who were loaded with talent, but who had to learn to navigate the system on her own. It took wit, craftiness, and social connections to reinvent her brand and reach her goals.<\/p>\n

\u201cI learned how to model to help with the photo shoot part of the audition,\u201d Watkins said. \u201cI researched the team. I got a personal trainer. I partnered up with other women that were planning to audition so we could prep together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Watkins is now a proud Buccaneers cheerleader, in addition to working full-time and pursuing a two master\u2019s degrees in criminal justice and public administration.<\/p>\n

Juggling all these hats is not easy, but Watkins makes it look effortless. A huge proponent of time management, she takes classes online to leave enough room in her schedule for work, practice and self-care.<\/p>\n

Watkins is a walking example of the multifaceted efforts it takes to make it to the next level, what THRIVE strives to decode and support for others. Through her inspirational plight, she is also a walking story of motivation, tenacity and hope.<\/p>\n

The takeaway: don\u2019t stop at\u00a0no.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cIf you do want to pursue dance or cheerleading, do your homework and research,\u201d Watkins says. \u201cMake sure you know everything about the team that you want to join, even if it’s a high school dance team or college dance team. Make plans to get it done.\u201d\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Courtney Thompson You\u2019re talented, you\u2019re in your element, and you give it your all at auditions day\u2026but you don\u2019t make the team. This a pain many know too well. The disappointment can be daunting, especially when you are used to making teams and achieving your hard-fought-for goals. But, when you\u2019re facing \u201cfailure\u201d while aspiring […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.courtneytee.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/341"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.courtneytee.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.courtneytee.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.courtneytee.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.courtneytee.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=341"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.courtneytee.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/341\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":381,"href":"http:\/\/www.courtneytee.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/341\/revisions\/381"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.courtneytee.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=341"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}