Faith Ward: Perth dancer on becoming a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, selection process and Texas life

She came from half a world away, had never held a pair of pom-poms, and was thrown into the world’s most cut-throat cheerleading squad — and still, Perth’s Faith Ward made it.

The 22-year-old dancer has defied the odds to earn a spot as a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, stepping into a world of pressure, perfection, and star-spangled scrutiny.

“It’s honestly insane,” she said about how her whole life has changed.

Flexi Faith, as she is known on her Instagram and TikTok accounts, was picked with five other rookies, below, to join 30 veterans on the sidelines for American Football’s most iconic team.

Ward said she thinks the news will finally sink in when she gets to wear her uniform for official photos on Tuesday.

“I’m just so incredibly grateful to be in this position and feeling like everything that I’ve done and trained for is paid off,” she said.

“It feels a little bit like a dream, if I’m being 100 per cent honest, and I’m just so excited.”

Ward, who moved to Perth’s when she was 10 and danced at Smash Dance Company in Wangara, is the first New Zealander to join the team and the third Australian, following in the footsteps of former members Angela Nicotera Brown and Jinelle Esther.

“I honestly feel like I’m doing my country so proud, and it’s just so cool, because I know that in New Zealand, we don’t really get a lot of opportunity, and we have to really venture out to make ourselves be seen and heard,” she said.

“It’s really nice to represent both of my places where I’ve grown up, but I’ll always be a true Kiwi at heart.”

Ward danced for her life during a rigorous selection process led by team director Kelli Finglass and choreographer Judy Trammel.

The intense method of cutting the team to 36 has become more well-known thanks to the Netflix series America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, which gives a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to make the squad.

Ward was competing against American women who had grown up dancing in the “power pom” collegiate cheerleading style, a challenging genre for someone who doesn’t come from that dance background.

Fans of the Netflix show may get an insight into Ward’s journey if the series is renewed for a third season.

“The first lesson, when I came in, I’m sure you guys will eventually see, I’m a deer in headlights. Going into an environment where I’d never done the style before, never held a pair of pom poms, and didn’t know any of the routines, while all the veterans around you know what they’re doing, is extremely intimidating.

“Plus, you’re literally fighting for your life in front of Judy and Kelli.

Part of the process sees the rookies and veterans take part in a month-long training camp where they practise choreography from game day dances.

“Training camp is probably one of the hardest experiences of your life, and you are seriously pushed to limits that you didn’t even think were possible,” she said.

“I think every athlete needs to go through something like that, because the process just makes you grow so much as a person, mentally and physically.

“But I’m not going to lie to you, definitely one of the hardest experiences.”

Ward thanked her dance teachers and said she wouldn’t have achieved her dream without them.

She specifically thanked them for being strict, which has helped her navigate the reality of the “brutal” professional dancing world.

As Ward settles into life in Texas, she said she has a lot to learn about the American way of life, including the road rules.

“Everything is the opposite...I‘ve been loving trying all the American food,” she said.

The cheerleaders are now preparing for the first home preseason game for the Cowboys, scheduled for August 17.

The season officially kicks off at their home turf in Arlington, Texas on September 15.