WORDS BY NICOLE SIPE
O
ne of Carissa Kahl’s earliest memories is watching her mom, Christy Beeler-Rose, cheer for the Indianapolis Colts. In 1997, when Carissa was just 4 years old, Carissa would watch as her mom danced and somersaulted around the RCA Dome during halftime shows. “The dream of following in my mom’s footsteps started as a little girl,” Carissa says.
Blazing a Trail Beeler-Rose’s performing dreams began at a young age, too. “I had been in dance since I was 4. Then my neighbor introduced me to cheerleading,” Beeler-Rose says. “I first became interested in cheerleading in 6th grade. I decided to cheer instead of dance from 7th to 12th grade.”
Beeler-Rose first cheered for the Indianapolis Colts in 1989, when she was 19 years old. Then, she took a break after the season to start her family. Then in 1997, as a mother of three — Carissa was 4 years old and her twin siblings were 5 months old — Beeler-Rose tried out for the team again and made it. She continued to make the team for the next three seasons. How did she balance raising three kids with professional cheerleading? “I had a lot of support from my mom and mother in law,” Beeler-Rose says. “They were my built-in babysitters. I was very lucky to have such a support system to help me fulfill my passion for cheer and dance.”
Like Mother, Like Daughter Carissa grew up surrounded by dance and cheerleading. Not only did she watch her mom cheer professionally, but she was always hanging around the dance studio/cheerleading gym that Beeler-Rose co-owned.
