The fans have spoken, and Amanda is the winner of the 2007 Houston Texans Cheerleader contest.
Vying with three other finalists, Amanda won the most votes and was named the final member of the squad Friday afternoon during a live broadcast on ABC-13.
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If not for her campaigning this week, Amanda might not have earned this opportunity. She promoted the contest on her MySpace page as well as through an event her friend organized at a local restaurant.
"I was campaigning everywhere," Amanda said. "My friend made me a flyer, and after that I made 300 copies of that at Kinko's.
"We had a party at a place that one of our friends owns, and we were passing out flyers. That was definitely a lot of fun. My picture was everywhere. It was in the bathrooms. Then on MySpace. I e-mailed everyone that I knew. My dad and his work. My mom and her work. My friends and their work. They all voted."
Originally from Deer Park and a former student at Sam Houston State University, Amanda has 19 years of dance experience. She used to cheer for the Houston Aeros hockey team.
When it was announced that she was one of the four finalists to join the Houston Texans Cheerleaders this year, Amanda was excited. After trying out twice previously, she thought the third time might be a charm.
To her delight, her premonition was correct. Once Texans cheerleading coordinator Alto Gary read her name today, Amanda was embraced by the rest of her new teammates.
"They were so nice," Amanda said. "They told me congratulations. They all gave me a hug."
