40-year-old dance instructor Kirste Lewis didn't expect much when she decided to try out for the New Orleans Saints - she thought she'd have fun getting in shape, make it to the audition and have a great story to tell.
"I wanted to set a goal for myself, and the audition was a specific date that required specific training, so my goal was just to make it to the audition," Lewis told the Associated Press. "Honestly, I really did not think I was going to make it."
Lewis lives with her husband and two sons in Hattiesburg, MS. She's now the second NFL cheerleader over the age of 40 (45-year-old Laura Vikmanis has been with the Cincinnati Ben-Gals for five years now).
“When I did that first split, I thought I was going to die. I mean, it had been 20 years. But that was the one thing that I was like I’m determined — if i don’t get anything else, if I don’t make this team, I’m going to get my split back,” she said.
According to the AP, Lewis was also motivated by a debilitating kidney disease - she's likely to need dialysis and a kidney transplant at some point. She needed her doctor's permission to try out, but her attitude about the issue is excellent:
"I know my time is limited," Lewis said. "I don't want to let any time go. I want to make every day count."
