Caitlyn Luce’s passion for dancing has always been a part of her life and even when it may not be the primary focus, she still finds a way to feed that love.
But this time around, will be something different and memorable because she is a member of The Roar of the Jaguars’ 2023 squad.
The opportunity of being an NFL cheerleader is something she had thought about at times over the years, but being one for her hometown team takes it to another level of excitement.
Luce is truly a local product as she grew up in Ponte Vedra and that is where she discovered her love for dance at an early age.
“It’s really the only sport I ever did, and I’ve done it since I was about three or four years old,” Luce said. “My dad and brother are big soccer people, so I tried that, but I was doing cartwheels on the sideline while I was supposed to be in the game.”
She was a member of the Splash Dance Team each of her four years at Ponte Vedra High School.
“I really enjoyed my time on Splash,” Luce said. “Those years were so much fun, but I also really thought that my days as a part of a dance squad were done with high school.”
However, she decided to tryout as a freshman for the University of Florida’s official dance team, known as the “Dazzlers,” and earned a spot on the team for that year.
“It was really hard to just let that aspect of me go just like that,” Luce said.
Then, the COVID-19 pandemic took effect and she had also switched her track toward a degree in the medical field, so she decided to focus all her attention on school and only did the one year as a “Dazzler,” as a result.
This time around, she definitely thought her time spent dancing in college was the last time she would be dancing on a platform like that and was happy with the opportunities she had been given.
But the dancing universe would bring her in once again, as she recently graduated from the University of Florida and returned home to the First Coast in May and has been shadowing doctors in the advanced heart failure and transplant department at Mayo Clinic.
“I’m working to get into medical school, so I just thought I’ve got some time so I might as well tryout for the Jags,” Luce said. “I went in understanding that this will probably be my only year with the squad.”
According to Luce, she probably wouldn’t have done it for any team but the Jaguars, because she remembers her family having season tickets and going to games together growing up.
When Luce was named a finalist and then got the call that she had made the squad out of the 180 that tried out, she was amazed by the accomplishment, because even three years away from competitive dance could not stop the dance world from calling her name once again.
She cannot help but think about the excitement and surreal nature that she will be feeling when she is on the field performing and her family is up in the stands cheering her on.
“It’s so much fun to be able to point out people you know in the stands, and you can only do that with the hometown team,” Luce said. “My parents came to every game in high school to see me, so it will be just like that again.”
The Jaguars’ first regular season home game will be Sept. 17 against the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs at 1 p.m.
One of the experiences she is looking forward to the most this season is that The Roar will travel to London and cheer for the Jaguars during the Oct. 1 contest against the Atlanta Falcons at Wembley Stadium, since the Jaguars are designated as the “home team” for that contest.
Her family will be making the trip with her to London and although she has been to Europe with her family in recent years, she understands this trip will be entirely different.
“They don’t have cheerleaders at soccer games over there, so they are really enamored by it all,” Luce said. “We are going to do a lot of community events, including one in front of Buckingham Palace. I’m really excited about the free day we get, because that’s when I’ll have time to hang with family.”
Getting out in the community is something Luce cannot wait to do, because she remembers when she was growing up and how much of a role model an NFL cheerleader can be to an aspiring young dancer.
“That’s why I like what I’m doing, because it’s so much bigger than just me,” Luce said. “You are on a platform and can truly have an impact on people. I’m ready to make a difference this season.”
