From the NFL to Colonie: Erica Doran’s talent is endless

By Ava Coogan

May 17, 2021

“ I was like, who wants to be with 32 girls? That sounds like a whole bunch of drama. But my cousin begged me to try out and I was like alright whatever I’ll try,” Erica Doran giggled.

Although she was a cheerleader in high school, Erica Doran, a South Colonie elementary school music teacher, never thought she’d cheer in college until her cousin convinced her otherwise. Much to her surprise, cheerleading for the NFL was a once in a lifetime experience.

She went to the first weekend of Buffalo Jills tryouts with much reservation, but then said her “competitive spirit kicked in when she saw hundreds of girls.” She thought to herself, “Well all of you are going down, I’m going to kick your butts. Here we go!”

The judging and auditioning process was very rigorous and selective. The Buffalo Bills’ judging panel consisted of NFL officials, coaches, owners, players, and radio hosts.

Doran performed her dance and cheer and made it past the first cut. She then had to complete the interview portion. She changed into her suit and prepared to answer questions about her life, her college major, and of course, questions about football.

At the time, Doran was a huge Green Bay Packers fan and knew little about the Bills. Prior to the interview she was quizzing herself on the coaches and the players of the Bills. She left the interview feeling great and remembers waiting in a room until her number was called.

“I could cry thinking about it, I went through the door and saw my cousin waiting for me to come through” Doran said laughing.

Doran was now a part of the Jills’ temporary squad. The girls had to go through field ready tests at random during practices, and if you weren’t prepared, you were cut. She was prepared. She also had weigh-ins to make sure everyone was maintaining a healthy weight.

“That's the part I didn't like,” Doran said.

Doran had two practices a week that were four hours long. She would go to class all day at SUNY Fredonia and then drive to Buffalo for rehearsals and practices.

Cheerleading for the Jills had a whole other level off the field. The girls took part in appearances and charity events which allowed them to meet all kinds of people.

“That was fun, I liked those a lot, especially because you got to see kids and raise money for non profit organizations” said Doran.

Some of her best experiences came from attending these appearances. She was always meeting new people. Doran actually got to meet her favorite football player, Joe Montana, at one of the appearances. Doran also got paired up with Chris McDonald, an actor and a golfer for her golf team at an appearance.

“I got to play golf with the guy who played Shooter McGavin and I actually sunk a Birdie!” Doran shared.

The cheer season went March to March, with training camps in the summer and appearances happening throughout the year. Each year, the girls had to try out again; however, Doran only cheered for one year because she was scheduled to be a student teacher which was the final component of her college studies.

“I'm the type of person who likes to do something 100%. I knew what a commitment student teaching was and what a commitment being a cheerleader was ” Doran said.

Though her time cheering for the Bills was limited, every football season, Doran misses her time with the NFL.

“Just the feeling of being on the field. When you're in the middle of that and all of the sound is coming down on you, it shakes you.” Doran explained.

Doran is not just a cheerleader, she's been dancing, singing and performing since about four years old.

She landed many roles throughout high school and college in plays and musicals; her favorite role was Peter Pan because her school flew in a company from Broadway and she actually got to fly on stage and learn the real Broadway choreography.

Doran continues to participate in plays and musicals as an adult. She even tried out for the Radio City Rockettes. Her last show was right before the Covid-19 shutdown, she got to play Dolly Parton in Nine to Five at the Schenectady Light Opera Company, which she loved.

Doran’s biggest piece of advice for the class of 2021 seniors is to always remember that you’re always auditioning. “Anywhere you go you’re making an impression on people. There's always someone looking at you. It doesn't matter how great you are, or how talented you are, or how smart you are. What really matters is how you treat other people, how hard you work, and how honest you are.”