Laura Vikmanis
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Laura Lynette Vikmanis (previously Robb; born September 10, 1968) is an American dietitian, personal trainer, and dancer who was a professional cheerleader for the
Cincinnati Ben–Gals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The club's home ...
, the cheerleading squad of the
Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
. She was the oldest cheerleader in National Football League history, at 40 years of age when she joined in 2009. She is also a co-author of the book ''It's Not About the Pom-Poms''.


Biography

Vikmanis is from
Springboro, Ohio Springboro is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. A suburb of Cincinnati and Dayton, it is located mostly in Warren County in Clearcreek and Franklin Townships; with a small portion in Miami Township in Montgomery County. The city is part of the ...
. As a child, Vikmanis danced for Dance Theater Dayton and attended John F. Kennedy Junior High School, where she was a member of the cheerleading squad. She attended Fairmont High School and was a member of the Fairmont Firebird
Drill Team A drill team can be one of four different entities: # A military drill team is a marching unit that performs routines based on military foot or exhibition drills. Military drill teams perform either armed or unarmed. # A dance drill team creat ...
. She graduated from Fairmont High School in 1986. After high school, Vikmanis attended
California State University, Long Beach California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) is a public research university in Long Beach, California. The 322-acre campus is the second largest of the 23-school California State University system (CSU) and one of the largest universities i ...
where she received a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics and Food Administration. She is a certified dietitian and personal trainer. Although raised Presbyterian, she married a Roman Catholic, in a Catholic ceremony.It's Not About the Pom-Poms: How a 40-Year-Old Mom Became the NFL's Oldest ... – Laura Vikmanis, Amy Sohn – Google Books
/ref> They later had two daughters, who are both competitive cheerleaders. After filing for divorce, Vikmanis decided to pursue a career in professional cheerleading. In 2018 Vikmanis spoke out against gender-based discrimination in the NFL.


Career

Vikmanis works as a registered dietitian nutritionist for Kettering Health's Bariatric Surgery program. She works with pre and post bariatric surgery nutrition education, weight loss, weight management and cardiovascular nutrition. She has taught group fitness classes as well as private personal training sessions. Vikmanis made the squad in 2009. At the age of 39 she tried out for the Ben–Gals and made it to the finals cuts, but was not put on the team. She tried out again the following season and made the team. Since making the Ben–Gals, Vikmanis received huge publicity and has appeared on various television networks and talk shows. In March 2012, her book, co-written by Vikmanis and
Amy Sohn Amy Sohn is a Brooklyn-based author, columnist and screenwriter. Her first two novels were ''Run Catch Kiss'' (1999) and ''My Old Man'' (2004), both published by Simon & Schuster, and a companion guide to television's ''Sex and the City'', ''Se ...
, titled ''It's Not About the Pom-Poms'' was released. In 2012, Vikmanis would have been dethroned from the honor of being the oldest cheerleader in the league by
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (sometimes initialized as DCC, and officially nicknamed "America's Sweethearts") are the National Football League cheerleading squad representing the Dallas Cowboys team. History 1960s During a game between the C ...
-hopeful Sharon Simmons, at 55, but Simmons was unable to make the squad. Vikmanis went on to be a member of the Ben–Gals squad for a total of six years.


Film

In 2011, New Line Cinema picked up the rights to make a film on Vikmanis' life story, though no film has been released as of 2021.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vikmanis, Laura Living people 1968 births 21st-century dancers Sportspeople from Ohio People from Springboro, Ohio American people of Latvian descent Dietitians National Football League cheerleaders American exercise instructors Cincinnati Bengals American female dancers Dancers from Ohio American cheerleaders American women writers American Presbyterians California State University, Long Beach alumni 21st-century American women