The San Francisco 49ers aren’t the only ones gearing up for their Super Bowl matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The team’s cheerleaders, known as the Gold Rush, will be on hand to try and root the 49ers to victory.
Unlike the players on the field, though, the cheerleaders call this a side gig. One cheerleader named Kelly is a professor and neuroscientist, while another, Mariah, is a financial analyst and a third, Talia, is a veterinary pathologist and PhD student.
“It is really incredible just to have that energy of game day and finding out we’re going to the Super Bowl, and then to be at work at 8 a.m. the next morning just ready to go, like nothing happened,” Kelly told TODAY when she and Mariah and Talia sat down for an interview that aired Feb. 5.
“(Whiplash is) exactly what it feels like, yeah, because you know you have this thing that’s so wild to people who aren’t involved in this world. And so when you tell them, it’s like you just told them that you moonlight as Batman,” Talia said.
There are 32 members of Gold Rush, performing at every home game and practicing one day a week on Saturdays, when they can work on their routines for as much as seven hours. In order to perfect the cheers, members of the squad may have to work on it away from the field at home or even at their other jobs.
“I’ve had meetings back to back on like a Monday and I have to schedule in like 15 minutes in a conference room to practice my routine,” Mariah said.
The Gold Rush embraces the many sides of each cheerleader, with the squad showcasing their careers in an Instagram reel. With the women moonlighting as cheerleaders, it has led to a debate about why they’re not paid enough to make this their full-time job.
“They are living out their dreams, and we do pay them fairly for all of the time,” Gold Rush director Christi Deane said. “Everything that they do, they are compensated for. But for most of us, we would do it for free.”
And while some cheerleaders have sued NFL teams over pay in prior years, Kelly said she is pleased with what she earns.
“I’ve always felt like we’ve been compensated very fairly,” she said.
The women also said it's possible to balance a career with their passion and that they hope the next generation look to them as examples.
“I want more people to understand that you can absolutely do it all. Once that support system is there, it is absolutely possible,” Talia said.
“It also just makes me a more whole and complete person, mother, daughter, wife,” Kelly said. “So it really adds just an incredible amount to my life and my happiness.”
The Gold Rush will be in action when the 49ers and Chiefs duke it out in the Super Bowl, scheduled for Feb. 11 at 6:30 p.m. at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.