Colorado Eagles Chicks Continue to Grow in Their Program and Through the Community
By Hailey Finch
Feb 25, 2025
Leading the Cheers
Sporting events are a staple in the entertainment world, and the source of energy that makes sports such a lively event is the fans. And who better to lead fans at Blue Arena in cheering on our Eagles than our very own Colorado Eagles Chicks.
Between getting the fans ready to cheer, performing complex choreography, and being active in the community, these talented women have been a staple of Eagles Country for quite some time. To be as successful of a program as this one has been, it is crucial to have a great leadership team and support system to lead these young women, not only with the physical demands of being a professional cheerleader but also the growth of these athletes as human beings. So, who is this support system? Or rather, who are they?
The Women in Charge
The Colorado Eagles Chicks are co-directed under Melissa Smith and Hedy Lu Neidigh, who not only danced for the team but also started their leadership roles in 2017.
Smith grew up as a dancer, trained in ballet, modern, jazz, and more, and started her dancing journey in Northern Colorado. While in high school, her dance coach was an active Eagles Chick who brought in dancers from the Eagles to teach Smith’s high school team a routine. So, from a young age, Smith knew of the Eagles Chicks.
“I had a couple friends from that dance team join the Chicks after high school, but I went on to dance at college. But when I got done with college I didn’t want to move anywhere, I wanted to stay close to home, and I remembered the Eagles are right down the road.”
Neidigh, like her partner in crime, grew up dancing. With a background in competitive studio dancing and being a member of her poms teams in high school and college, she was with the Colorado Dance Collective for a few years. Being a part of the dance community in Northern Colorado, Neidigh was also aware of the Eagles Chicks.
“I had a good friend from college join the Chicks in 2013, and she convinced me to try out in 2014.”
So, they both went for it, auditioning and becoming members of the team. Smith was a part of the Eagles Chicks for three years, making a lot of great friends along the way, including Neidigh, who also stayed in the program for several years. The pair became more than just teammates; they became best friends. Even though Neidigh spread her wings to Denver for a short time, she found her way back to Eagles Country when the coach at the time decided to step down, and the pair decided to step in and apply for co-directing positions. Eight years into their roles, they’re still loving it.
More than just Cheerleaders
As much as we love our Eagles Chicks, the world of professional cheerleading hasn’t always been supportive of the sport or of the athletes. These ladies have pushed to make sure that the women of the Eagles Chicks and fans continue to be inspired and enthusiastic about the amazing things this program has to offer.
Neidigh stated, “For us, it has always been important for the girls (the Chicks) to be seen as human beings first. They are not just a pretty face with a beautiful body, that knows how to dance and be attractive to an entertainment crowd. These are hardworking young women who are in the middle of, or entering their own careers, who are in the middle of school going for hard degrees and subjects. We have psychologists, we have business majors, neuroscientists, a very wide spectrum. So, keeping the humanistic side of it first and foremost, and presenting them as professionals in every other aspect of their lives has been really important for me andMelissa.”
Smith is in charge of the social media side of the Chicks. It is important for her and the program to showcase these young women as both great dancers and extraordinary human beings. By sharing with the fans through social media, they have continued to bring the fanbase back and remind them of the team’s love for dance and their busy professional lives outside of the Chicks as well.
“They deserve respect, and they have such great hearts,” Melissa started. “We have been so blessed to have women on this team that are just light and love, who love to dance and want to share it with others.”
Neidigh continued on the point of putting their best selves out there by sharing, “We (dancers) have always had to fight this type of reputation for decades and unfortunately I don’t see it going away anytime soon, so everything that represents themselves when they’re out in the public eye we try to guide them in order to help them to navigate that.”
With expectations regarding social media and a push to put these ladies’ best professional foot forward, Smith and Neidigh have worked hard to guide these women in a time of their lives where growing and learning are so important.
Building a Community
This program has grown immensely since the start, expanding its reach outside of Blue Arena and into the community. One of these outreaches has been the creation of the Junior Eagles Chicks program, which has strived to inspire young girls and introduce them to the world of professional cheerleading and dance through mentorship clinics with the Chicks themselves.
It is important for young girls to feel confident and empowered, and through the Junior Eagles Chicks, Smith and Neidigh have pushed to bring a safe space and a place of growth to Northern Colorado.
“I think every dancer can attest to being a young dancer themselves and seeing a ‘big’ dancer and being in awe of them.” explained Smith. She shared how if you were to ask any of the dancers, they’ll harken back to a memory of their childhood with dance where they were inspired by an older dancer. And with that Smith shared a quote that can resonate with anyone, even outside of the dance community; We don’t remember words that are said, we remember how we are treated.
Smith continued, “It is really important to us to be role models with poise, grace, patience and big hearts for the dancers in the community.”
With the dance community in Northern Colorado actively growing, the Junior Chicks program has continued to bloom farther than what was initially thought possible. No matter the level these young dancers decide to pursue, the Chicks have been great mentors in preserving that love for dance through the program.
When Smith and Neidigh started their co-director roles, they had less than 20 young girls signing up for the clinics, but over the years, that would change. Now, each clinic has upwards of 120 registered young girls.
Neidigh shared, “It has been incredible to watch this program grow. I think one of the best compliments that a parent gave me was from this very last clinic we had. And it was her just being so grateful that her daughter had an opportunity to look up to role models in the community. Her daughter was not a dancer who has trained in a studio, but the program was an opportunity for her to have positive interactions with young women who are older than her, where she can do something she enjoys.”
Those are the types of stories Neidigh and Smith want to continue to hear with the growth of this incredible program. And these shared experiences have left such a positive mark on the young girls, who some have continued to register for each clinic and come back, but also to the dancers and staff.
Growing the Nest
The Eagles Chicks continue to be a growing program, and the goals for the program's future are exciting.
“Hedy and I, when we first took on the roles of directors, always wanted to create a really strong alumni group. And we have been so fortunate to have girls stay for years and continue to see multiple examples of that. So now, we’re slowly getting to the point where the girls who leave our program and go on to the next step in their lives want to come back and be a part of this program in some way. So, I know that we would love to see our alumni group just get bigger and bigger every year. Before the home opener we have an alumni showcase. We invite all the alumni we can get our hands on, everyone who has been an Eagles Chick, to come to the showcase to watch the new team run their routines and continue to be a part of this community and get them engaged again. I feel like every year we have more and more women reaching out, and we love to see it continue to get bigger every year. So, I would definitely say that is a milestone we’ve reached but also can reach even further,” shared Smith.
Along with building the alumni group within the Chicks, the program has continued to grow in their partnerships with other dance organizations throughout Colorado, as well. Building these networks is crucial for the growth of the program, and through this, the Eagles Chicks are able to spread their name across Northern Colorado and even into the Denver area.
A Thank You to Eagles’ Country
Through it all, the fans in Eagles Country have been vibrant in their love for the program, and the pair had a few things to say to Eagles fans.
“First and foremost, thank you,” started Neidigh. “The fans have always been supportive of our program. We hear glowing and positive reviews of the girls and how professional they are and how good they look on the ice. So, thank you to the fans who notice who we are and what we add to game day. And to keep them coming back, we’re not done. We’re not a stagnant program. We are going to keep getting better every single year. We are not going disappoint you because we have plans.”
Smith added to the appreciation of the fans with her own message.
“Without them there would be no us. They let us keep pursuing our dream of being involved in dance in some way as directors. We may not be performing or wearing the uniform anymore, but they’ve given us a great avenue to keep that love of dance very much alive in our hearts and to keep growing our program. So, thank you for that.”
These two women have been incredible assets to the program. With their passion for the sport, confidence in the program, love for the girls, and goals for the future. Smith and Neidigh have shown their devotion to the Eagles Chicks program and have created excitement for years to come.
