Alyssa Caddle has always been a performer. But until last year, the Standish native and Bonny Eagle High graduate had never performed in front of 68,000 football fans. Caddle is beginning her second season as a New England Patriots cheerleader and she knows her early years of dance and theater helped her get selected to the 24-member team.

I grew up dancing at the Centre of Movement School of Performing Arts in Gorham, and was active in the drama club at Bonny Eagle,” she said. “And in college, I was a member of the Northeastern University dance team and dance company.”

Caddle was among 300 hopefuls last spring when the Patriots held their cheerleading tryouts. She made the initial cut to 65 and then she reached the final cut where her talents, energy and personality won her a spot on the 2006 squad. (All members of the team are selected each and every year meaning she went through the same process this past spring with the same success.)

“Many girls try out for multiple years before making the team,” Caddle noted. “The audition process can be quite overwhelming, with so many beautiful, talented, and smart women, vying for only 24 spots.”

She graduated from Northeastern University in May with a degree in mechanical engineering and she’s already putting her education to good use as an engineer in the Boston area. What little free time she has is devoted to the many responsibilities of being a Patriot cheerleader.

“Personally, I love meeting all the amazing fans across New England,” Caddle said while describing why she enjoys being a Patriots cheerleader. “We do many appearances across the region, and get to meet some great people. Also, having some of the best seats in the house on game day doesn’t hurt!”

While game day thrusts the players on the field into the spotlight, it’s also the time when all the practice and hard work pays off for the cheering team as they share the sidelines with the players.

“Typically we perform around 12 full dance routines per game, but we also do many smaller dances or cheers on the sidelines depending on if the Pats are on offense or defense,” said Caddle. “All of us have to have a great understanding of what is happening on the field in order to do our jobs properly.”

And doing that job properly requires more than a dance background or cheering background to be selected for the New England team.

“I was never a cheerleader in high school or college, but I have always been a dancer,” said Caddle. “We do mostly dancing as opposed to stunting and gymnastics.”

“Some of the girls on our team had never danced and some had never cheered,” said Carrie Binette, a first year member of the Patriots team who cheered at Biddeford High. “We have personal interviews at tryouts and we have to meet with the director. Even if you were the best dancer in the world, if you didn’t have a good personality you wouldn’t be chosen.”

That winning personality all the young ladies on the squad possess helps them get to more places than just the sidelines at Gillette Stadium.

“I had the opportunity to travel to the USS Harry Truman (aircraft carrier) stationed in the Atlantic for Super Bowl weekend last year. We did a show for the men and women aboard, and also got to tour the entire ship,” Caddle said. “Additionally, I recently traveled to China (Beijing and Shanghai) with the NFL to promote American football and help people to better understand the game, the NFL, and of course the Patriots.”

Many years ago, Patriot cheerleaders volunteered their time and enjoyed the privilege of being on the field on game day. Nowadays with time being a precious commodity and the added responsibilities of being an NFL cheerleader, the Patriots do pay the members of their cheering squad. The salary isn’t one that could provide an annual income to support normal annual expenses. Many of the women on the team have college degrees and many have full-time jobs, but that doesn’t prevent them from cheering for their favorite football team.

“We practice at Gillette Stadium twice a week,” Caddle added. “During the off-season, one of these weekly practices is an all-day Saturday practice, and when the season begins we move to two evening practices a week.”

It’s now football season and Caddle’s busy schedule has just gotten busier, but she does save some time for the other important stuff in her life.

“I try to get home as much as possible, though it is tough with my regular job during the week and cheering on the weekends,” she said. “My parents will be coming down to watch me at the Buffalo Bills game in September, and for every other game I will have my friends in the stands.”