CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — When the New England Patriots hit the field in the fall, an East Tennessee native will join them.
Mallary Quaderer moved to Sevierville when she was 12 years old, and from an early age, she had a passion for dancing.She began attending Elizabeth William's School of Dance and made it onto the dance team at Pigeon Forge High School.
“I knew I loved the feeling of just sharing a story without words and having that connection with an audience without having a discussion at all. I thought that that was so special. I hadn't ever had the chance to really feel that out until I was on the dance team at that point in high school. And that's what really drew me to want to pursue that throughout college as well,” Quaderer said.
For four years, Mallary performed as a Sugar Moc at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga. Then she landed a tryout to be a cheerleader for the NFL’s New England Patriots, and on the final day of boot camp, the roster was announced.
“We do the routine, and our coach was saying, this is such a great opportunity. We've been telling you throughout boot camp to project and how big the stadium is, and how special it is here. Not everybody gets the chance to experience this, and she was pointing, and we all turn around, and there it is on the screen. Congratulations 2024 Patriots cheerleaders," Quaderer said. "I remember like my hands going straight to my mouth. I was just in shock. I started crying. I mean, my childhood dream just became reality.”
Although she’s on to bigger and better things up north, it’s her roots in East Tennessee that made her the dancer she is today.
“Throughout my time living in Sevierville and that being my hometown, I learned so much from my school and all of my teachers along the way. It's shown and I love to say that I'm living proof of all the efforts that they've put into me,” Quaderer said.