Super Bowl 50 between the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers will feature a little Bridgeport flair. When the TV cameras turn to the sidelines at Santa Clara, California’s Levi’s Stadium, former Bridgeport resident Samantha Freels will be among the TopCat cheerleaders.

 

“She takes a lot of pride in it,” said her mother, Meredith Forren. “Their mentality is always ‘family first,’ but it does take a lot of time and they do have a lot of rehearsals. She has to be at the stadium six hours before any game starts. It’s about representing the state of North Carolina – and she loves it.”

 

As for a chance to perform at the Super Bowl, Freels is pretty blown away.

 

“She cannot believe she gets this opportunity. It’s something that not many people ever get to do,” Meredith Forren said. “She’s been working hard, but she’s very excited and very grateful.”

 

Freels and her fellow TopCat Cheerleaders have been silenced with regard to media inquiries until after Sunday’s Super Bowl. The girls will arrive at Levi’s Stadium several hours before the 3:30 p.m. (Pacific Time) kickoff, but Saturday’s media demands will require them to rise and shine very early.

 

“They will be on ‘Good Morning America’ and the whole TopCat team will be up at 3 a.m. for that appearance,’ Forren said.

 

A 2008 graduate of University High School, Freels is the daughter of Bridgeport High School graduates Meredith (Connor) Forren (1989) and Chad Freels (1986) and the stepdaughter of Richard Forren, also a graduate of BHS.

 

Freels and her twin sister Amanda attended Simpson Elementary School through the third grade, after which their family relocated to Morgantown. While living in Bridgeport, they took lessons at Rebecca’s Dance Studio and continued their pursuit of ballet at Kat and Company and Morgantown Ballet Company. After graduating from UHS, both girls studied international business at West Virginia University, where Samantha was a member of the two-time national championship WVU Dance Team. Upon receiving their degrees in 2012, the girls relocated to Hoboken, NJ and worked in Manhattan. Samantha has also danced with the New York City Ballet, the Cincinnati Ballet and the Pittsburgh Ballet.

 

“She’s been a ballet dancer her whole life,” Meredith Forren said.  

 

After transferring to Charlotte, North Carolina with her company, Varonis Software, Samantha wanted to continue dancing, stay physically fit and become involved with the community. She decided to do that, her mother said, by trying out for the TopCat cheerleaders.

 

“The first year, she did it just for fun. Her roommate wanted her to try out. She thought it would be a good way to meet some girls. She didn’t even tell anyone for a while,” Forren said. “Then she made it through the first round and the next round and actually had to go through a round of interviews and sit down with the staff to make sure they knew about football and about the team. She had to get security clearance and a background check.”

 

After getting to the final rounds of the audition process, Freels became very determined to make the team. And after getting a taste of what it is like to be part of that team last year, she was again determined this year.

 

As a rule, between 300 and 400 girls audition for a spot on the team. Next year, Freels suspects there will be even more.

 

“She did say after this year, it will be even harder to make the team,” Forren said. “After cheering at the Super Bowl, everybody will want to try out.”

 

Although Freels loves her TopCat cheer position, it is not a job.

 

“They get paid very little,” Forren said. “All the cheerleaders have real jobs or they are in school.”

 

Yet, the organization is very good to the girls.

 

“They are like a family,” she said.

 

Freels is a successful businesswoman. Her work as an account manager at Varonis (software company) encompasses information technology, sales and services.

 

Typically, the TopCat cheerleaders perform only at home games, but the Super Bowl is an extenuating circumstance. Fortunately for Freels, her superior at Varonis is a Panthers fan.

 

Forren said she is proud of her daughter for many reasons.

 

“She is a smart, independent successful young lady and this is just icing on the cake,” she said. “It’s fun that she gets to do this and get some recognition for doing something she loves to do. It’s sure something to tell her grandchildren someday.”

 

Amanda Freels also lives in Charlotte, NC, where she works as a realtor for 123 My New Home.

 

Meredith Forren is a self-employed certified public accountant, working out of Bridgeport. Richard Forren is an architect with Omni Associates. The couple lives in Bridgeport.

 

They will be at Sunday’s Super Bowl cheering on the Panthers.

 

“We’ll be watching our West Virginia girl,” Meredith Forren said. 

 

Sunday's Super Bowl will be televised by CBS, starting at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time. "Good Morning America" is carried by the ABC network.