Pom-poms, ready! Meet the U.S. Air Force lieutenant who is about to make her Super Bowl debut as a Seattle Seahawks cheerleader

When the Super Bowl starts up on Sunday evening, the Seattle Seahawks’ quarterback won’t be the only high-ranking team member to hit the field – in fact, there will be a first lieutenant among them.



Alicia Quaco is a member of the Seahawks’ cheerleading squad who also works as a full-time production manager for the Air Force.



The San Diego, California native joined the team as a rookie this season after dancing on the cheerleading squad at the U.S. Air Force Academy, her alma matter.



On the filed: Sea Gal Alicia Quaco is a cheerleader for the Seattle Seahawks, and also works full-time as a first lieutenant in the Air Force

Ms Quaco, who married Blaine Hainebach in 2010 but still goes by her maiden name, has been on active military duty for the last seven years.



After graduating from the Air Force Academy in 2010, Alicia was stationed in Seattle to help manage the production of military air crafts.

Last fall her mother suggested that she continue her cheerleading career as an adult while also serving in the military.



In fact, Ms Quaco comes from a military family – her older brother is an army green beret. She has said that she always wanted to follow in his footsteps and be a soldier.



After some research, the buxom blonde decided to try out for a role on the Seattle Seahawks’ ‘Sea Gals’ squad. But she had to seek approval from the military before even applying for a spot on the team, as the auditions’ final round is aired live on local television.



Work clothes: Ms Quaco still appears glamorous in an Air Force museum, wearing her uniform fatigues - which are a stark contrast to her miniscule cheerleading ensembles

Longtime service: Ms Quaco has served in the military for the last seven years, following in the footsteps of her brother who is an army green beret

She told Seattle TV show Evening Magazine that she had to ‘write a talking paper about how it would be beneficial to the Air Force for me to be a Sea Gal. They decided it would be a great idea.’

In April, she auditioned for a spot on the squad alongside 250 other hopefuls.



After multiple elimination rounds, it was decided that Ms Quaco would be one of 34 girls on the team.



‘It was awesome, very surreal,’ she told blog On Her Game of how it felt when she learned that she had been accepted.



In her Sea Gal online bio, Ms Quaco says that her best life experience came ‘the day I joined the Military. I was 18 years old at the time, and the Air Force shaped me into the person I am today. Some days have been hard, but every day has been worth it.’



She made her Sea Gal debut on August 17 at Seattle’s CentryLink Field.

Ms Quaco’s military background sets her apart from her fellow squad members. While most NFL cheerleaders have a full time job in addition to dancing, most of their careers are focused in the fields of beauty, fashion and fitness.



Cheer roots: Ms Quaco began cheering as a student at the U.S. Air Force Academy (class photo, left) and decided to become an NFL cheerleader after graduating in 2010

Fanfare: While this is Ms Quaco's first season as a Sea Gal, she has wasted no time setting up Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter fan pages

But much like those career fields, Ms Quaco says that military service and cheerleading do, in fact, overlap.



She told Evening Magazine: ‘We do have to stay in line while we are cheerleading and do a lot of the same things as the person next to you - much like you do in the military. They do complement each other.’

This year was a good one for Ms Quaco to join the Sea Gal squad. On Sunday the Seattle Sea Hawks will face off against the Denver Broncos in the 48th Super Bowl.

