NORFOLK, Va. – Dominick Fink was a cheerleader for the Jacksonville Jaguars, and if you're unfamiliar with the world of NFL cheerleaders, working for the Jags opened a lot of doors for her.
While the gig doesn't pay a lot, the perks are awesome. She danced with New Kids on the Block, Colt Ford and 69 Boys and at a concert with Cher and Nile Rodgers. She went to London four times and began doing commercials, including a series of ads for Carnival Cruise Line.
Eight times a year, she hit the turf at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville and danced in front of more than 70,000 spectators and at times, millions on television.
She made the team for the fourth time in 2020 and was a returning captain.
She dreamed of becoming Miss America or heading to Hollywood to become a dancer or actor.
But she was a single mom and her son, Preston, is on the spectrum. He was born with autism and as he grew older, Fink realized she needed help raising him.
"Doing it on my own was very hard," she said. "I couldn't do it alone. So, I came back and moved in with my family."
She put her dreams aside, for now, and moved home to Chesapeake, where her parents, Kenneth and Lesley Anderson, have relished chipping in to help care for their grandson.
And Jacksonville's loss turned out to be Old Dominion University's gain.
Last August, Fink became coach of the ODU Dynasty Dance team, and quickly used the lessons she learned in the NFL to instill a new sense of professionalism in the Monarch dance team.
"With all due respect to the previous coaches, who did a good job, her experience with the NFL and the other life lessons she learned have all had a huge impact," said Rachel Ayers, assistant coach for the ODU cheer squad.
"We've had fans come up to us and say the dance team is different, that they're still good dancers, but they've become so much more engaging."
Her path to ODU was indirect. Ayers had resigned as the cheer coach at Hickory High and helped interview candidates to replace her. Fink interviewed, and while she didn't accept the job because of other obligations, Ayers called Tara Lynne Cannon, ODU's spirit squad and mascot coordinator, and told her she thought Fink was a perfect candidate to lead the Dynasty Dance team.
"Dominick's NFL experience is what we needed to take our dance program to the next step and really grow our participation numbers," said Carolyn Crutchfield, ODU's executive senior athletic director
Her path to the Jaguars wasn't smooth.
Eight years ago, as an 18-year-old ODU sophomore, Fink was an up-and-coming member of the Dynasty Dance Team.
She had already won the Miss District of Columbia pageant two years earlier and had made the Washington Redskins Cheerleaders before having to drop out because of an injury.
But when she learned she was pregnant at age 18, her world turned upside down. And although the timing was far from optimal, she embraced motherhood.
Her parents and other family members "were very adamant on me doing what I thought was best for me. And I knew what was best for my future and my son was to finish my degree."
She went back to school on campus and struggled at times. In her first semester back, she failed two classes – the first she had ever failed. She said ODU professors were helpful, with some allowing her to take Preston to class.
She moved to be close to friends in Jacksonville, Florida, and while working two jobs, finished her ODU degree online.
ODU Online, now known as ODU Global, turned out to be the best option for her.
ODU Online Allowed NFL Cheerleader to Graduate from ODU
"The classes were great, and everything was organized," she said.
Cannon said that Fink's relatively young age – she is 26 – allows the dancers to relate to her.
"They have a unique relationship," she said. "She is able to say to them, 'I was in your shoes not too long ago. I understand what it takes to be a Dynasty Dancer and what it takes to go on and dance professionally.' "
Cassidy Scott, a junior member of the dance team from Washington, D.C., said Fink changed "the dynamic of the team."
"It's way more powerful, way more positive."
Dominick Fink cheering for the Jacksonville Jaguars
She paused for a few seconds and added: "She's literally the most amazing person I've ever met."
She says so in part because, in addition to coaching and parenting, Fink recently earned her master's degree in applied behavior analysis and is now working on her doctorate in special education.
Fink says she went back to school so she can do more to help her son.
"I just wanted to educate myself for my son," she said. "I had no idea what I was getting into when he was diagnosed, and I wanted to educate myself on what I could do to help him and make his life easier."
Life isn't always easy for parents of children on the spectrum, whose condition is often caused by a developmental disability in the brain. Exactly what causes autism in many kids isn't fully understood.
Autistic children often have delayed speech and communication skills, can be upset by minor changes in their environment and can have anxiety, attention issues or depression. There are varying degrees of autism, with some able to live independently as adults while others need support for their entire lives.
Preston has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and sensory processing issues, in addition to autism. But while attending ODU basketball games, Preston is all smiles and loves to watch the dancers, with whom he has bonded.
"He is the sweetest little boy," Fink said. "You know, every day is different with him. You never know what you're going to get.
"But I think that's what makes it fun. He's a hard worker. He's just really a good boy. He tries so hard.
"I bring him with me to practice sometimes. He's gotten to develop relationships with the team. Everybody within the spirit squad loves him. He's just a happy-go-lucky kid."
Tara Lynne Cannon and Dominick Fink
Fink was no stranger to adversity before she came to ODU. She was withdrawn and shy as a child so her mother put her in dance class. She was a natural and blossomed into an outstanding dancer.
But when she was 12, Fink underwent several surgeries after temporarily losing her hearing.
Doctors told her to stop dancing for a while to give her surgery time to heal.
But she didn't listen and began dancing almost right away. She eventually suffered some hearing loss, which she said likely occurred because she stubbornly went back to dancing too soon.
She's supposed to wear a hearing aid but rarely does.
"I've become an expert at lip-reading," she jokes.
Almost two years to the day following her surgery, she tried out for the Governor's School of the Performing Arts as a ballet dancer and made the cut.
Her surgery, dancing and hearing loss did not affect her school work – she graduated from Western Branch High School a year early.
"I was just ready for college," she said.
Preston and Dominick Fink
Because she's faced adversity, she can relate to what her dancers are going through, and her dancers can relate to her.
"They know if they are struggling in class to let me know before it gets worse," she said. "They also know that mental health is extremely important to me, so they know if they're having a rough day to come and tell me so we can figure something out."
She has 10 dancers on her team and her goal is to double that number by next season.
When she is recruiting dancers, she is honest about what she's going to ask from them. They practice two days a week and she often has them run on a third day to increase their stamina.
Most dance at basketball games on both Thursday and Saturday nights.
They must meet the same academic standards set for student-athletes to remain eligible, and although dance is not a varsity sport, they receive academic advising and have access to mental health care offered by ODU Athletics.
"I'm hard on them because I know the ability they have," she said. "I know what they are capable of doing."
As for the curves life has thrown at her, Fink is philosophic.
"I truly believe everything happens for a reason," she said.
"Preston changed my life for the better. He forced me to grow up. You know, I can think about the things in my career path before I had Preston. I wanted to be Miss USA, to be Miss America.
"But I wouldn't change anything.
"He is my everything. I'm going to school for him to be a better mom and to help him and just navigate life. I just want to make it as easy as possible for him, to be the best advocate for him that I can possibly be."
As for her dreams of cheering in the NFL, she hasn't quite closed the door.
"I always think in the back of my head that maybe I will go back, you know, maybe to a different team, dabble my toes in it and try again," she said.
Rachel Ayers with Dominick Fink
"I don't know if I want to hang my pom poms up just yet. You never know. I don't know where I'm going to end up in a year or two.
"But right now, in this moment in time, it's all about my son for me, and focusing on creating a better life for him."
Cannon knows a thing or two about motherhood. Less than a year ago, she nearly lost her son in childbirth.
Tara Cannon nearly lost her son in childbirth
She admires Fink's dedication to her son.
"She put her dreams aside to be here and take care of her kid," she said. "Some people forget that moms have dreams and aspirations. But in the end, mom is going to put that aside to do what's best for her kid.
"She put all of that on the back burner to be a mom. She's just a beautiful person inside and out."
Contact Minium at hminium@odu.edu or follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
Minium: ODU Dynasty Dance Coach Gave up Cheering for NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars for Sake of Her Son
