Two years ago, Mary Kate found herself at a crossroads.
"I had lost a little bit of my inspiration in my everyday life and knew that I needed something," she says. "I just wasn't sure what that something was."
She found it - and so much more - in Colts Cheer.
"This just kind of fell into my lap at the right time and I decided to go for it and do something for myself and it has paid off in ways that I could never have imagined."
A fun farewell gallery for the Colts Cheerleaders who are hanging up their boots!
Today, she's in a much better place.
"Just confident in myself and in my abilities to take on anything that comes my way," she says. "I'm ready to tackle anything. I'm ready to tackle my next adventure and for me, that is moving across the country with my fiancée and getting married and starting a life together in a new place and embracing this new adventure."
And her experience as a Colts cheerleader has prepared her for the next chapter in life.
"Going into this I think so many people doubt themselves and think, 'I'm not good enough, I'm not pretty enough, talented enough,' the list goes on and on. This experience and all of the women that support you along the way really builds you up and helps you see your own worth."
It's one of many things she'll miss about her time with her teammates.
"There are a lot of really hard parts about being a Colts cheerleader, but the hard parts end up being our favorite memories. The things we put the most time and effort into, I feel like end up being the most rewarding – but even more than that, I'll miss my teammates and my coach and their influence and impact on me."
She'll take a piece of all of them with her as she begins a new life in a new city.
"Yes, 2018 is a huge year for me," she says. "I retired from Colts cheerleading, I am going to start working remotely from Denver, which is where my fiancée lives now. We are in the process of relocating and everything that comes with that and on top of all that, we're getting married in November back in Indiana."
After having much of her spare time tied up with cheerleading, Mary Kate is looking forward to having more time on her hands. And once life settles down, she knows it won't take her long to fill it.
"I think all of us are very ambitious women who like to keep busy, so I think all of us will always have that next project that we're working on and looking forward to."
