Article authored by Courtney Corbeille Krauss.
Courtney was a Dallas Stars Ice Girl from 2014-2016 and a New England Patriots Cheerleader from 2018-2020.
This past weekend, the New England Patriots Cheerleaders suffered a terrible loss. Tracy Sormanti, the director of the squad, lost her three year battle with multiple myeloma.
We were lucky to have the greatest cheerleading coach on our sidelines for 27 years, making a lasting impact on our organization and our community.
Forever part of our Patriots family. pic.twitter.com/g8U89RjOhH
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) December 6, 2020
Sormanti passed peacefully on December 4, halfway through her 32nd year with the organization.
To the hundreds of cheerleaders she coached, Tracy was so much more than a director. She was a friend, a mentor, a practical joker, a confidant, and a true friend.
She had a reputation of pushing her cheerleaders to the edge of their potential and supporting their endeavors even after they had retired from the squad. She rarely missed a baby shower, wedding, or charity event that had to do with one of her alumni.
Though she was tough in practices, the lessons she conveyed went far beyond the sidelines.
She prepared her team for life after the uniform and helped her cheerleaders grow into the best version of themselves year after year.
Under her leadership, her squads volunteered all over the community, traveled on USO tours, and raised over $400,000 for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Before she became the coach, Sormanti was a star in her own right.
She cheered on the squad for five seasons and was selected to be the Patriots Pro Bowl Cheerleader in 1993.
Shortly thereafter, she became the director and rebranded the program into the world-class group it is today.
Her squads have performed at ten Super Bowls, and she has six Super Bowl championship rings.
Despite being diagnosed in 2017, Tracy continued to attend all practices and games, even those in freezing temperatures.
She was truly an inspiration to her cheerleaders, colleagues, friends, and family and will be deeply missed.
Donations can be made in Tracy’s honor to the MSPCA-Angell Animal Care and Adoption Center.
For Tracy. pic.twitter.com/GqgQHKW6gg
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) December 7, 2020
