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Laura Vikmanis is living proof that you truly are only as old as you feel. The last place you’d expect to find a 42-year-old mother of two teenage daughters is on an NFL football field, dancing in a skimpy uniform. But that’s exactly where you’ll find Vikmanis, who currently reigns as the NFL’s oldest cheerleader. And soon, you will be able to see her story projected on the big screen.
Vikamanis, a registered dietitian and trainer, first tried out for the Cincinnati Ben-Gals cheer squad when she was 39, after going through a tough divorce. While at first she didn’t make the cut, she spent the next year working on fitness and routines before trying out again, determined to pursue a dream she had let fall by the wayside. This time, she was successful, becoming an inspiration for her daughters and a mother figure to the squad members who are almost 20 years her junior.
(More on TIME.com: See a brief history of cheerleading)
If you’re thinking that this tale sounds like a movie, you’re spot on. Writing duo Emily Cook and Kathy Greenberg — of Gnomeo & Juliet and Ratatouille fame — penned a pitch about Vikamanis’ life and sent it out to New Line Cinema, who picked it up immediately, hoping to turn it into the next Blind Side.
And with the football season in indefinite limbo, now seems like the perfect time to turn audiences’ attention to the role of the iconic cheerleader, as well as validating the belief that it is possible to reinvent yourself at any age.
But what NewsFeed really wants to know is who is going to be cast as the blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty in the movie? We hear Cameron Diaz is available. (via The Hollywood Reporter)
(More on TIME.com: Oscar Fashion: The 9 Best Women over 40)