|  In the heart of the Entertainment District and just across the street from the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, EXCITEMENT IS BUILDING! The new $1 billion Cowboys Stadium project is expected to be completed in time for the 2009 football season.
The Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau is here to provide you with up-to-date information throughout the project. Check back often for the latest news and announcements.
 Christina Murphy interview part two Does a disability always have to be considered a bad thing? Do you ever think that your hearing impairment could be a blessing because you experience the world in a unique way, and you can now use that impairment to inspire other people? I think that my hearing is a blessing even though I struggle a lot and sometimes I do get mad at God about it. I think that when I look back at all that He’s given me, I think my hearing impairment has made me a stronger person. Without it, I wouldn’t have been as driven to be successful. I wouldn’t trade it for anything else in the world. What do I as a hearing-capable person take for granted? All the beautiful sounds that you hear that I don’t hear at all. I wish I could hear them. And you know the sound of your voice. You can easily communicate with people. I have a hard time trying to sit down with someone in a group and know what they’re talking about because I only get bits and pieces of conversation because I’m reading lips and people turn their head in different directions. I get kind of lost. I don’t know how to sign, but I’m going to learn in the fall. People take for granted that they can hear anything. They don’t know how hard it is for me to sit down and have a nice conversation. At 20 years old, you’re a college student?
I’m going to Texas Woman’s University. I used to be a dance major, but I changed it to Health Studies so that I can go into Occupational Therapy. Before this, I was at Kilgore Junior College where I was a Rangerette (drill team). I think the Rangerettes helped give me confidence. Just being around them and the discipline they have made it easier for me to learn and pick up dances faster. I had to push myself in different challenges over there, so I think I was more ready after that experience. Finish the sentence, please. Cowboys fans would be surprised to know that life as a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader is.... It is something you can’t understand through words, but you have to experience and you’ll fall in love with it. The first time we performed in front of fans at Texas Stadium was a sense of accomplishment for me. Knowing that I can be entertainment for everyone, well, it was fun being with everyone. That’s what I love to do. I wasn’t scared at all. It was really relaxing, which took me by surprise. It was a little scary walking down the tunnel, but once I got down there and looked at everyone, it wasn’t scary at all. We had been rehearsing for three months so we were very prepared and I just wanted to enjoy myself. I knew that there was nothing I should worry about. Have the other cheerleaders been supportive of you and the other rookies on the squad? I think everybody has been supportive. I think that people do forget that I’m deaf because there have been practices where it’s raining and I have to take off my hearing aid. If they’re talking, they have to face me or I can’t see what they’re saying. Isn’t that the ultimate compliment to you, when other people forget that you’re deaf? That’s what I’ve always wanted my whole life, just to hear that I’m like everybody else. Lately I’m accepting the fact that I’m deaf because people, knowing that I’m a deaf cheerleader, think it can be inspiring. Now I have to take a step back and be like, ‘Yeah, I’m deaf but I shouldn’t hide it, it’s not something I need to hide anymore; I’m not in elementary school.’ It’s hard because I think about it all the time, but it’s something I have to be strong for. What is your message to a young person who might be scared to try out for a team or squad because they fear not making the cut? I think that if you have a gut feeling to do something, you should do it because we’re only give one lifetime. You need to make the best out of it. Doing what you want to do is making you stronger. You may not be successful in your first try, but at least it builds you up. Have the guts and just do it. There’s nothing that you need to hide part one
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