"I have been introduced to TikTok."

Walking off the field after being one of the nearly 200 Eagles Cheerleader Alumni who stole the show at last Sunday's halftime performance, Sharon Sweeney simply couldn't help herself. As she approached the tunnel to head into the stadium, she ignited an "E-A-G-L-E-S, EAGLES!" chant from the crowd.

Once an Eagles Cheerleader, always an Eagles Cheerleader. Even at 79 years young.

After the game on Sunday afternoon, Sharon's phone was inundated with text messages from friends and family who saw the performance posted on social media. The alumni wore black jackets that had a number to reflect the year they joined the squad. Sharon and Diane Celotto each had the number 65 on their jackets to represent, yes, 1965, when the Eagles Cheerleaders were called the Eaglettes.

Sharon said that she had the TikTok app on her phone, but never really had a reason to engage with it. After the performance went viral and was picked up by several media outlets, Sharon had to see what the fuss was all about.

With the New Year entering its second week, the momentum and desire to follow through on those resolutions might be fading. If you need inspiration to keep going, just look at Sharon and Diane.

"I'm confused (by the surprised reaction) because I don't know any other way. I love it," said Sharon, who was on the way home from a basketball game where she was jokingly told by her daughter to tone down the cheering. "I was a cheerleader. I owned my own fitness studio. I've been a dancer for most of my life. I had a cheerleading business.

"If you have an opportunity, then you take it and hope that it works. And if it does, it's grand."

Diane's secret? A loving family and dedication to exercise.

"I've been married since '68. We have two daughters and I have two grandchildren. I think being involved with the children (has helped)," she said. "I really just love to dance. I've always loved that. We eat right. We exercise as far as walking a lot. And now I'm dancing more."

Diane vividly recalls her one season as an Eagles Cheerleader, or as an Eaglette. She remembers the twice-a-week practices at the Armory located at 32nd and Arch Streets in West Philadelphia. On gamedays, the cheerleaders would meet at the Armory and walk down to Franklin Field.

In the 1960s, Eagles games didn't just have the cheerleaders as part of the gameday experience. There was a band, a color guard, baton twirlers, about 200 people in all.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Diane proved that she was ready for gamedays performing as a dancer on Dick Clark's American Bandstand, which was filmed in Philadelphia from 1952 until 1963. The show featured popular bands from that era and the dancers, known as the Regulars, drew their own following as Diane would receive fan mail. She showcased her talent on American Bandstand from 1960 until the show left for a new studio in Los Angeles. Diane only spent one year with the Eaglettes to tend to family matters following the passing of her mother.

Sharon continued with the Eaglettes until the squad was discontinued at the end of the 1968 season. When the Eagles were preparing to move into Veterans Stadium for the 1971 season, Sharon wanted to be a cheerleader again, so she reached out to the Eagles to gauge their interest in reviving the program. She was put in touch with Bill Mullen, the Eagles' entertainment director. At the time, Sharon was the cheerleading coach at Archbishop Ryan High School and her squads dominated the local competition. Bill recognized Sharon because he was a judge for those contests.

He had a proposition. If Sharon wanted to bring back the Eaglettes, she could run the show.

More than 150 prospective cheerleaders auditioned for the squad, and in 1971, a new era began for the Eaglettes. Sharon remained involved with the squad as it was rebranded the Liberty Belles in 1979, cheered on the Eagles at their first Super Bowl appearance in the 1980 season, and even after the Liberty Belles transformed into what fans know now as the Eagles Cheerleaders in 1984. Sharon's tenure ended in 1985, but not her impact on the industry. Sharon was inducted into the National Football Cheerleaders Alumni Organization Hall of Fame in 2024.

"I think the thing that drives me the most are the women who come back and thank me," Sharon said. "Because I was tough. I was really strict. I went to 12 years of Catholic School, to give you an example of how tough I was. They come back and thank me because I think I developed a lot of character in the women and I made them believe in themselves. They always made me look good and I was proud of that. And they come back and thank me for not giving up on them."

Sharon simply wanted to get back on the field in 1971. Diane wished she could have continued doing what she loved to do after that one season.

Last Sunday provided both of them with that opportunity. And they made the most of it.

"It was very exciting. I wasn't afraid or nervous or anything. I just felt like I belonged out there again," Sharon said.

"The only thing I said to my family was don't let me forget a step. That was the only thing I was worried about. Nothing else," Diane added.

And they made believers out of all of us, proving that age is nothing but a number. And letting us know that we shouldn't give up quite yet on those New Year's resolutions.