Foxborough Resident Lauren Morahan is a Finalist for 2013 New England Patriots Cheerleader Squad

The New England Patriots Cheerleaders kicked off the annual Patriots Cheerleaders Boot Camp Wednesday night, the final step in the month-long process to select the 2013 squad, with one of Foxborough's own.

Foxborough resident Lauren Morahan, 25, is among the 36 finalists participating in the annual Patriots Cheerleaders Boot Camp. Morahan graduated from Foxborough High School in 2005 and has worked as a Boston Bruins Ice Girl.

Morahan made it through the preliminary auditions earlier this month .

Morahan was one of 57 candidates who were invited back for final auditions last Saturday and made the cut down to 36. Now, entering its final stages, Morahan and the 35 other contestants will compete in the annual boot camp portion, which consists of four sessions.

At the end of the fourth session on March 30, 24 of the most talented, fit and qualified women will be selected for the 2013 Patriots Cheerleaders.

Morahan and the other finalists will run through intensive training sessions consisting of elements of standard Patriots Cheerleader practices. The sessions will involve rigorous fitness and physical training, choreography, public speaking exercises and promotional appearance training drills.

The 2013 Patriots Cheerleading Squad rehearses twice each week and performs at all Patriots home games. In addition to performing in front of nearly 70,000 fans, a spot on the squad provides many exciting and unique opportunities.

The cheerleaders travel to an exotic location in the spring for the Patriots Cheerleaders Swimsuit Calendar shoot, with this year’s trip set to take place in June at Coconut Bay Resort in St. Lucia. The New England Patriots Cheerleaders serve as goodwill ambassadors for the team year-round, making hundreds of appearances throughout New England. Additionally, the Patriots Cheerleaders have visited deployed military troops in more than 25 countries.

In 2012, they were ranked as the number one cheerleading squad in the NFL by CNBC. Patriots Cheerleaders have also appeared on local and national television, including Entertainment Tonight, E!, Inside Edition, Fox News, Late Show with David Letterman, On-Air with Ryan Seacrest, Good Morning America and the CBS Early Show, and in magazines including Sports Illustrated, Maxim and Muscle and Fitness.