Reader Mike sends some photos of the Eagles Cheerleaders from last Saturday, quite possibly the last photos of the 2008-09 squad we will have.

Alexandra and Kristin at the Travel Expo Event at the Linc.

Dana and Marisa at the Vorhees Town Center

Marisa and Dana

Open Call Auditions for the 2009-10 Eagles Cheerleaders are Saturday, March 28th. Full details here.

By Peter Mucha, Staff Writer
Philadelphia Inquirer
Feb. 17, 2009

[Last] weekend’s combine isn’t the only talent search gearing up in the NFL.

During the next nine weeks, the Eagles will host a series of events to restock their cheerleading squad.

Every year, about 15 rookies earn spots, along with about two dozen returning vets.

“We have a really busy couple of months planned,” said Barbara Zaun, director of cheerleading.

And that’s not including late April’s NFL draft party, the yearly May calendar shoot, or the July visit by six cheerleaders to Iraq to entertain troops.

Regular Eagles fans should know that only two of these events are open to the public, the draft party and the April 21 cheerleader audition finals.

This year, the finale will be at a smaller venue, the Prince Music Theater in Center City. So the tickets - $22.50 each - are likely to disappear quickly when they go on sale later this month, Zaun said.

Here are the dates that rah-rah wannabes, who must be 18 and a high school graduate, will want to know:

Pre-Audition Workshop, Feb. 25. Optional event at Lincoln Financial Field. Experts, including team choreographer Suzy Zucker, will advise about dancing, hair and makeup, and health and fitness. Includes mock tryout, plus question-and-answer session with current cheerleaders. No judging. Cost is $45.

Open Call Tryouts, March 28. Lincoln Financial Field. Required for would-be rookies. Hundreds of women learn a dance routine, then take turns performing in groups of five before two panels of judges.

Audition Semifinals, March 30 and April 1: About 130 invitees, including squad members seeking to return, will be given a dance routine to learn at the NovaCare Complex in South Philadelphia. The following day, they’ll perform in groups of three, and talk with judges about themselves.

Audition Finals, April 21: Sixty finalists will compete in a variety of categories, including dance, fitness and beauty at Prince Music Theater, 1412 Chestnut St.

Next week’s workshop will be limited to 250 contestants, who will automatically be registered for the open-call auditions, Zaun said.

The workshop helps women who might be worried about their confidence, and can improve prospects’ chances, Zaun said. They get how-to tips on everything from fitness (”to firm up your abs, exactly”) to beauty (”to help them understand the glamorous aspect of being an Eagles cheerleader”) to proper nutrition.

Improve your diet, she said, and “your body’s going to look much better in just a month’s time.”

For sign-up information, go to www.philadelphiaeagles.com and click “Cheerleaders.”

Once the squad is set, following the finals, members quickly prepare for the new squad’s debut at the annual draft day party.

Then comes the calendar shoot.

“We are looking for a tropical destination again, and most likely it would early to mid May,” Zaun said.

The cheerleaders, who are paid an hourly rate, make $400 to $1,000 a month and usually hold other jobs.

Get Your Eagle On!
Tips for hopeful 2009 Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleader contestants

By Alyssa D’Egidio
NBCPhiladelphia.com
Feb 25, 2009

BCPhiladelphia.com intern, Alyssa D’Egidio, cheered for the Philadelphia Eagles during the 06′ and 07′ season. She will be providing tips for contestants on how to nail this year’s audition.

It has been almost three years since I had my first audition for the Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleading Squad. Although a few years ago, memories of my first audition are still fresh in my mind as I think about stepping into the crowded room at Lincoln Financial Field.

For anyone who is planning to audition, this is the most intimidating part. Sprawled across the upper level of the stadium awaits nearly 500 girls who are primping, stretching and practicing dance moves while waiting to learn the routine. Seeing this will most likely raise your blood pressure but it is important to stay calm and rely on all the preparation you’ve put in prior to the open call.

As far as preparation goes, the most important thing to concentrate on is physical fitness and dance ability. At the open call audition contestants will be put into groups and walk into a room with a long table of judges. At this point, the judges are focusing on two main things: fitness and dance ability.

Focus: Fitness

With just a few weeks left until the March 28th auditions, it is important to start sculpting and toning your body. The judges are looking for toned stomachs, arms and legs. One thing they are not looking for is stick thin women. It is important to look healthy but fit.

Stephen Williamson, a trainer and owner of Body Blast at Weston Fitness has a few helpful tips for perfecting physiques in a short period of time.

“I think women trying out for the team are going to want to look aesthetically pleasing. The girls need to be able to move which is why an integration of strength training, plyometrics and cardio will be best for these women,” Stephen said.

Let’s break down what each of these consist of and how many times a week they should be done:

Strength Training is important for being able to push your own body weight. Exercises to do include lunges, leg presses and calf extensions. For toned arms and back muscles, push ups are great.

Cardio is also good for keeping your lungs in good condition. “Cheerleaders don’t need to run marathons therefore a combination of sprints and jogging at a pace will keep their lungs in good shape for their dance routines,” Stephen said.

Lastly, plyometric training is used for speed and agility. This training helps the neuromuscular system for quick steps and foot moves. This is great for dancing and picking up choreography quickly.

Stephen suggests doing a combination of these three. “A full body routine twice a week which is made up of half strength training and half plyometrics should do the trick,” Stephen said. “Cardio should be done two or three times a week for 20-30 minutes.”

Diet is also an important part of a cheerleader’s life, so sticking to a high fiber diet will help keep the pounds off. “Taking in a diet of 40 percent protein, 40 percent carbohydrates and 20 percent fat will energize the body and keep it slim,” Stephen said.

Focus: Dance

Once your physique is at its peek, the next goal is to get your dance moves down. At the audition, a short choreography routine will be taught, which contestants have about 20 minutes to learn and an hour to perfect. Obviously contestants can’t practice the dance until the day of the audition, but there are some ways to help make this part a lot easier.

Many college campus gyms offer dance classes from hip-hop to ballet. College students who are auditioning should try to go to at least three dance classes a week prior to the auditions. I did before I auditioned and it really helped me pick up the choreography much quicker. Try taking a hip hop or jazz class which is more the choreography style of the Eagles Cheerleading Squad.

Not a college student? Well, many dance classes are offered in the city and surrounding areas.

Society Hill Dance Academy and Koresh School of Dance in center city offer hip-hop classes for $15 to $20. Classes focus on cardio, movement training and choreography.

The Dancers Studio on Passyunk Avenue offers an hour long Wednesday night jazz/hip-hop class at 6:30 pm. A four-week session costs $15 and will give contestants four paid classes to work on their dance techniques. Call 215-271-6277 for more information.

If you are not sure what kind of dancing the Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders do, then it would be helpful to watch last year’s Final Audition Webcast on the Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders web site. Before I auditioned, I watched the previous year’s webcast which helped me get a feel for the style of dance the squad does.

div style=”margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;”bfont size=”5″span style=”font-size: 14pt;”br /LET THE EXPERTS TEACH YOU HOWbr //span/font/bbfont size=”5″span style=”font-size: 14pt;”TO PREPARE FOR THE OPEN CALL AUDITION/span/font/b/divbr /The Eagles Cheerleaders perform at Lincoln Financial Field for over 67,000 fans at Eagles home games and now you can learn what it takes to become a member of this NFL elite cheerleading squad and start preparing for the Open Call Audition!br / br /This year’s Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleading Squad traveled to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic to model for their highly publicized “”Eco-Sexy”" calendar. Five Eagles Cheerleaders traveled to Iraq and Kuwait this past June to visit US Troops stationed there. Some other recent highlights of the Eagles Cheerleaders include having rookie member Janelle named being featured in MAXIM magazine as one of the four most gorgeous NFL Cheerleaders and having the Eagles Cheerleaders make numerous national television appearances on ESPN, ABC, FOX, NBC, SHOWTIME and NFL NETWORK!br / br /Here’s your chance to get a head start on the competition and find out what the judges are looking for!br / br /- Participate in a mock audition directed by Barbara Zaun, Eagles Director of Cheerleadingbr /- Learn dance techniques and dance choreography similar to the routine that will be taught at the Open Call Audition from Squad Captains.br /- Consult with hair and make-up expertsbr /- Work-out with personal fitness trainersbr /- Find out what the judges are looking for, how the scoring process works and have all of your questions answered!br / br /You will also have the opportunity to meet the 2008 Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders and learn about their experiences as an NFL cheerleader including information on game day performances, photo sessions, rehearsals, public appearances and much more!br / br /You will not be judged at the workshop. The workshop is designed to prepare you for the Open Call Audition. Come ready to dance and learn!br / br /br /br /WHERE: LINCOLN FINANCIAL FIELD, SCA Club Loungebr / Pattison Avenue and Darrien Streetbr / Philadelphia, PAbr / br /WHEN: WEDNESDAY NIGHT, FEBRUARY 25, 2009br / 6:00PM TO 10:00PMbr / br / COST: $45.00 PER PERSON – By attending the Pre-Audition Workshop, you will be automatically registered for the Open Call Auditionbr /and the Open Call Audition fee will be waived. br / br /REQUIREMENTS: YOU MUST BE 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER AND A HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE. 2009 HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES ARE br / NOT ELIGIBLE. br / br /SPACE IS LIMITED. TO RESERVE YOUR SPACE PLEASE SEND YOUR NAME, ADDRESS, TELEPHONE NUMBER AND EMAIL ADDRESS ALONG WITH A RECENT PHOTOGRAPH, AND YOUR CHECK OR MONEY ORDER MADE PAYABLE TO THE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES FOR $45.00 TO:br / br /PHILADELPHIA EAGLESbr /Attn: Cheerleader Audition Workshopbr /NovaCare Complexbr /One NovaCare Waybr /Philadelphia, PA 19145br / br /Additional Information: When your information is received you will receive a confirmation email. You should wear a sports bra, shorts, athletic shoes and a warm-up suit over your athletic outfit to the workshop. The photograph you are submitting does not need to be a professional photo; you will not be judged on your photograph.br / br /The workshop is closed to the public. Only workshop participants will be admitted.br /br /br /img alt=”" src=”http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/userfiles//jenkRESIZE.jpg” width=”214″ align=”right” height=”314″br / div style=”margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;”br /br /br /br /br /br /br /br /span style=”font-size: larger;”"Participating in the mock audition took away any anxiety I had about the audition process and let me concentrate solely on performing. Plus, meeting some of the cheerleaders and hearing about their great experiences made me want to be a part of this amazing squad even more!”br /br /emstrong– Jennifer, Eagles Cheerleader/strong/embr /br /br /img alt=”" src=”http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/userfiles//katherynIMG.jpg” align=”left”br /br /br /”I was unaware of how much preparation went into the audition process. The workshop covers everything from fitness to apparel to choreography to hair and makeup. I left the workshop with a new found confidence knowing I was already one step ahead in the audition process because of all the great tips and insights I received from current cheerleaders.”br /br /emstrong– Katheryn, 2nd year Eagles Cheerleader /strong/embr /br /br /img alt=”" src=”http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/userfiles//StacyIMG.jpg” width=”214″ align=”right” height=”314″br /br / /span/div div style=”margin: 0in 0in 0pt;” divspan style=”font-size: larger;”br /br /br /br /br //span/div div style=”margin-left: 40px;”span style=”font-size: larger;”"The pre-audition workshop really gives you an advantage over the other contestants! You get to meet the current cheerleaders, go through a mock audition, and learn choreography the cheerleaders do. It is such a great experience it helps keep some of the butterflies away during auditions.”br / /span/div div style=”margin-left: 40px;”span style=”font-size: larger;”spanemstrong– Stacy, Rookie Eagles Cheerleader/strong/em/span/spanspan style=”font-size: larger;”emstrongbr /br //strong/em/span /div /div

img src=”http://www.polarbearrepublic.com/images/sasha/Eagles/2008EaglesAction_Amy7.jpg”bbr /From Peckville to Philadelphia, Amy Mecca’s love of cheerleading has never diminished./bbr /By Stacy Brown, Staff Writerbr /February 1, 2009br /a href=”http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/articles/2009/02/01/lifestyles/sc_times_trib.20090201.f.pg1.tt01amymecca_s1.2262216_fea1.txt”The Times-Tribune/abr /br /Now, the area native is going to Hawaii, where she’ll represent the Philadelphia Eagles as a cheerleader in this year’s National Football League Pro Bowl.br /br /“It was announced that I was selected to the Pro Bowl during the last home game of the season on Dec. 28 when we were playing the Dallas Cowboys,” Ms. Mecca said. “It was such a big surprise. I was shocked.”br /br /Ms. Mecca will join 25 other NFL cheerleaders on the sidelines at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu a week from today in cheering on the best players in football in the league’s annual post-season all-star game.br /br /The cheerleaders are scheduled to arrive right after today’s Super Bowl and spend all week preparing for the Pro Bowl. They are scheduled to make appearances on behalf of the NFL and serve at various charitable functions on the island.br /br /Ms. Mecca, who was a cheerleader for the Valley View Bulldogs and the Valley View High School Cougars, has graced the sidelines as an Eagles cheerleader for five years. Prior to the 2008 season, she was named captain of the squad.br /br /Ms. Mecca also traveled to Los Angeles to represent the Eagles cheerleaders in both Maxim magazine and Muscle Fitness magazine. Ms. Mecca called both photo shoots an honor and said she was thrilled to have worked with some of the best photographers in the world.br /br /The honors have continued for Ms. Mecca, 25, as she was picked to grace the cover of the Eagles 2008-2009 calendar, something her father, Anthony Mecca, said initially made him nervous.br /br /“I thought it was going to be Amy and the girls clad in just lingerie, but I said, ‘Thank God’ it was just a swimsuit issue,” said Mr. Mecca, who still resides in Peckville with his wife, Ann Marie.br /br /‘Green’ projectbr /br /The calendar was dubbed “Eco-Sexy” as the cheerleading team produced an environmentally friendly calendar that was printed on recycled paper. Ms. Mecca and the rest of the squad sported bikinis made of recycled plastic soda bottles and earrings and bracelets made from glass, CDs and cable wire.br /br /The women also used eco-friendly makeup and all-natural hair products to polish their looks.br /br /A Drexel University graduate, Ms. Mecca works full time as a registered nurse specializing in orthopedic surgery. She works in the operating room at Methodist Hospital, a short walk from the Eagles’ home, Lincoln Financial Field.br /br /“Patients recognize me and they’re happy to have me,” she said, adding that co-workers also frequently pepper her with questions and comments about her Sunday job.br /br /“It’s kind of funny seeing the reaction of our patients,” she said. “They think it is great and everyone has something to say. Not a day goes by that someone doesn’t bring up something to do with the Eagles.”br /br /Ms. Mecca’s work as a nurse is further proof that life as a cheerleader isn’t all pompoms, cheers and catchy dance numbers, she said.br /br /“It’s not all glamour. There’s the audition process that runs for a month and we have to go through it every year,” she said. “The process starts with 500 girls and they eventually cut it down to 38. There are practices that run three to four hours twice a week and it’s intense. Not all fun and games and we have to stay in really good shape and have good conditioning.”br /br /The process is grueling, but worth it, Ms. Mecca said, adding that when there are no practices or games scheduled, cheerleaders must still make appearances in the community on behalf of the Eagles organization.br /br /“I don’t even have time to read a book,” Ms. Mecca said.br /br /subheadbr /br /A dancer since the age of 3, Ms. Mecca said she has always wanted to be a professional football cheerleader. While attending Drexel, Ms. Mecca said she realized the school did not have a football team. She said she had no choice but to immediately try out for the Eagles because she was desperate to cheer.br /br /“I never really thought this would happen,” Ms. Mecca said. “But, I remember being a little girl and watching sports and all I would do is zoom in on the cheerleaders. I was always amazed at what they did and I consistently pictured myself as a cheerleader. This is a dream come true.”br /br /What has made the job as well as the move to Philadelphia from Peckville easier is the women she cheers with each week, Ms. Mecca said.br /br /“Growing up in the Scranton area, obviously it’s no surprise that I love to ski but I don’t get the opportunity to do it,” she said. “I try to have a normal social life for people my age and I’m very close to a lot of the other Eagles cheerleaders. On weekends, we get together and have dinner and when the team is away, we get together and watch the games and cheer the Eagles on.”br /br /Obviously, Ms. Mecca said, Peckville and Philadelphia are very different towns.br /br /“Philly is crazy, noisy and there is lots of traffic and excitement,” she said. “It’s very busy here in Philadelphia and I love the city lifestyle. However, it’s great to go home to Peckville and visit and relax.”br /br /Ms. Mecca regularly speaks with her parents and sister, Julie Scagliotti, so as not to miss home too much, she said. The family also attends as many Eagles games in Philadelphia as possible to support Ms. Meccas, she said.br /br /With the Eagles being eliminated from Super Bowl contention, Ms. Mecca said she’s looking forward to next season, but is eager to participate in the Pro Bowl.br /br /“I am looking forward to meeting the other cheerleaders from around the league,” she said. “I’m looking forward to learning from their talents and abilities, and being able to share some of the knowledge and experiences that I gain in Hawaii with my current teammates.”br /br /Contact the writer: sbrown@timesshamrock.comMeet Amy Meccabr /br /Age: 25br /br /Home: Born and raised in Peckville and now lives in Philadelphiabr /br /Family: Parents are Anthony and Ann Marie Mecca; sister, Julie Scagliottibr /br /Occupation: Registered nurse, Philadelphia Eagles cheerleaderbr /br /Favorite Eagle: Brian Dawkinsbr /br /Favorite Food: Grandmother’s homemade spaghetti and meatballsbr /br /Favorite vacation spot: “Anywhere with sun and sand.”br /br /Details: Ms. Mecca plays piano and the drums and loves her jobs as a nurse and cheerleader. She loves to ski and enjoys having dinner and watching football with her fellow cheerleaders. She will represent the Eagles cheerleading squad in this year’s Pro Bowl to be held in Hawaii. A dancer since the age of 3, Ms. Mecca was once a cheerleader for the Valley View Bulldogs and the Valley View Cougarsbr /br /Quote: “Eagles fans are the most dedicated fans in the NFL. They are crazy, die-hard supporters and their energy is like no other fan in the entire league.”

Chickie’s Pete’s in South Philly was the site of another “Believe in Green” Party Friday night. br /br /centerimg src=”http://procheerleaderblog.com/blog/images/2009/Jan/eagles0109-1.jpg” alt=”Eagles Cheerleaders”br /Dana and Amandabr /br /br /img src=”http://procheerleaderblog.com/blog/images/2009/Jan/eagles0109-2.jpg” alt=”Eagles Cheerleaders”br /Dana is an Elementary/Special Education Major.br /br /br /img src=”http://procheerleaderblog.com/blog/images/2009/Jan/eagles0109-3.jpg” alt=”Eagles Cheerleaders”br /Nikki and Ivelissebr /br /br /img src=”http://procheerleaderblog.com/blog/images/2009/Jan/eagles0109-4.jpg” alt=”Eagles Cheerleaders”br /Rookie Ivelisse is studying to be a dental hygienist.br /br /br /img src=”http://procheerleaderblog.com/blog/images/2009/Jan/eagles0109-5.jpg” alt=”Eagles Cheerleaders”br /Third-year veteran Amanda is a Criminal Justice Major. Amanda talked about firearms training with us a href=”http://nflcheerleader.blogspot.com/2008/10/north-penn-sports-commission-exhibit.html” target=”_blank”here/a.br /br /br /img src=”http://procheerleaderblog.com/blog/images/2009/Jan/eagles0109-6.jpg” alt=”Eagles Cheerleaders”br /Second-year veteran Nikki is an aspiring performer with a degree in Theater Arts./centerbr /br /br /a href=”http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/cheerleaders/” target=”_blank”[Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders]/A

Mid-Atlantic Dave braved the crazy crowd Barnaby’s in Havertown for photos of the Eagles Cheerleaders at the Believe In Green Away Game Party that took place Sunday while the Eagles played the Vikings.br /br /br /centerimg src=”http://procheerleaderblog.com/blog/images/2009/Jan/barnabys1.jpg” alt=”Eagles Cheerleaders”br /Tina and Heatherbr /br /br /img src=”http://procheerleaderblog.com/blog/images/2009/Jan/barnabys2.jpg” alt=”Eagles Cheerleaders”br /Heather is a teacher and Millersville University grad.br /br /br /img src=”http://procheerleaderblog.com/blog/images/2009/Jan/barnabys3.jpg” alt=”Eagles Cheerleaders”br /Tina is a Theater Arts Major at Penn./center

Last Friday Chickie’s Pete’s in South Philadelphia was the site of the “Believe in Green” Eagles Away Game Party Presented by Miller Lite.br /br /br /img src=”http://procheerleaderblog.com/blog/images/2009/Jan/eagleschickies2.jpg” alt=”Eagles Cheerleaders”br /Marissa and Priscillabr /br /span class=”fullpost”br /img src=”http://procheerleaderblog.com/blog/images/2009/Jan/eagleschickies1.jpg” alt=”Eagles Cheerleaders”br /Marissa is a Communications Major at Villanova Universitybr /br /br /img src=”http://procheerleaderblog.com/blog/images/2009/Jan/eagleschickies3.jpg” alt=”Eagles Cheerleaders”br /Priscilla, another Communications Major, is a student at Rowan University.br /br /br /img src=”http://procheerleaderblog.com/blog/images/2009/Jan/eagleschickies4.jpg” alt=”Eagles Cheerleaders”br /a href=”http://nflcheerleader.blogspot.com/2008/11/eagles-cheerleaders-around-town.html” target=”_blank”Brown-eyed/a Stacy is an accountant and a Millersville University grad.br /br /br /img src=”http://procheerleaderblog.com/blog/images/2009/Jan/eagleschickies5.jpg” alt=”Eagles Cheerleaders”br /Alaina is a Graphics Designer and a Rutgers grad.br /br /br /img src=”http://procheerleaderblog.com/blog/images/2009/Jan/eagleschickies6.jpg” alt=”Eagles Cheerleaders”br /Alaina and Stacybr /br /And they’re having another Playoff Party this a href=”http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/fanzone/event.asp?event_id=5754″ target=”_blank”Friday/a.br /br /br /While we try to stay neutral on the blog, we’ll admit to pulling for the Eagles and the Chargers this upcoming weekend. It’s necessary avoid a potentially catastrophic Cheerleader-less Steelers-Giants Super Bowl.br /br /a href=”http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/cheerleaders/” target=”_blank”[Eagles Cheerleaders]/a