By Peter Mucha, Staff Writer
Philadelphia Inquirer
August 10, 2010

Not players. Not coaches. Not fans.

Under “NFL KICKOFF!” the cover of Maxim magazine gives top billing to “CHEERLEADERS ON TRAMPOLINES.”

Featured in photos are only four airborne dancers - and one is from the Eagles.

She’s Ivelisse Rivera, 22, dental assistant, Hammonton High grad, Atlantic County resident, and three-year veteran of the Bird’s sideline squad.

Two years ago, another Eagles enthusiaser, Janelle Stangl, appeared in Maxim, sporting little more than an Eagles towel.

In the September issue, officially on newsstands today, a pom-pom-waving Rivera leaps in a green and black bikini.

There was a trampoline, she said, but it didn’t make the layout, which also features the Miami Dolphins’ Ashton, the Washington Redskins’ Tracey with a megaphone, and an upside-down Nina of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Maxim also poses leading questions to the cheerleaders.

“You must have a pretty strong stomach to be able to dig in people’s mouths,” the mag mentions to Rivera.

“Nothing skeeves me out,” she responds. “I see a lot of gross stuff in oral surgery, like a cyst being cut out of someone’s mouth. The weirdest thing, though, is seeing dentures. Old people just take them out and hand them to you.”

Ivelisse (pronounced EE-vel-ees) was born in North Jersey to parents from Puerto Rico - her favorite vacation spot. “There is nothing better than being in a tropical island with all of your family,” she said on the Eagles website.

She told Maxim she likes guys in uniforms, that being “really perky” helps her calm nervous patients down, and that “I’m not really a girly girl. I never wear makeup - just ChapStick and eyeliner.”

“How can a guy get a girl to don a cheerleader uniform in the sack?” Maxim asks.

“Compliment her body,” she says. “Tell her she’s beautiful. All that positive stuff will make her feel comfortable and good about herself. And then pick out the uniform you want to see her in.”

She told us she’s dating a senior running back from Southern Illinois University, but hopes he doesn’t get drafted by the Eagles, because cheerleaders can’t date home-team players.

“I definitely want to come back for a couple more years,” she said.

She had no problem when fellow squad member Krystle Campbell skipped practice to spend time with her injured beau, Phillies slugger Ryan Howard.

“She’s a great girl, and she works very hard,” Rivera said.

As for the Maxim shoot, she said, “It was a huge deal. I was so excited to be in it. Never in a million years did I think I would get picked. It was a lot of fun. Something I’ll never forget.”

Two actual Eagles players - receiver DeSean Jackson and punter Saverio “Sav” Rocca - are briefly spotlighted in a football feature. Their pictures are smaller than Rivera’s pom-poms. Another article, “The Ultimate Bracket Battle,” has the 1978 Steelers eclipsing the 1985 Chicago Bears as the best NFL team ever.

Buccaneers.com has lots of new photos of the cheerleaders at this year’s training camp. [part 1] [part 2].

Tampa Bay Online
July 29, 2010

Cloe Cabrera
The Tampa Tribune
May 20, 2010

TAMPA - Every year, the Tampa Bay Buccaneer cheerleaders make waves with their annual swimsuit calendar.

In 2011, they’ll add an extra splash with swimwear by a local designer.

The team tapped St. Petersburg designer Essence Flowers to create all of the swimsuits the cheerleaders will wear in next year’s calendar.

Flowers came up with a look for each of the women incorporating Buccaneer colors – red, white, black, pewter and orange – and the team’s logo.

The weeklong calendar shoot, which wrapped up Tuesday, features the cheerleaders posing on the beach at Longboat Key and Jewfish Island. The photographs were shot by Jorge Alvarez.

It’s the first time the Buccaneers have used a local designer for the photo shoot, said Cathy Boyd, cheerleading manager.

“We’ve always used our uniform designer or had a store sponsor us,” Boyd said. “(This year), we wanted to use our brand in the suits. And we wanted to use someone locally. We have so much talent right here in our own backyard; we really didn’t need to look anywhere else.”

Flowers launched her clothing line in 2005, then took the plunge last year into swimwear with RDE, Remarquable Designs by Essence Flowers.

Her swimwear celebrates women, their curves and shapes, she said, and she designs for every mood and occasion.

Flowers met one-on-one with the cheerleaders to talk about swimwear likes and dislikes, and to customize the suits to their needs.

“I wanted the team to look cohesive, but at the same time be different,” Flowers said. “I wanted to design suits that were classy, sexy and memorable. I wanted to keep with the theme of the Buccaneers, but I didn’t want to make them out to be characters. I wanted them to look like cheerleaders. And I wanted them to like their suits.”

Most are two-piece suits; but there are also a few monokinis and one-pieces with plunging necklines.

Flowers said she finished most of the looks in about a week, though a few of them were completed just hours before the shoot began.

“That’s just me,” Flowers said with a laugh. “Sometimes I get inspired up until the end.”

One of Flowers’ favorite suits, worn by veteran cheerleader Jennifer Summers, is a throw-back-inspired, two-piece with an orange corseted top featuring the number 12 (Doug Williams’ old number) and the orange and red Bucco Bruce holding a knife in his mouth.

“Some of the girls are sexier than others,” Flowers said. “And some of them wanted to be a little more covered up. I got a feel for what they wanted, and that’s what I tried to do. They were easy (to design for) because they’re all in shape.”

Flowers can custom make any of the swimwear pieces shown in the calendar. Prices start at $90.

The 2010 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Cheerleaders have been selected. The team is a little smaller this year - only 30 dancers, including 10 newbies and 20 returners. The Bucs Cheerleaders are under new direction this year, so congrats also to Cheerleading Manager Catherine Boyd (former Bucs Cheerleader) and Cheerleading Coordinator Melissa Fitzgerald (former Cowboys Cheerleader and 49ers Gold Rush Cheerleader).

Click here to watch the video.

Cheerleaders informed of who made cut
By Shannon Liston
Tampa Bay Online
4/2/2010
*Click here to watch the video coverage on Buccaneers.com*

Finals week is over. Candidates for the 2010 Tampa Bay Buccaneers cheerleading squad spent two weeks mastering intricate dance routines and conducting interviews in front of a panel of judges. The women know their every move was dissected throughout the audition process.

The 100 finalists endured three days of intense scrutiny.

The candidates spent two consecutive nights in training camp. New dance routines and kick sequences were introduced. Then, one by one, veteran Bucs cheerleaders and newcomers got on stage and performed their hidden talents.

“I’m tapping,” rookie cheerleader Nina Stauffer said. “I’m doing a street, Irish tap-type thing. It’s very different.”

During the week, the finalists were grilled by the judges during an interview session.

The interviewers peppered the candidates about their personal experiences, community service involvement, and Bucs football knowledge.

“I did some research beforehand as far as the football team,” rookie candidate Amber Rehman said. “I like football. I like watching it, but I need to do more homework about all the rules.”

Bucs cheerleading manager Catherine Boyd stressed the importance of the community appearances.

“We’re not looking for someone that can just dance,” Boyd said. “We’re looking for someone we can send out into the community. The cheerleaders are only on the field for a few games during the year. The rest of the time, they’re out representing the Buccaneers.”

Each captain of the cheerleading squad selects a charity that her dance line will focus on during the season.

During her interview, Faith Decker informed the judging panel about the charity she would like to become involved with if she was selected as a Bucs cheerleader.

“My mom suffered through quite a few problems during pregnancy. I was a twin. My twin was lost. So they told my mom that it probably would not be a very good idea to have me. But she insisted of course. I think that if my mom had something like Children’s Miracle Network behind her to help her along the way. It would have made things a lot easier.”

The final audition test concluded Thursday afternoon at One Buccaneer Place.

Groups of 10 candidates arrived for the last audition.

It was eerily silent in the room as the candidates stretched and practiced the dance routines before their name was called.

Rehman was the first finalist selected to dance before the judges.

“I practiced,” Rehman said after her routine. “I felt prepared. I enjoyed performing going out there and trying my hardest.”

All of the cheerleader finalists were informed Friday of the decision.

Rehman did not make the final cut but she said she will not be discouraged.

“It’s okay,” she said Friday evening. “There’s always next year.”

Newcomer Faith Decker and veteran Nina Stauffer were selected for the 2010 Bucs Cheerleader squad.

The final results will be made public Wednesday on the team’s Web site.

By Shannon Liston
Tampa Bay Online
April 1, 2010
Gallery: Cheerleader tryouts

Veteran Tampa Bay Buccaneers cheerleaders know the drill. They must tackle difficult dance routines during practice, work hard in front of the fans at Raymond James Stadium and participate at numerous community events.

The work is time-consuming, and being a cheerleader is not their only job.

Some squad members are full-time students. Others have demanding careers.

Rookie cheerleader Nina Stauffer is one with a lot on her plate.

Stauffer attends St. Petersburg College and is a dance teacher.

“Time management is key,” the 20-year-old Palm Harbor native said.

Right now, Stauffer’s focus is earning spot on the 2010 cheerleading team.

Every year, veterans have to go through the auditioning process, just like every other candidate.

“It’s definitely a completely different experience,” Stauffer said. “Walking into it last year, I did not know anything. I didn’t know what tights to wear, how to do my hair or how to do my makeup.”

Only 34 women will be selected to be on the team.

With hundreds trying out, Stauffer knows everyone is gunning for her.

“Any girl could come in and (the judges) see something really great in her,” Stauffer admitted. “She could be better than any of us.”

Bucs cheerleading manager Catherine Boyd is keenly aware of the pressure the women face.

“We expect them to come in and stand out,” Boyd said.

Stauffer just hopes her dedication will leave a lasting impression and earn her another year on the squad.

“I’m putting more pressure on myself,” Stauffer said. “I really want all of the judges to see what I can do.”

Stauffer and the rest of the women who auditioned will find out Saturday if they made this year’s team.

Videos of this year’s NFL cheerleader auditions are surfacing all around the internet.

Click here to watch the Buffalo Jills tryouts

Click here to watch the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Cheerleaders tryouts

Click here to watch the Jacksonville Jaguars tryouts