NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Titans Cheerleaders will host the 5th Annual Cheers to Robin fundraiser benefitting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society on Saturday, May 19th. The party will begin at 8 p.m. at Buffalo Billiards on Second Avenue.
Cheers to Robin celebrates the life of Robin Roach Towe, a former Nashville Kats Cheerleader who lost her battle to leukemia in 2002. The money raised goes toward the Woman of the Year Campaign of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to directly fund medical research.
The event is open to the public, and the $50 ticket buys each patron a meet and greet with the 2012 Titans Cheerleaders, one free drink, appetizers, door prizes, live music and more. Several Titans players are also scheduled to attend along with many former Nashville Kats players and coaches. This year’s party is also serving as the 15-year reunion of the Nashville Kats.
Cheers to Robin: A Party with the Titans Cheerleaders
Benefitting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
8 p.m. May 19 at Buffalo Billiards, Second Avenue
Former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Cheerleader captain Victoria Vodar is continuing to find success in her acting career. Vicki is in the latest Steven Soderbergh film — Magic Mike, staring Channing Tatum– scheduled for theatrical release on June 29. Follow Vicki at her web site link below.
Vicki in her cheerleading days
Vicki modeling for Tampa Hard Rock (credit Jackson)
Charlotte and Cassie: Their Journey
Former Stampede Spirit Dancers both made NFL’s Seattle Seahawks dance team “Sea Gals”
By Travis Tate Idaho Stampede
5/16/2012
Faced with just a minute on the clock, the pressure mounts. Thinking of all the time, energy and mental preparation from the past few months, the competitor hopes to stay calm and stay away from a trip up or mental mistake.
Of course, with the help of a teammate, the moment can become more manageable, but there’s still that clock that tells you that just 60 seconds remain.
Then, the music starts.
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This was not the end of a Stampede basketball game, though – it was the challenge of making the Seattle Sea Gals, the official dance squad of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks. Former Stampede Spirit Dance Team member Charlotte fought through the pressure, making the 32-member squad with lots of preparation, but also the ability to just flow with the music.
“The music starts and your body just starts moving,” said Charlotte. “I was just happy to feel the music and feel relaxed.”
For the open call in mid-April, each participant is asked to simply dance for 60 seconds – considering the pressure and importance of this task, many dancers may script out every move, but that idea is thrown out the door considering the dancer does not know the music they will hear as they dance.
“There’s a lot of pressure because you don’t know the music that they’re going to play. I’m glad I didn’t make anything up and go out there and forget what I’m going to do – I wasn’t trying just to run through the moves,” Charlotte said. “The Seahawks are the only team that I know of that have freestyle in their audition process, so it’s kind of unique to them. It’s very scary, but I was very happy because it was similar to the Stampede experience.”
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Charlotte, still in Seattle after the 3-week long tryout process, said that she feels Seattle is similar to Boise, but is just larger. She had a number of visits to Seattle over the past year, visiting her close friend, former Stampede Spirit teammate and current Sea Gal teammate Cassie.
Cassie (left) and Charlotte
“Cassie and I had become a few years earlier from the BSU dance squad and when we had auditions for the Stampede, I told her to come on out and that she would totally love it,” Charlotte explained. Last season, Cassie made the Sea Gals, and the two stayed in close contact.
“I came out here and made sure I loved the city and met some other Sea Gals – and they are all really, really nice, and they all gave me advice and some things to expect and were all very, very helpful,” Charlotte said. “There are a lot of mother-figures on the team, a very diverse team – they’re just all great.
“The city is different from Boise, but it’s still the West. The water is beautiful and I’ve been to Pike and a couple restaurants, but so far, I’ve just gone to the gym a lot and auditions. It’s good to not be going somewhere completely different like the East Coast or Miami or something.
The stadium is absolutely phenomenal, all the facilities are beautiful and wonderful. Right now, I’m just glad to get to be a part of the program.”
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As for her future, Charlotte isn’t certain, but having made an NFL dance squad is reason enough to celebrate. For now, she doesn’t know what’s next.
“Some girls use this for a modeling future,” Charlotte said. “For me, this is the last possible thing I could do. I don’t know what else is higher than dancing for an NFL team. It’s what I’ve wanted to do for a really, really long time.”
With the preparation of her dance career all finished and a major goal finally accomplished, Charlotte will just listen and go wherever the music takes her.
Miss D.C. USA is packing her bags and getting ready to head to Las Vegas for the 61st annual Miss USA competition. But, before she gets on that plane, she stopped to chat with ABC7′s Steve Chenevey.
Monique Thompkins is also the first Redskins cheerleader to win Miss D.C. USA.
Norton residents Angela Vernaglia and her sister Kayla have quite a few accomplishments under their pompoms. Not only do they have a legacy as New England Patriots cheerleaders, but they are also celebrating their one year anniversary of opening Mind Body Barre, a fitness and healing studio located at 227 Plain St., Rehoboth, suite 300.
On May 26, they are holding an open house to raise money for the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation.
To learn about the business and their fundraising efforts read the Q & A with Angela Vernaglia below:
How long have you been living in Norton?
I’ve lived in Norton since the age of 6!
What got you into running this type of business?
I always knew we would set out to do something that would inspire and uplift the community, I can literally remember dreaming of performing in front of a crowd, interacting and speaking with groups from the time I was a very young. I grew up in a very spiritual household, my mother taught us to use our intuition and to practice living life for our highest and best intentions, she taught us that we are always connected and to use our talents for healing the world. I would say that it was my passion for holistic health and my own ability to achieve things I never thought were possible (such as making the Patriots Cheerleaders with absolutely no dance experience) that brought me to idea of Mind Body Barre Fitness & Healing Studio, I wanted to show people that if you believe in your dreams they can become your wishes fulfilled.
In 2006, I auditioned for the New England Patriots Cheerleaders and made the team. During my three years with the team, I traveled to Arizona to perform during Super Bowl XLII. I was also chosen for Operation Seasons Greetings 2007 with the United States Air Force Reserve and traveled to Iraq, Turkey, Germany and England to perform for the U.S. troops. During the summer of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, I was lucky enough to travel among five other ladies to China to promote the NFL and train aspiring dancers for the Opening Ceremonies.
Following shortly thereafter in 2009, my sister, Kayla (co-owner of Mind Body Barre) set out to audition for the same team, and made it. Six years later (and 2 Giants vs. Patriots Super Bowls later) We will be celebrating the One Year Anniversary of our local Fitness & Healing Studio which offers a new innovative way to workout.
What is your specialty/most popular program?
Our most popular class at the studio is Mind Body Barre (our signature barre class) This full body workout is composed of resistance training exercises that focus on the alignment & strengthening of the body using free weights, ballet barre work and finishing on the mats for core work and seat exercises. Every one of the classes at MBB is followed by a 10 minute meditation, infused with Lavender Oil aromas and Reiki Healing from the instructor, a great way to end your effective workout.
“Our most frequently asked question: I’m not a dancer, and I have never taken ballet or yoga classes, do I need to have this type of training to take a “barre” class? The answer is, No, No and No! This is NOT a dance class. In our regular MBB classes, you will get the look of a long & lean dancer’s body without having to dance. The method focuses on the principle movements of ballet, but there is not “dancing”. Barre classes are becoming more and more popular. I think you will start to see them pop up at other studios as well, but what makes MBB so different is the genuine intent to build an empowering community of people looking to get to know themselves, asking themselves…what do I really want and how can I help to make the world a better place? We do however offer and separate Cardio Hip Hop Dance class called STRIDE. Two of our instructors were STRIDE certified last year with Shaun T, the maker of Insanity. People are entering into a great shift in the world we live in, they want to become more connected to their mind, body and spirit together and we are here to help them with that. You can’t compartmentalize those things in your life, they are always working together. We want our workouts to be effective and healing at the same time”
The studio offers an array of fitness classes ranging from our signature fitness class, dance & yoga inspired workouts, to our personalized workouts for people of all ages and body types. You can also book massage therapy, Reiki & Reflexology treatments.
What will your open house entail?
We will be accepting donations at our Open House on 5/26 for Gloria Gemma as well as raffling off prizes such as local business donations to autographed New England Patriots Merchandise. 100% of those proceeds will go to Gloria Gemma. We will be holding a free barre fitness class that day, from 10:30-11:15am for New Clients. Donations to Gloria Gemma are recommended. Please email to attend as space is limited.info@mindbodybarre.com. More information can be found on the website, mindbodybarre.com. We will also have complimentary reflexology, reiki and massage therapy that day.
We have been fortunate to have received a great amount of donations to help us sponsor this event. Anyone making a donation will receive something great from one of these sponsors: Pop Chips, Yogi Tea, TRIBE Hummus, Whole Foods, KIND Bars and more.
Is there a reason you chose to donate to the Gloria Gemma Foundation as opposed to others?
We are doing a lot of work to help raise money for the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation in Rhode Island, the community they have built is very dear to our hearts. We met Gary Calvino, the Director of Development and Maria Gemma, Executive Director last year and it was as if we had known them all of our lives. We feel a very special connection with them and that they are connecting the community in a very spiritual way, in a manner that teaches people about HOPE and LOVE.
Like the Dolphins, these auditions are going to be featured in multiple posts.
Flight Crew Auditions began on April 21st when close to 300 women from the tri-state area and beyond (Florida, California, Washington, Japan) converged on the Lexus Club Level of Met Life Stadium.
Hopefuls had a quick chacne to introduce themselves to the judges, and then ninety seconds to freestyle.
Riley's a former Buffalo Jill and just earned her Masters in Accounting.
Guest Judge Jennifer. Jennifer was one of the original Flag Girls, A four-year Flight Crew VeteSelf-described "Insurance Geek" Amanda is a graduate of the University of Delaware and the only candidate who auditioned in boots.
Flight Crew Vet Amanda was the DJ for the first round. She said when you are out on the floor free-styling, it's the longest 90 seconds of your life.
Yes, freestyling meant anything goes!
Alica is a former Washington Wizards Girl
Guest Judge Jennifer. Jennifer was one of the original Flag Girls, A four-year Flight Crew Veteran and the cover model for the squad's 2011 Calendar
Three years ago, Stephanie Stennes went into auditions for the Seattle Seahawks SeaGals not knowing what to expect. No one knows what to expect going in. More than 200 women, many already with years of experience as high school cheerleaders, congregate at CenturyLink Field each year to try for the pros. Stennes, of Buckley, made it that first year, and she’s earned the spot again three seasons since.
“It’s hard to say, but I would say most of the girls stay three, four seasons with the team,” Stennes said. “It’s such a unique experience, most girls who make the team won’t want to leave after just a year.”
Stennes soon learned that the competition of high school cheer is replaced entirely by support for the football team through showmanship and community outreach.
“You have to attend promotions, speak, sing, and there are even responsibilities with how you carry yourself,” she said. “A lot more is expected of you. You have to be more intelligent, have more personality, and more poise.”
Stennes was invited to join the SeaGals’ show group in her third season, and she will return to show group this season. Show group can be thought of as the elite upper echelon of an NFL cheer team. The girls from show group are the ones sent out on tour stops outside of the state and outside the country, often to boost the morale of American soldiers stationed abroad. Stennes has been told to anticipate stops in Kosovo, Djibouti and Paris, among other destinations, in the coming year.
It’s through show group that Stennes took on a new personal challenge: singing.
“I’m a person who likes to challenge myself,” she said. “I told my coach it was something I wanted to do, I worked on it, and I recently performed vocally for the first time. It’s the only time I had ever been nervous before performing in front of people.”
A cheerleader’s calendar is a full calendar. Everyone attends practices twice a week at a time arranged to accommodate most work schedules; that doesn’t include show group practice. On game day, cheerleaders must be on hand five hours beforehand to prep, practice and promote the match-up. Additionally, SeaGals are obligated to represent the team at five to six scheduled promotional events a month, be it golf tournament, charity auction or poster signing. Cheerleaders tend to work out whenever they can fit it in, and try to make the hard work stick by eating a healthy diet, Stennes said.
Stennes instructs Zumba and Pilates classes, and picks up hours at a restaurant. Some of the girls have even more demanding schedules, replete with kids and a full-time job. Add that to the fact that a SeaGals spot is never guaranteed from year-to-year, and it becomes clear that pro cheerleading is a demanding lifestyle.
“But it’s such a rare opportunity,” Stennes said. “There’s all this adrenaline out on the field, you get to meet wonderful girls, experience traveling the world, performing for thousands of people. It’s the most amazing feeling. There’s nothing like it.”
But will she attempt it again for a fifth season and beyond?
“It’s hard to make that decision at the beginning of the year,” she said. “It’s hard to walk away from it once you’ve been on the team one season. But you never know what a year will have in store for you, so it’s better not to have expectations too early.”
LONDONDERRY — Leaving the field following an away game, a teenage Allison Smedley overheard a cluster of teenage boys loudly mocking a special needs student.
Without hesitation, the Londonderry High School varsity cheerleader walked over to the young man she’d never met before: clutching his arm and chatting him up, she glared daggers at the would-be bullies.
“She totally distracted him and walked with him out to the parking lot,” recalled former teacher Steve Juster, who watched the events unfold from the stands. “It was one of the most genuinely beautiful things I’ve ever seen.”
As she prepares to complete her studies at Plymouth State University later this month, the college senior known to most of her friends simply as “Aly,” continues to live life on her own terms.
While other recent graduates ponder their futures, find entry-level jobs or contemplate graduate school, Smedley, 22, will be living her life’s dream: cheering with the New England Patriots’ cheerleading squad.
This year marked the third time that Aly, the oldest daughter of Linda and Howard Smedley, auditioned for the Patriots’ squad. Preliminary workshops began in early January, with the first round of auditions held March 3.
After making her way through final auditions and an intense cheerleader boot camp, Smedley learned she’d made the final cut via email on March 31.
“It was the most amazing feeling in the world,” she recalled. “I’d worked so hard.”
Following her May 19 college graduation, when she’ll earn a degree in communications, Smedley plans on moving back to Londonderry for the time being. “It’s still a long commute to the Gillette Stadium, but it’s so worth it,” she said.
The squad rehearses Tuesday and Friday afternoons, with much time during the off-season devoted to promotional appearances at various charity and community events around New England.
“It’s technically a part-time job, but really it’s a full time commitment,” said Smedley, who will depart for Jamaica on May 29 for a weeklong photo shoot of the team’s calendar.
“After that, we’ll be gearing up for football season,” she added. Cheerleaders on the Patriots squad must audition each season, with three years being the maximum tenure.
Though she hopes to cheer professionally for several years, Smedley also is looking to the future.
“I’d love to work in broadcasting: hopefully somewhere in the Boston area,” she said. “Maybe I’ll also coach a local team: if I’m really lucky, maybe that team will be in Londonderry.
Smedley, who graduated from Londonderry High School in 2008, cheered on her school’s varsity cheering squad for four years. She was a team captain during her final year in Londonderry.
“I’m just so excited for her and proud of her determination,” former coach Michelle Sharp said.
Juster said he got to know Smedley quite well when she volunteered as a high school pep rally aide, where she encouraged her peers to donate their hair to the Pantene Beautiful Lengths program, which makes and distributes free wigs to cancer patients.
“She came to me in my classroom and told me she really wanted to help me…. that began the tradition of people volunteering to be aides,” Juster recalled. “We’d read achingly sad stories about why people were donating…I told her the day before the rally that I wasn’t sure the event would be up to par with the people on the floor and everything they were sacrificing.”
It was then that Smedley placed her hands on Juster’s shoulders. “You are giving them a place to give,” she told him.
“I know she was chosen for her athletic ability and public persona, but as they get to know her and know her heart, the Patriots will find that they have chosen a real treasure,” Juster added.
Stacie Kinder
LONDONDERRY — Leaving the field following an away game, a teenage Allison Smedley overheard a cluster of teenage boys loudly mocking a special needs student.
