Mike Duffy
BaltimoreRavens.com
3/7/2010

The Ravens won’t have any problems fielding their 2010 cheerleading squad.

This weekend, more than 200 hopefuls came to Merritt Downtown Athletic Center to show their wares before a panel of judges with the intent of cheering on the Ravens next season.

By Sunday, it was a good mix of veterans trying to make the team again and newbies with dreams of becoming one of the 50 elite cheerleaders in Charm City.

“It’s been crazy, but a fun time,” said Lindsay, a Baltimore native that at 17 years old may be one of the youngest to ever to make the team. “The veterans have all been supportive, but I just need to bring a positive attitude and do well in my dance. It is definitely nervous, though.”

That nervousness spilled over to the veterans, as well, noted Dottie L.

Sammi Jo, whom made the team as a rookie in 2008, was slightly shaking before she had to perform “One Love” by David Guetta.

“You’re never guaranteed anything here,” she said. “But this is what we all train for, this is what I love to do. I just hope all the work I’ve done is enough.”

From Saturday to Sunday, the Ravens cut down around 100 prospects with the desire to enter the week with 70 members that will have a final interview with cheerleader coordinator Tina Galdieri.

From there, the Ravens will take a squad of approximately 60 cheerleaders – both male and female – to the 2010 campaign.

Galdieri believes that the Ravens’ cheerleader swimsuit calendar, which is heading into its third edition of publication, has boostered the awareness of Baltimore cheerleaders.

While typically only sending a group of 15-20 cheerleaders to a tropical locale, the Ravens will now send their entire squad this year.

“It definitely has done a lot,” Galdieri said of the calendar. “It’s our first time taking the whole squad, and a lot of people know that. It’s been a great thing for the tryouts, because we’ve gotten a high quality of girls. “For next year, I’m hoping we’re the talk of the town. It’s a work in progress, but we’re getting better.”

There are a few more rounds of tryouts, but it’s not going to be difficult for the Ravens to have a calendar-worthy squad moving forward. Stay tuned to BaltimoreRavens.com for your official unveiling of the 2010 Ravens Cheerleading Squad.

Click here to see photos from the auditions on BaltimoreSun.com

Watch video from the auditions on Fox43.com (below)
 

Ron Matz
WJZ.com
3/5/2010

You watch them perform at every Ravens home game. Now it’s your chance to become a Ravens cheerleader.

Ron Matz reports auditions will be held this weekend.

Ravens cheerleaders will tell you there’s nothing like hitting the field before 70,000 screaming fans at M&T Bank Stadium.

“I can’t even explain the feeling of running out of that tunnel on game day. It’s amazing. I live for that moment. We have the best seat in the house,” said Sammi Jo, cheerleader for two years.

That’s why 200 to 300 men and women will show up Saturday at the Merritt Downtown Athletic Club for cheerleader auditions.

“Saturday is the first day for tryouts at the Merritt Downtown Athletic Club. Registration starts at 9:30 a.m. We have about 200 people who come in and tryout — males and females — because we are the only co-ed stunt squad in the NFL. So, we encourage males, as well, to come out and try out for our team,” said Meaghan, Baltimore Ravens cheerleader for four years.

Practices are no walk in the park.

“Guys do have to try out. Every year for the guys it’s like a stepping stone. You have to progress every year, keep your skills up and stay in shape. It’s more competitive every year,” said Henry, cheerleader for six years. “Practice includes about 30 minutes of cardio conditioning, run about three or four miles, do some calisthenics, then we practice for about two and a half more hours after that. You have to be in shape.”

All 60 spots are up for grabs, and even the veterans have to try out.

“The first day on Saturday we’ll make cuts, second day is Sunday and the finals. That’s when all the veterans come back and try out with the potential new rookies coming in. Then it’s a three week process after that, interviews, physicals and a practice round. We finally announce the team the beginning of April,” said Meaghan. “We have to come back every year and it’s not a guaranteed spot on the team. I think it’s harder because the rookies coming in are really fighting hard. We have to bring it every year.”

“We get one day on Saturday when we don’t have to try out with the rookies, but then we’re right in the mix on Sunday, ” said Sammi Jo.

Registration for the tryouts begins at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at the Merritt Downtown Athletic Club. For more information, just click here.

Four-year veteran Melissa will represent the Ravens Cheerleaders at the 2010 Pro Bowl. Melissa is a University of Maryland graduate and works as a physical therapist.

[Melissa at BaltimoreRavens.com]

NFL.com has new photos from Week 14 of the 2009-10 football season. With Christmas coming up next week, several NFL teams brought the santa’s helper outfits out of storage. I’ve never seen the Raiderettes dress for the holidays before. Sweet!

Click here to go there now.

This week’s cheerleader gallery on NFL.com features teams from the Ravens, 49ers, Saints, Cowboys, Bills, Titans, Bengals, Jets, Eagles, and Rams. Click here to view the gallery.

This week, the Sports Illustrated NFL cheerleader gallery features the Bucs, Chiefs, Patriots, and Ravens Cheerleaders. Click here to go there now.

This week NFL.com showcases cheerleaders from the Texans, Rams, Bucs, Chiefs, Patriots, Ravens, Raiders, Jaguars, Cowboys, Vikings, Panthers, and Broncos. (They also have a couple photos of the “Packers Cheerleaders,” but it’s just not the same thing.)

By Steve Mazzucchi
Esquire

After a tight loss to the Colts, a Ravenette vet accentuates the positives, including a fast-learning QB, a Peyton-foiling D, and a turf-chewing LB

So close, and yet so far. That’s how Baltimore must feel after holding Indianapolis to 17 points and reaching the Indy 12, down two, with under five to play. But thanks to a Gary Brackett interception — one of many Raven red zone failures — the Colts escaped with another narrow win as the Ravens lost by three points or less for the third time this season, falling to 5-5.

Still, if dark thoughts lurk on the sideline, you won’t hear them from fifth-year cheerleader Abbie. Quoth this Raven: “Don’t say if we’re gonna make the playoffs, we’re gonna do it!” And that’s not just pom-pom positivity. A nuclear power plant analyst and MBA student by day (”I majored in kinesiology and never thought I’d be here, but I love my job”), Abbie talked up her future trip in support of the troops (”I’m pretty sure we’re going to Djibouti and possibly Kuwait and Dubai — it’s gonna be amazing”), a secret weapon (”We’re the only NFL team with a male stunt team — it’s really cool to watch”), and why these birds of prey might yet soar into the postseason.

ESQUIRE: Was this game as frustrating from the sidelines as it appeared?

ABBIE: There were a few mistakes, but we played awesome. The Colts were 9-0, so we didn’t know what to expect. A lot of times with a close loss, the fans are down, but people were just excited we played so well. There aren’t many games Peyton Manning throws two interceptions. It sucks we couldn’t get into the end zone, but we did show how well we can play, and I know we have what it takes to beat the Steelers next week.

ESQ: Linebacker Terrell Suggs, who’s started 105 straight games, sat out with a knee injury. How much did you miss him today?

A: He’s one of our best defensive players, but it’s hard to say how things would have been different because our defense stepped up to the plate and played really well. We stuffed them in the red zone. I was very impressed.

ESQ: Last week, the Ravens cut kicker Steve Hauschka after he missed a 36-yarder and an extra point against the Cleveland Browns. Today, you faced the team that used to play in Baltimore, the Colts, whose kicker is Matt Stover, who had been with the Ravens franchise since 1991, when they were the Cleveland Browns. And Stover, your franchise’s all-time leading scorer, booted the game-winning field goal against you. How did that feel?

A: Obviously, Baltimore misses him. He’s a great guy. But our new kicker, Billy Cundiff, made five field goals. He tied Stover’s record. He missed one, but Matt missed a couple when he played for us. It’s a bummer seeing him kicking the game-winner, but he’s good, he deserves to be in that situation.

ESQ: Do you think it was a mistake to not re-sign Stover before the season?

A: I don’t really have much say in that. I think the team and the coach do what they feel needs to be done at the time, and I support them. And Cundiff is gonna keep us on the right track. They just got him last week, so I give him props for everything he did in today’s game.

ESQ: What are your thoughts on the progress of young Joe Flacco from last season to this season?

A: This season, he just came out passing the ball over the place. He’s got a great arm, and he’s so confident. He has the trust of the players, and even though we lost today, he threw for 256 yards. That’s huge. Peyton had 299, and he’s one of the top QBs, if not the best. Flacco’s very modest, too. Watching him out on the field, he seems so comfortable. Even when guys are attacking him, he’s looking to make plays.

ESQ: Does the fact that Ray Lewis ate a bit of Cleveland’s turf last week change your feelings about him being your favorite player?

A: It’s funny because when he comes out onto the field, he always has his piece of grass that he rips up and does his dance. It doesn’t surprise me. He will always be my favorite player, because he plays his heart out, and he’s never missing in action. He’s the one that pumps the team up. He played very well today — he had a few big hits, as usual.

ESQ: Are you planning to see The Blind Side, the new movie about rookie left tackle Michael Oher, based on the Michael Lewis book?

A: I’m familiar with the story. I haven’t read the book, but I’ve heard it’s a great movie and I definitely want to see it. It’s very inspiring. It takes a strong person to overcome all the stuff he’s been through.

ESQ: Three of your last six games are against teams you’ll likely be battling for the AFC wild card. What’s going to happen?

A: If we make fewer mistakes, get into the end zone, and our defense plays like it did today, we can win games going forward. We were a team to beat in beginning of the year, and we can get that back. We always play big and hard against the Steelers. It’s a Sunday night game. The crowd’s gonna be awesome. So much adrenaline. It’s gonna be exciting.

ESQ: Most importantly… does the male stunt team have a calendar?

A: No, but the girls do! It’s only our second one. I am August 2009, the first thing you see besides the cover, so that’s pretty cool.

[Abbie at BaltimoreRavens.com]

New photos from week #8 are up on NFL.com. This week, they’ve got the Saints, Cowboys, Titans, Ravens, Cardinals, Jets, Bills, Eagles, and Colts. Click here to go there now.

It was a cold and rainy Sunday in Baltimore, but that didn’t stop the Ravens Cheerleaders from putting on the NFL’s number one outside the stadium Cheerleading Show.

Here are Megan and Michelle sporting the ball cap look. It may not be glamorous, but I think it comes off as cute.

The stunters performed on the hard pavement of Unitas Plaza. Michelle told me that pre-game rehearsal was in the tunnel on the concrete, as the Cheerleaders weren’t able to go out on the turf. And yes the ladies wore caps on the field, even while stunting, which brought up one problem.

The tendency of the caps to fly off when the Cheerleader is tossed in the air!

The guys were exempt from the caps.

Former Cheerleader now Cheerleader coach Molly Shattuck trying to keep dry.

Cassandra and Leslie out on Ravens Walk.

[Ravens Cheerleaders Gallery]

[Baltimore Ravens Cheerleaders]