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Profiles and individual photos of the 2010-11 Saintsations have been posted on the New Orleans Saints website. Click here to learn more about the ladies on the team!

By Spc. Cassandra Monroe
135th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, 3rd Infantry Division PAO

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – A plate of stir-fry and burgers wasn’t the only thing drawing service members and civilians to the North Dining Facility at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, June 5.

The eager crowd lined up for a chance to meet and greet five New Orleans Saints cheerleaders. The cheerleaders, named the “Saintsations,” have toured many different military bases to provide entertainment for the U.S. military stationed overseas.

“We’re here to entertain troops and bring smiles to faces and check out the scenery,” said Saintsations cheerleader Amanda Thompson. “The troops sacrifice a lot being over here, and I think that it’s important for entertainers to come over and show support and bring a little taste of back home.”

The cheerleaders visited the South Dining Facility and took a tour around the base. They ended their tour of COB Speicher at the North Dining Facility, just in time for dinner.

Service members lined up to take photos with the fiery ladies and get signed autographs. Individuals also brought in their own paraphernalia, such as a
New Orleans Saints football jersey and even a reflective belt.

After the meet and greet with the troops, the cheerleaders performed sideline routines, to the beat of crowd-pumping music.

“This is great,” said Capt. Ryan Frye, a logistician with 1st Infantry Division and native of Orlando, Fla. “Getting National Football League cheerleaders here gets us away from work and is a good stress reliever.”

Courtney Harper, a Saintsations cheerleader, agreed that having entertainers visit troops in warzones helps keep morale up.

“Soldiers lose touch with what’s in their own country, so you come over here to boost that morale up and to give them back that confidence and something to look forward to,” she said. “These performances are extra special to me because I know that I can walk into a room with thousands of Soldiers and it puts a smile on every single one of their faces. I know how it affects your mood and it just improves your day.”

It gets the Soldiers away from the same run-of-the-mill operations, said Capt. Gustavo Madrigal, an electronic warfare officer with 1st Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade. Just by them being here, it builds up morale and shows that they care.

After making their mark for the troops, both on paper and in their hearts, the girls took the time to reflect on how the visits to the troops affect them and why they’re worthwhile.

To Thompson, performing for the troops in a different country is an honor and makes her realize how small the world is.

“I ran into a Soldier in Kuwait that went to school with a couple of girls that are on our team back at home, and he knew them personally,” she said. “I’ve run into a lot of people from Louisiana, Alabama, so it’s really interesting because you’re halfway around the world, and you get to talk to people who are from your hometown and get to share stories.”

For Harper, her trip to meet the troops on this side of the world hit closer to home than expected.

“I have family in the military, so it’s good to give back to those who serve our country,” she said. “It just brings back memories of all the stories that were told to me when I was younger. [My family members] are so proud of what we do now over here, supporting you all.”

The cheerleaders previously stopped in Kuwait and are scheduled to visit different bases across Iraq over the next week.

34 make final cut from a group of nearly 300
NewOrleansSaints.com
May 7, 2010

When the doors opened for Saintsation auditions on April 10th, nearly 300 hopefuls came ready to compete for a spot on the 2010 team. Earlier in the week, several more came to the workshops. Why? To earn a chance to cheer on the sidelines for the Super Bowl Champions, the New Orleans Saints.

“I used to be a Junior Saintsation and I always dreamed of one day becoming a member of the New Orleans Saintsations. I’m here to make my dream come true”, future team member Kristen G. said excitedly as she entered the room.

Immediately upon entering the facility, the candidates put their best foot forward as they took part in their first photo shoot. After choreographer Blair Buras led the group through a quick paced routine, the judges were ready to begin the selection process. Within hours, the group had narrowed to 80. By the end of the day approximately 60 girls advanced to the semi-finals.

At the semi-final round, candidates dressed in business attire to meet with New Orleans area business professionals. The girls needed to impress this panel of judges with their intelligence, professionalism, wit and marketing skills. For twenty minutes, the candidates were interviewed by the panel of judges. After the interview, came the football test. Candidates were required to know all NFL teams, their divisions, cities and mascots. Additional questions revolved around Saints history, football fundamentals and of course key plays in the Super Bowl. “We love football. As a team, we get into the game just as much as our fans. We know the ref calls and truly understand the game.” states NFL Pro Bowl Cheerleader Amanda T. “If you want to be a cheerleader for this team, you’ve got to know football through and through.” One of the key questions on the test: Give the score for the Super Bowl and detail each point made by name of the player, his number and his position on the team.

The final round of competition brought forth a new panel of judges. They had the arduous task of narrowing the field down to 34. Deliberations went until 11:00pm. “The competition was very tough. Some girls had prepared for four months to audition for a spot on the team. All the girls were in great shape, beautiful, talented and smart. It was a very hard decision,” stated one judge.

The 2010 team roster was posted on Friday, April 16th. Their first meeting was held at the Royal Sonesta Hotel, the presenting sponsor for the 2010 Saintsations. General Manager Al Groos was the first to welcome the girls to the team. After their first official photo shoot, the team immediately began preparations for the 2010 season. Until the season starts, team members will be making numerous public appearances, rehearsing, shooting their 2011 Swimsuit calendar and leaving for their team retreat!

Look for the 2010 Saintsations when they make their team debut at the first home game, Saturday August 21 vs the Houston Texans.

By Sgt. Tresa L. Allemang and Spc. Amy Barber 256th Infantry Brigade Public Affairs
Special to The Town Talk
May 7, 2010

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq - The New Orleans Saints’ cheerleading and dance team, the Saintsations, special guests of Operation Catch Fish, provided a little piece of home to the Louisiana National Guard’s 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), at Victory Base Complex, Iraq, April, 27.

As soldiers from Louisiana’s Tiger Brigade rose with the sun to conduct their routine physical fitness training, the day started out like any other, but quickly found its own way to imprint a memory that would not be forgotten.

The dancers, Erin Buxton of Houma, La., and Jennifer Thomas of Slidell, La., dressed out in the army physical fitness uniform and literally got down and dirty as they completed various exercises to include push-ups, crunches and flutter kicks in the Iraqi dirt. Erin and Jennifer, joined by soldiers from the 256th, ended the early morning regimen with a two-mile run.

“They were very energetic and excited about doing PT with the troops,” said Sgt. Rebecca A. Farmer of Hineston, La., who was part of the group exercising with the cheerleaders.

“They had no issues hitting the dirt like the rest of us. In fact, I think they handled it better than some of the Soldiers did,” the fuel database processer joked. “It was good to see how genuine they were about bringing up the morale.”

After incorporating themselves into one of the morning exercise routines, Jennifer and Erin spoke in amazement of the camaraderie of the group during their morning workout.

“Everyone was so supportive of each other,” Jennifer explained. “They were constantly encouraging each other, and checking on each other during the run. If one person would have stopped, everyone would have. We all started and ended the run together, and that was great.”

Along with conducting the physical fitness training with the soldiers, Jennifer and Erin toured various places in Iraq and visited as many service members as time would allow while on their tour.

With this being both dancers first trip to Iraq, they took the opportunity to express their appreciation for deployed soldiers and the sacrifices they make.

“This tour was a huge learning experience for me,” Erin said. “I have a newfound love and respect for people in the military. I feel like I just got here, and I’m not ready to leave.”

“This has been a life-changing experience. I have been truly inspired and humbled,” added Jennifer as she gave her heartfelt appreciation for the armed forces. “Everyone kept thanking us for coming, but we don’t deserve the ‘thank you’; these guys do. Every time I heard it, I wanted to say it back a million times more.”

Erin and Jennifer continued their day’s journey with a visit to soldiers at the 256th IBCT headquarters on Camp Liberty.

Many 256th soldiers take their Saints’ loyalty to the extreme. By doing what they do best, the Saintsations cheered on the Tiger Brigade, reminding them that their favorite sports team has not forgotten Louisiana Troops.

Echoes of “Who Dat!” were repeated across the room by the Louisiana soldiers, while displaying their own form of team spirit by brandishing a Saints patch on underlying collars of uniforms just for the occasion. “Wow! This is really nice!” expressed Brigade Executive Officer Lt. Col. Scott E. Adams from Hammond, La.

Spc. Lester P. Broussard from Lafayette, La., a logistics specialist with Headquarters and Company, proudly exhibited his Saints tattoo for Erin. “I am the biggest fan ever,” exclaimed Broussard. “It was just too much that the ladies came to visit.”

The visit from the dancers not only brought familiarity to the deployed soldiers, but also renewed their passion for the upcoming football season.

“They were so much fun, and really brought with them the ‘Who Dat Nation’ attitude,” said Saints fan and logistics operations officer, CW3 Dale D. Poe of Pineville, La. “I can’t wait to watch the first game of the season.”

By Sheila Stroup
The Times-Picayune

For Christine “Chrissy” Hamilton, cheering the Saints on Sunday in Sun Life Stadium still seems like a dream.

“I kept saying, ‘Please pinch me. This doesn’t feel real,’” she says.

The first half of the game went by in a flash.

“I couldn’t believe it was already halftime,” she says. “I didn’t want the game to be half over.”
Hamilton, 23, knew the Super Bowl performance would be her last one as a Saintsation.

Director Lesslee Fitzmorris lets cheerleaders stay on the team a maximum of four years and then launches them “into the real world.”

“I want them to be our leaders of tomorrow,” she says.

She asked Hamilton to stay for a fifth year because her first year as a Saintsation was interrupted by Hurricane Katrina.

“She’s a great role model, a great example of someone who has triumphed over adversity,” Fitzmorris says. “Chrissy lost everything in the storm.”

Hamilton grew up in Chalmette. She was a student at Xavier University College of Pharmacy in New Orleans in August 2005. Her family had moved into their brand new house earlier in the year.

“The storm left 15 feet of water in it,” she says.

Hamilton Enterprises, the 30-year-old family furniture and hardware business her dad and his three brothers ran, flooded, too.

“The store was our life. My mom and dad had never done anything else,” she says “It was such a heart-wrenching time for us.”

When her family evacuated, Hamilton took three days worth of clothes and her Saintsations uniforms with her.

“That was something Lesslee taught us,” she says. “Don’t evacuate without your uniforms.”
Her family stayed in Panama City, Fla., for three months, and Hamilton wasn’t able to get to the Saints games that were played in San Antonio. But she did make it to the game against the New York Giants that was played in Giants stadium on Sept. 19, 2005.

“That was great because a bunch of girls from other NFL teams sent us care packages,” she says. “They gave us underwear, pajamas, tennis shoes, toiletries — all the things we had lost. That really gave us some spirit and uplifted us in such hard times.”

The only other regular game Hamilton made it to that season was the game against the Carolina Panthers that was played at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge.

“It was just such a hard year I didn’t want to go back for my second year,” she says. “But my mom said, ‘Just give it a try.’”

By then, her parents, David and Lisa Hamilton, had come back home to rebuild their home and the family business in Chalmette, and she was back in pharmacy school at Xavier.

She decided to listen to her mom, and she’s thrilled she did.

“I’ve had a blast ever since,” she says. “The Saintsations helped make me the person I am today, and I think Lesslee for that all the time.”

Hamilton says she used to be so shy she was reluctant to put in her own order at McDonalds. Now, she can walk into a room and carry on a conversation with someone she’s never met before. And the once timid young woman is on the cover of the 2010 Saintsations Swimsuit Calendar.

In addition to gaining confidence, she has learned time management, something you need when you’re a full-time college student, work at Walgreen’s in Chalmette, have dance practice three times a week, and make frequent public appearances.

“It’s been a busy year,” she says.

It has also been the best year of her life.

“When I think back to four years ago, when I didn’t what the future would hold, it just seems amazing,” she says.

One highlight of the season was having her sister Brittany, 20, join the Saintsations. Another was the Sept. 3 Saints game against Miami in the Super Dome. It was her birthday, and her boyfriend, Brandon Licciardi, proposed to her in front of 68,000 people.

“It was a complete surprise,” she says. “We’re getting married on April 2, 2011.”

Hamilton will cherish her years as a Saintsation, but she’s looking forward to getting launched into the real world.

She’ll graduate from pharmacy school, a six-year program, in May, and then she’ll have time to plan her wedding. She and Licciardi will live in St. Bernard Parish.

“My fiance is a police officer in St. Bernard Parish, and he’s committed to the parish,” she says. “And we’re both really devoted to our families. We could never leave home.”

A year ago, Hamilton was chosen by her teammates to represent them as part of the cheerleading squad at the 2009 NFL Pro Bowl in Honolulu, and she thought that experience would be hard to top.

“But being at the Super Bowl with the Saints was a hundred times better,” she says. “I can’t even put into words how great it was, but I will remember it for the rest of my life.”

By Sheila Stroup
The Times-Picayune

When Lesslee Fitzmorris stands on the sidelines at Sun Life Stadium tonight, she’ll be watching the Super Bowl in a whole new way.

Fitzmorris, who has managed and directed the Saintsations since 2001, has been producing Super Bowl pregame shows and cheerleading clinics for the NFL since 1986. She has worked with everyone from Willie Nelson and Paul McCartney to Tina Turner and Beyonce.

So she’s still getting used to the idea of going to Miami just to watch the New Orleans Saints play.

“At the end of the Vikings game, I thought, ‘Oh, my God, my home team is going to the Super Bowl!’ I still can’t quite believe it, ” she says.

Fitzmorris’ parents were Saints season-ticket holders from the beginning, and when she was in junior high, she started going to games with her father, Bob Fitzmorris.

“I think about my dad all the time, ” she says. “On those drives from Slidell, I’d complain because nobody ever asked me out. He’d tell me, ‘If you want boys to notice you, you’ve got to learn to talk two things: fishing and football.’”

She was on the Slidell High School dance team, and after she graduated, her dad, who was the St. Tammany Parish clerk of court, encouraged her to try out for the LSU Golden Girls.

“I tried out just because he asked me to, and I made the team, ” she says.

Fitzmorris was packed to leave for Baton Rouge and her first dance team practice when her father died suddenly of a heart attack.

“He was only 41, ” she says. “I drove to that first practice, and then I drove home and we buried my dad.”

What got her through the difficult days that followed her father’s death was dance team practice and working with members of the LSU Tiger Band.

“Everybody just embraced me and kept me going, ” she says. “I couldn’t have made it through my freshman year without them.”

As a college student in need of money, Fitzmorris started working with high school dance and drill teams, putting on dance camps and teaching them routines. It was a natural progression. When she was a young girl, she liked to organize the kids in her neighborhood and put on little shows.

“People who grew up with me say I was always bossing people around, ” she says.

She was attending law school at Loyola University in 1985 when a bout with bacterial meningitis changed the trajectory of her life.

“I was in the hospital to have my spleen removed, and the doctors told me I had a 65 percent chance of not surviving, ” she says. “I learned at a very young age that time is precious.”

By then, her dance team camps had evolved into a business, American All Star Dance, and had spread all over Louisiana and to other states. When she was lying in her hospital bed, minus a spleen but happy to be alive, she had an idea: She knew a lot of young dancers with talent, and the Super Bowl was going to be in New Orleans in 1986. She could put on a little show in the Superdome.

“I called information and said, ‘Give me the number for the NFL, ‘ ” she says.

She figured she had nothing to lose. She got through to the director of special events. She talked. He listened. She went to Manhattan to meet with league officials. They said yes. And she put on her first splashy pregame show at Super Bowl XX.

After graduating from law school, she practiced law in Covington for a few years, but her dance team business and work with the NFL soon took up most of her time.

“I said, ‘I’m just going to do this until they quit calling.’ And they’re still calling, ” she says.

By the early 1990s, she had directed and choreographed the International Special Olympics closing ceremonies, an Academy Awards show and two Emmy Awards shows, along with her Super Bowl pregame shows. And she and her husband, Royce Mitchell, had a daughter, Caroline, and a son, William.

“And then the years just kept going by, ” Fitzmorris, 51, says.

When the Saints hired her company to produce and manage the Saintsations nine years ago, she wanted to make them “the best in the league.” She knew, from growing up a tall blonde dancer, that people have certain ideas about cheerleaders and dance teams.

“It’s not just about dancing, ” she says. “They are successful young women who will go out into the world and become leaders.”

Her Saintsations go through a three-part application process: First, they have a dance audition. Next, they have a formal interview with community business leaders. And to make the final cut, they have to pass a football quiz.

“They have to know the positions. They have to know every team and every mascot, and what division each team is in, ” Fitzmorris says. “I want them to know as much about football as the fans do.”

Most of them are college students or are starting careers. As Saintsations, they’re involved in community-service projects.

“They work with Angels’ Place and the Susan B. Komen Foundation, and they make dozens of public appearances, ” Fitzmorris says. “Some of them have been to Mexico. Some have gone to Iraq and Afghanistan.”

The Saints cheerleaders also put on workshops for Junior Saintsations.

“They’re role models for little girls, ” she says.

They learn how to dodge players, referees, camera operators, and those guys who run around with the flags when the Saints make a touchdown. They learn what it means to be celebrities, too. The 10,000 2010 Saintsation Swimsuit Calendars that were printed are nearly sold old. People constantly ask them for autographs. And they saw country superstar Kenny Chesney snapping pictures of them during a recent Saints game.

“They figure out that celebrities are just people, ” Fitzmorris says.

She calls this season’s Saintsations “the dream team.”

“There’s something really special about them, ” she says.

She started the season by taking them on a three-day retreat in Destin, Fla., last spring.

“It was 34 girls and three bathrooms, ” she says. “And I took their cell phones away, so they had to connect with each other.”

It ended up being a wonderful experience for them. They shared the bathrooms and their lives, and they vowed to be there for each other on and off the field.

“They’re good girls, ” Fitzmorris says. “I’m strict with them, but they know I love them and care about them.”

And she’s thrilled that her dream team is going to have the best seat in the house for Super Bowl IVXL.

“I’m proud of them, and I’m proud of our football team, ” she says. “Now, we just want to bring that Vince Lombardi Trophy home.”

Fitzmorris already knows what her favorite part of the Super Bowl will be: watching the faces of the awe-struck Saints players and cheerleaders while they listen to Carrie Underwood sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” and realize the final football game of the season is about to begin.

“The national anthem is always very moving, ” she says. “I think when people go there and see it, they’ll understand why I’ve been going back for 25 years.”

By Ted Sillanpaa,
Napa Valley Register

Don’t try to tell Napa native Jackie Rowan that the cheerleaders will be a mere distraction during Super Bowl XLIV today in Miami.

“Cheerleaders play an important role in the atmosphere surrounding the game and the franchise,” said Rowan, who will be on the sidelines today as a member of the New Orleans Saints cheerleading squad. “To refer to us as sideline ‘eye candy’ fails to account for the countless hours we spend at appearances for charity and as volunteers in the communities.”

Rowan, who has been in Miami through the week leading up to the showdown between the NFC champion Saints and the AFC champion Indianapolis Colts, actually believes she and her peers are part of the much larger team.

“We cheer and hope alongside Saints fans,” Rowan, 24, said. “We are a constant reminder of the special bond between New Orleans and the Saints.”

Today’s kickoff might be a bit of a breather for Rowan and her cheer teammates after a hectic week.

“Our schedule is crazy! I’ve never been to Miami before, but the city has just been buzzing with excitement,” she said. “There isn’t a place I go without overhearing someone talk about the Super Bowl.”

Rowan spent hours involved in Super Bowl media appearances and other events.

“Some of us did a swim suit show and after that it was press, press and more press,” she said. “We practiced in the hotel ball room until Friday and then practiced in the stadium.”

She’s excited about the opportunity to be part of the biggest game of the National Football League season.

“Each cheer team performs a pregame dance, and then of course we’ll be on the sidelines dancing the whole game,” Rowan said. “It’s amazing to think that I’m going to have the best seat at the Super Bowl … on the field right on the 50-yard line.”

Napa High grad Jackie Rowan, shown signing autographs as a 49ers Cheerleader Ambassador, has spent the season on the cheer squad for the NFC champion New Orleans Saints.

Rowan, who danced at Napa High School for four years before graduating in 2003, began as part of the San Francisco 49ers cheerleaders.

“I was working in San Francisco and thought the opportunity would be exciting and challenging,” Rowan said. “I wanted to apply my passion for dance to a professional yet heart-pounding environment. I tried out and was thrilled to be placed on the 49ers Gold Rush Ambassador Squad.”

Rowan moved to New Orleans to attend Tulane University, where she studies anthropology.

“More specifically, I’m studying primatology,” she said. “I decided to pursue job opportunities after high school. I do envision graduate school in my near future.”

Rowan went through the challenging process of trying to earn a spot on the Saints cheerleading squad after arriving in Louisiana.

“We went through a series of intense auditions, evaluating our dance abilities, physical fitness, and personalities,” she said. “The panel looked for energy, confidence, enthusiasm, and the willingness to work towards a common goal. I made it through the rounds of selections and, before I knew it, I was at the new team orientation retreat on the beaches of Destin, Fla.”

Between school, a job and cheerleading, Rowan has been busy.

“I must balance school, internship, and cheerleading in what often seems like an impossible schedule,” she said. “Most days I’m running out of class to head to the practice facility or squeezing in a late workout after a long day at my primate internship. This has certainly been a wild ride, but provided important lessons in time management.

“Cheerleading dominates Tuesday, Thursday and often Saturday nights in addition to Sunday afternoon or evening home games. We put in extra practice time for prime-time games on Sunday and Monday nights and for the playoffs.”

Rowan is a football fan, but acknowledges that devotion to the sport is different in her new hometown.

“I have always enjoyed the game of football, but the experience is incredibly different in Louisiana,” she said. “From the ear-piercing screams from fans in the Superdome to massive block parties before and after games, I have grown to love the excitement and hype surrounding football.”

Still, she admits that her love for dancing drew her to the Saints.

“The opportunity to dance and cheer under the spotlight was at the core of my interests,” Rowan said.

Saints cheerleaders are especially busy on game day.

“We generally arrive at the stadium up to six hours prior to game time,” she said. “We have some time at our lockers to do some essential touch-ups before dealing with press appearances, etc. We will go through some progressions of player introductions, quarter-break dances, and halftime entertainment.”

It’s harder than some might believe to keep pace as an NFL cheerleader.

“We’re constantly and rapidly learning new dances with different alignments and positions,” Rowan mentioned. “We have to have flexible memories to master dances for stadium and television audience in just a few days.”

Her year with the Saints cheerleaders has been rewarding.

“I have so many friendships that I developed with my fellow teammates,” she said. “These amazing girls gather from all corners of the state of Louisiana, and come together to form a family. We have all grown so close over the course of this remarkable season, and have made memories that will last a lifetime.”

Rowan knows her time at Tulane will lead to her ultimate career goal.

“I would like to continue to work with animals, and specifically primates, in a research capacity,” she said. “I want to explore the intersection of primate behavior and environmental change, and address issues relating to captivity habitat management.”