12/19/2011 – Kadena Air Base, Japan – Twelve Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders visited Team Kadena as part of their two-day tour of Okinawa. The cheerleaders are visiting 21 installations in the Pacific as part of their 73rd United Services Organization tour. Their signature show, “America and Her Music,” took place at the Keystone Theater Dec. 15 and 16.

[Click here for hi-res photos]

U.S. Air Force Airmen from the 18th Wing have lunch with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Tegan Davis, 18th Medical Support Squadron pharmacy technician, and Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Ally Traylor, talk about their hometowns and an upcoming cheer performance during lunch

The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders sign autographs and talk to fans during a visit to the Exchange

Leading the cheers: Teacher to travel to Asia for performance
By Sylvia Decker
The River Bend Telegraph
December 13, 2011

Former area resident Megan LaTempt, a captain with the Rams cheerleaders, is excited about the group’s journey next month to Hong Kong to perform for the “Year of the Ram.”

LaTempt, who has been a Rams cheerleader since 2009, said she has the opportunity to meet a variety of people as a Rams dancer.

“We are required to do 25 charity events in St. Louis,” LaTempt said. “We had the opportunity to travel to the Hall of Fame game in Ohio, performed at charity events and were asked to perform in January in Hong Kong at the 2012 Celebration of the Year of the Ram.”

LaTempt, a 2003 graduate of Jersey Community High School in Jerseyville, is a special education teacher for the Rockwood School District. She received her degree from Southeast Missouri State University. One event that the cheerleaders performed was for Down syndrome, which was a favorite of the teacher of children with special needs.

“We light up the world,” she said.

Her days are long, with her teaching routine beginning at 7 a.m. On her days of practicing with the other cheerleaders, workout does not end until 10 p.m. Game day is challenging as well.

“The Rams is more of a dance organization,” LaTempt said. “We basically dance on the sidelines for four quarters. It is a workout on game day. We get there at 7:30 for the noon game. We are going over routines, and for a half hour we are signing autographs.”

She said the first time she saw the Rams cheerleaders was when she was a dancer at the Hawaii Pro Bowl.

“I auditioned in St. Louis when I was in high school and was selected to travel to Hawaii and be a part of the half-time production. At the Pro Bowl they had two [sic] cheerleaders from each NFL team represented, and at the moment (I was 14 years old) I told myself that one day I wanted to be an NFL cheerleader.”

LaTempt said she was introduced to dance at Parish School of the Performing Arts in Jerseyville.

“I’ve been dancing since I was 8 years old. I was a Southeast Sundancer for three years. I was not ready to give up dance.”

Always athletic, LaTempt said she broke a record in track at her high school. She said in track she was doing hurdles and in dance she is doing leaps and jumps. As a Rams cheerleader captain, she leads a group of cheerleaders, making calls from the sidelines. There are four different groups, one in each corner of the stadium, each with a captain.

“It’s the best experience of my life. The last home game is in January, New Year’s Day.”

The daughter of Bob and Becky LaTempt of Godfrey, she said her parents have season tickets and are faithful fans.

LaTempt, who is accustomed to being a leader, said she supervises seven teachers in her role as an educator. She will be taking an even bigger step in August when she marries Dustin Kueker, a teacher in the Ste. Genevieve School District. The couple will wed Aug. 4 in Alton.

“He is amazing, so supportive with me.”

LaTempt said she feels like she has three jobs. She is used to being busy.

“It’s like I have three full-time jobs: teacher, the Rams and making wedding plans,” she said. “I feel like I’ve done all three successfully. I can’t wait for Aug. 4.”

Read more: http://www.thetelegraph.com/articles/latempt-63244-rams-cheerleaders.html#ixzz1gWe4Wfmj

Danielle Hettinger, a Philadelphia Eagles cheerleader and third-grade teacher at Muhlenberg Elementary Center who lives in Ruscombmanor Township, is one of six Eagles cheerleaders headed to Kuwait as part of a weeklong goodwill military tour.

Danielle Hettinger’s family has a strong military background, so she’s thrilled to be on a 13-hour flight to Kuwait today to entertain U.S. servicemen and women.

The Ruscombmanor Township resident is one of six Philadelphia Eagles cheerleaders embarking on the seven-day goodwill tour.

“I think it will be life-changing,” said Hettinger, 24.

She believes the trip will deepen her appreciation for those in the military, including both of her grandfathers who fought in World War II, her grandmother who was in the U.S. Navy’s WAVES division, her brother in ROTC and her mother, Patti Rodgers, also a Ruscombmanor resident and a retired colonel in the Army Reserve.

The cheerleaders will stay in barracks during their tour and meet with soldiers on bases, in hospitals and during their 45-minute performance.

They interact with the audience during their performance. Soldiers will be asked to participate in games and a push-up contest, said Hettinger, a third-grade teacher at Muhlenberg Elementary Center.

Many of the soldiers the cheerleaders will meet have been overseas for more than a year, and many are on their way back from Iraq, Hettinger said.

“The level of duty, honor and loyalty humbles me, and I am looking forward to this opportunity to personally thank them for their sacrifices,” Hettinger said.

She said she hopes to meet soldiers in units from Pennsylvania.

“I think this will really bring meaning to me to just experience what the life of a soldier is really like,” said the 2005 Holy Name High School and 2009 Kutztown University graduate.

Hettinger also received a master’s degree as a reading specialist at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia in 2010.

She said her family and her husband, Scott, are supportive of the trip.

“They are completely behind me,” she said.

Though it’s the third time in four years that Eagles cheerleaders have gone to the Middle East to visit soldiers, Hettinger has never been on a tour like this.

But she said she isn’t nervous.

“I’m just excited,” she said.

UK Daily Mail
10/20/2011

Did someone say American Football? No, we didn’t hear them either because we were too busy paying attention to Tampa Bay Buccaneers cheerleaders who today toured London ahead of some match or other at Wembley this weekend.

Of course, we know the Bucs are in town to play Chicago Bears but frankly it’s the half-time entertainment that is the most interesting.

The ladies have already been practising at another London venue, admittedly not quite as sparkling as Wembley, when they performed during the interval at Selhurst Park during Crystal Palace’s game with Bristol City.

The players, or ‘man mountains’ as they are affectionately known, have already enjoyed their whistle stop tour of the capital, embarking on a sightseeing tour to the likes of Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Horse Guards Parade and 10 Downing Street.

In preparation for the big game, they have been training at the facility most recently used by the England rugby team before their ill-fated World Cup campaign in New Zealand.

Tampa will hope to enjoy more fortune than Martin Johnson’s men… and with these woman cheering them on, rather than a collection of dwarfs who don’t mind being tossed about a bar, one expects they will excel.

The Buccaneers are the first team to feature in the international series in London for a second time, having lost 35-7 to the New England Patriots in 2009.

The NFL showpiece is staged in a bid to raise the profile of American Football in this country, although the sport’s senior officials claim to already having 11 million followers across the pond.

Two Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders recently paid a visit to our troops at Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo, Texas. Click here for the story and some ENORMOUS hi-res photos.

By Sarah Hecht
Portland Trailblazers
9/30/2011

[Photo Gallery]

The BlazerDancers are in the midst of a whirlwind NBA Madness tour of the Philippines with NBA Legend Clyde Drexler . As one of two NBA dance teams—the other being the Magic Dancers—representing the league, they’re sharing hoops with the people of Manila on a non-stop adventure.

Sunday afternoon six BlazerDancers—Eri, Rea, Michelle, Stephanie, Kimberly and CaMicha—accompanied by Performance Teams Manager Michelle Woodard began their journey and hopped a 16-hour flight bound for the Philippines.

Day one saw the tour grind to a halt before even starting. What was supposed to be a well-oiled itinerary was thrown asunder by a visit from Typhoon Nesat. Racing winds coupled with drenching rains resulted in the cancellation of NBA Madness plans for the day.

A day later, after the storm cleared, activities resumed at a break-neck pace. St. Dominic College of Asia played host to the opening events of day two. Drexler instructed eager students at a hoops clinic and the BlazerDancers taught a routine during their time on stage.

Woodard called the enthusiasm at St. Dominic’s the highlight of the day. “It was the most incredible, overwhelmingly fun experience I think for any of us,” Woodard said. “We were shocked at how enthusiastic the kids were. It was insanity. They were excited before people got there and then they sustained that energy for two hours.”

With NBA mania in full swing in Manila the BlazerDancers moved into a third day jam-packed with events. BlazerDancer Eri engaged in a very special experience. Of Japanese descent, and fluent in the language, she held an interview with TV WOWOW of Tokyo and graciously posed for a small photo shoot—sure to result with her being marketed in Japan. The media session was followed by another school assembly and the NBA Madness crew rounded out the day at a pop-a-shot challenge hosted by Coors Light.

Reception for the NBA ambassadors has been through the roof. “They’re just excited about the NBA period. There have been some really good emcees so they get the crowd going and really amped up and we’ve been told everywhere that the Philippines, surprisingly, are huge basketball fans overall,” said Woodard.

As the NBA Madness marquee event draws nearer Drexler, the BlazerDancers and the Magic Dance team continue to promote the sport to an enthusiastic fan base halfway around the world.

Stay tuned for more from Clyde Drexler and the BlazerDancers at NBA Madness!