Q&A with the Eagles Pro Bowl Cheerleader

So the Pro Bowl is tonight in sunny South Florida, don’t forget to tune in. On the sidelines representing the Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders is three-year veteran Lauren. About this time last year Lauren was in Japan as part of an NFL Cheerleader good will tour. Before she left for the Pro Bowl, she took some time out of her busy schedule to answer a few of our questions.

How long have you been dancing?

I started cheering when I was three. My neighbor was a coach and
brought me to all of her practices to give my mom a break. I usually
just cried to go home, but by the time I was 5 I loved it! At Philly
cheerleading competitions there are usually 2 categories: All Around
Cheer and Halftime (all dance). As for technical dance, I didn’t start
dancing until college.

Were you on any squads/teams in HS or College?

I cheered for Cardinal Dougherty High School and was on Gwynedd- Mercy College’s Dance Team.

Why did you decide to try out for the Eagles Cheerleaders in the first
place?

I have always been a HUGE Eagles fan and loved the Cheerleaders. I
guess being on the team is something I have wanted since I was a l
little kid. My family has the Thanksgiving tradition of going to the
Parade every year and the cheerleaders were always the highlight for
me. Also in high school my team won a competition and the prize was to perform with the Eagles Cheerleaders during pre-game. I am pretty shy though so it took a lot for me to actually have the confidence to
audition.

How were you selected to be the Eagles Cheerleader Pro Bowl Rep?

The veterans on the cheerleading squad display interest in being
selected for the Pro Bowl. Then a panel from the Eagles Organization
selects a representative.

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What kind of preparations have you been making for the trip to the Pro
Bowl?

I have been doing P90X to work on strength and stamina. There is a
Battle of The Beauties competition, which is a beach competition
between AFC and NFC cheerleader reps. My brothers and fiance have also been helping me practice my volleyball and football skills. It will be a lot more fun in Sunny Florida, it’s very cold here in Philly right
now! And of course, I have been learning and perfecting the
choreography that we will be performing at Pro Bowl.

What was your trip to Japan like?

Japan was an amazing experience. I had the opportunity to visit a US
Military Base, promote the NFL and the Eagles through various media
interviews, judge a NFL Cheer Challenge, shop on Harashuku Street, and eat lots of sushi. I didn’t want to miss the NFC Championship game, so I watched it in Tokyo at 4:00 AM! It was an intense tour and we had so much to do. The eight cheerleaders who we had never met prior to this became a strong team so quickly.

What kind of reaction did NFL Cheerleaders get from folks in Japan?

A very positive and enthusiastic reaction. We were treated so well.
After a Japanese woman cheers for the NFL and returns to Japan she has so many opportunities through various media channels and career options. The Japanese have a great respect for NFL cheerleaders. Their reaction and turnout to events helped me to realize how internationally loved and respected the NFL is.

What’s been the most memorable part your time as an Eagles Cheerleader?

The most memorable part are the women I have worked with and friends that I have made. I love everything that it entails, from the games to the variety of appearances we are involved in. I especially enjoy the Junior Cheer Clinic, this is such a special day for the girls. The calendar trips to beautiful and exotic places are also a highlight.

What’s one thing you’d like fans to know about you, that would probably surprise them?

I am an autism treatment therapist and special education teacher. I absolutely love my career. The children I have worked with have taught me more than I could ever teach them.

[Lauren at PhiladelphiaEagles.com]

Bearsden cheerleader Anna is a calendar girl

sr2010cal_anna_cropBy Allan Valente
Bearsden Hearald (UK)
1/21/2010

BEARSDEN cheerleader Anna Robertson and the Scottish Rockettes defied the big freeze to once again produce a swimwear calendar in a bid to raise money for charity.

The top UK pro dance team produce an annual calendar, with this year’s proceeds going to Cash for Kids and CHAS [The Children’s Hospice Association Scotland].

Anna, a former Boclair Academy pupil from Killermont View, is currently enjoying her first season in the squad and is delighted the Rockettes can do their bit.

She said: “We get paid to go abroad and perform and stay in fancy hotels and it is great to be able to give something back.

“We do a lot of charity gigs as well, which we don’t take fees for, and we help with the running of the night, as well as entertaining guests.”

The Rockettes enjoyed a busy 2009 which saw them wow crowds at SPL football games and appear on Hogmanay programme Only an Excuse, as well as continuing their weekly performances supporting the Glasgow Rocks basketball team at Kelvin Hall on Sunday nights.

The cheerleading squad looked to keep the costs down during the shoot in order to maximise the profit going to charity.

Anna said: “We all chipped in and used a photographer that we knew for the shoot. The G1 Group provided us with locations at various nightclubs in Glasgow, like Kushion, and we all did our own make-up.

“The calendar is a great way to raise money. This isn’t just a part-time job for us, we like to do what we can for charity as well.”

Maryland Maniacs Dancers Auditions

maniacsWant to become a Maryland Maniacs Dancer?
Dance Auditions are almost here!

The Maryland Maniacs (www.marylandmaniacs.com) will be having auditions for the 2010 dance team! Home games will be played at University of Maryland’s Cole Field House and dance practices are held in Greenbelt, MD at our sponsor gym. The Maniacs Dance Program is looking to having an exciting and action packed year!

R U A Maniac?!

Dates: Saturday, February 13, 2010 and Sunday, February 14, 2010
Time : 12 pm – 4 pm
Location: Gold’s Gym 6222 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20770
Cost: $20*

Audition Attire:
Form fitting crop top (No T-shirts)
Dance trunks, Dance Shorts or Cheer Shorts (No full length or capri pants)
Jazz Shoes / Dance Sneakers / Dance Boots
Hair & Make-up should be performance ready!

We are having a workshop to prepare dancers for our auditions!!

Workshop Information:

When: Sunday February 7th, 2010 (12:00 pm Registration)

Where: Gold’s Gym, 6222 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20770

Cost: $15

Learn from the best – Maniacs Choreographer Jeremy McShan

Includes: free-style practice, technique improvement, choreography, and helpful information on how to make the team

*Audition fee waived for those who attend the dance workshop!*

To pre-register, please visit our website: www.marylandmaniacs.com. For additional info, email us at danceteam@marylandmaniacs.com.

From cheerleader to explorer?

fmr-mdc-mireya-mayor

By Melissa Farenish
For The Daily Item
January 28, 2010

WILLIAMSPORT — How does a girl go from NFL cheerleader to National Geographic explorer? Mireya Mayor made the transition more than 10 years ago when she took an anthropology course at the University of Miami.

“I fell in love with it,” she said.

Mayor, an English and philosophy double major, joined the Miami Dolphins cheering squad because she liked to dance. Her Cuban mother, who Mayor calls “my role model,” expected her to become a teacher or nurse after college.

Instead, Mayor chose to chase monkeys and gorillas in the jungle.

“My anthropology professor talked about her experiences chasing monkeys in the jungle, and that fascinated me,” Mayor said.

Soon, she was reading about primatologists like Dian Fossey and Jane Goodall. Once Mayor watched the Fossey biography “Gorillas in the Mist,” there was no turning back — she wanted be the next Fossey or Goodall.

“They were my role models,” Mayor said. “I wanted to be biggest achievement is the discovery of the world’s smallest primate.

Like most discoveries, “it was completely by accident,” Mayor said. The creatures she caught in Madagascar didn’t fit the description of lemurs in her reference books. After a series of genetic testing, she announced the discovery in 2004 and earned her place as a top anthropologist.

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Last summer, Mayor was on the History Channel show “Expedition Africa: Stanley & Livingstone” The show stars four explorers who follow in the footsteps of journalist Henry Morton Stanley’s 1871 trek through Tanzania wilderness to find world-renowned explorer Dr. David Livingstone. That meant they had no GPS, no maps, and no tents.

The “essence of that place is still the same,” according to Mayor. The danger of predators such as lions and crocodiles and diseases like malaria is still there. Each of the explorers was sick at least once. One explorer, Benedict Allen of England, contracted malaria.

The rest of the group had to decide whether to leave him to die or continue their trek with him. Thankfully, Allen pulled through and was able to finish the exploration.

Mayor will speak about her experiences at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 31 at the Community Arts Center, 220 W. Fourth St., as part of the National Geographic speaker series. Tickets cost $5 for students,range from $20 to $25 for the general public and are available by calling (800) 432-9382. Bring this article to the box office the day of the show for an adult ticket for $10.

Cheerleaders to watch Super Bowl from China

nepctroops

Patriots.com
1/28/10
Members of the New England Patriots Cheerleaders will travel to China for a series of appearances leading up to Super Bowl XLIV. The group will visit the cities of Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing on a nine-day whirlwind tour starting on Sunday, Jan. 31 and wrapping up Monday, Feb. 8.

Foxborough, Mass. – As proof that American football is truly an international sport, members of the New England Patriots Cheerleaders will travel to China for a series of appearances leading up to Super Bowl XLIV. The group will visit the cities of Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing on a nine-day whirlwind tour starting on Sunday, Jan. 31 and wrapping up Monday, Feb. 8.

The Cheerleaders will watch the big game from Beijing and, with a sizeable time difference, it might allow for some “Monday morning quarterbacking” in real time. With kickoff scheduled around 6 p.m. in the United States’ Eastern time zone, Super Bowl XLIV will be broadcast live at 7 a.m. local time on Monday morning in the Chinese capital.

“We’re very excited to once again travel to China and to have the opportunity to celebrate the excitement of the Super Bowl in Beijing,” said New England Patriots Cheerleaders Director Tracy Sormanti. “We hope to continue our mission to increase awareness of American football, the NFL and the New England Patriots in China, and to show our support to the many fans we already have there.”

The trip marks the fourth visit by Patriots Cheerleaders to China in the last three years, but also includes their first appearance in Guangzhou. Most recently, a group of Patriots Cheerleaders helped train dance teams before the opening ceremonies of the 29th Olympic Games.

Auroran pursues crowning glory at Miss America Pageant

By Bill Husted
The Denver Post
01/29/2010

nicole-miner-and-katie-layman

Katie Layman is 24, lives in Aurora, studies at the University of Colorado Denver, wants to be a teacher and really wants to be Miss America.

You can watch her on the Miss America Pageant @ 6 p.m. Saturday on the TLC network.

Layman spent the week at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, where the contestants have been rehearsing. “It’s been the experience of a lifetime,” she says.

And she’s done a lot in her lifetime. She’s been a Denver Broncos cheerleader, and she’s been a Rockette in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Her pageant talent is contemporary lyrical dance. But Layman knows the minefield at a pageant is the Q&A at the end.

She already received a preliminary grilling from Rush Limbaugh and Vivica Fox — and that’s a wild duo to pepper you with queries.

Layman is well aware of the famous flub from Miss South Carolina at the Miss Teen USA 2007 pageant. Here’s Caitlin Upton’s answer to a question about why one-fifth of Americans can’t find the United States on a map. It’s been viewed more than 35 million times on YouTube: “I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because, uh, some people out there in our nation don’t have maps and, uh, I believe that our, uh, education like such as, uh, South Africa and, uh, the Iraq, everywhere like such as, and, I believe that they should, our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S., uh, or, uh, should help South Africa and should help the Iraq and the Asian countries, so we will be able to build up our future for our children.”

Layman says, “They can ask you anything they want. You just have to be honest and go with your heart. It’s really something when you are on that stage and the whole world is watching. It can go either way.”

So good luck kid. We’ll be watching, and 50 friends and family members will be waving Colorado flags and cheering in the audience.

AVP Dancer Auditions tomorrow!

One last reminder: auditions for the 2010 AVP Dancers are tomorrow! So if you live in the Los Angeles area and you can dance, you might want to put this on the agenda for mañana.

Orrrrr…you could spend the summer NOT having fun performing at the beach. Totally up to you.

Audition details [here].

avpfans

Philadelphia KiXX Announce 2010 Dance Clinic

The Philadelphia KiXX announced today plans for its 2010 dance clinic, which will take place on Sunday, February 7th, at TriState Sports in Aston, Pennsylvania. Participants of the four-hour clinic will be learning a high-energy hip-hop jazz routine during the day that will be performed at halftime of the February 20th KiXX home match at Liacouras Center.

kixxcal

“We aim to have our fans as part of the overall KiXX game day experience, and this dance clinic is a perfect example of that initiative,” Philadelphia Vice President Darcee’ Roberts said. “Participants in this clinic will not only learn from our professional dancers, but they will also be given the unique opportunity to perform in front of their friends, family and our entire hometown crowd.”

This third annual dance clinic will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at TriState Sports, which is located at 63 Concord Road in Aston. Registration will begin promptly at 10:30 a.m., and each participant will receive a KiXX Dance Team t-shirt and goodie bag for taking part. Each dancer will also receive a ticket to the February 20th KiXX game against La Raza de Monterrey, and friends and families of participants will receive a special rate of $18 a ticket. Kickoff for that game is 7:05 p.m.

The cost of this clinic is $50, and a special rate of $45 each for groups of 10 or more is also available. Instruction will be led by the professional dancers and staff of the KiXX Dance Team, and it is open to anyone between the ages of 7-18 that is interested in learning great new skills and techniques within their skill set. Participation is open to all dance levels, gymnasts, cheer, dance and pom teams.

Anyone who is interested in taking part in this clinic can contact Julie Rotwitt of the Philadelphia KiXX today at 215-777-1215 or via email at julie.rotwitt@kixxonline.com.

[Philadelphia KiXX Dance Team]

Pro Bowl Cheerleaders

Pro Bowl Dan is in South Florida and he sent is a few photos of the Pro Bowl Cheerleaders including some shots from last night’s PBC Fashion Show.

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