Hammonton Woman Graces Cover of Eagles Cheerleaders Calendar
By Ben Meritt
Hammonton News
Ivelisse Rivera is getting a lot more exposure these days.
Rivera, a Hammonton resident who is entering her third year as a Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleader, graces the cover of the squad’s 2010-11 calendar. Next month, she’ll be featured in a Maxim magazine pictorial of NFL Cheerleaders.
Not too bad for someone who never modeled before.
Rivera, 22, spent a weekend near Cancun, Mexico, for the Eagles calendar shoot.
In the cover image, she is pictured along a rugged shoreline, wearing a brown bikini made entirely from recycled materials.
A second image appears inside the calendar.
“It was an awesome experience,” Rivera said of the calendar shoot. “Modeling is definitely something that I would like to do (more of). It’s definitely fun.”
So much fun, in fact, she jumped — literally — at the chance to appear in the Maxim spread.
She traveled to New York City, where photographer Ture Lillegraven captured her airborne wearing a black and silver bikini top and green bottoms. The pictorial also will include cheerleaders from the Miami Dolphins, Washington Redskins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Rivera, a native of Jersey City, moved to Hammonton with her family about 10 years ago.
She honed her dance skills at Paul Morris DanceXplosion in Hammonton and graduated from Hammonton High School in 2006.
She ran track and cross country, and she cheered for the Blue Devils during basketball games. However, she did not make the football cheerleading squad.
“Isn’t that funny?” she said with a laugh.
A year after graduating high school, Rivera tried out for the Eagles cheerleaders but didn’t make the cut. She persevered and, during the 2008 season, she found herself among the 38-member squad that entertains 69,000-plus fans on Sunday afternoons at Lincoln Financial Field.
Although the experience helps, she still must try out for the squad each season.
“It’s very nerve-wracking. Once you are a veteran, they expect more from you,” she said. “You have to keep on top of your stuff … It gets harder.”
What doesn’t change is the adrenaline rush she experiences on game days.
“It’s great walking out on to the field,” she said. “No matter how many years you’ve done this, you always get butterflies before the game. You can hear the crowd out there.”
Self-expression and confidence are key, but creativity has to take a bit of a back seat.
“Everything we do is choreographed, from when we run out on to the field to the end of the game,” Rivera said. “How we stand in the line, how we turn around … everything is a whole show.”
Rivera, who works as a dental assistant in Vineland, also has off-the-field obligations. She and her fellow cheerleaders must make at least three public appearances a month. Their efforts range from charity functions to a cleanup along the Delaware River.
And like almost everyone else in the region, she’s gearing up for what she thinks will be a successful Eagles season.
“We always hope for the best,” she said.
