49ers Gold Rush Photos (Week 2)

After a promising pre-season, the San Francisco 49ers’ playoff hopes took a hit with a terrible loss in their first regular season game. Which meant that Monday’s opening night match against the visiting Super Bowl Champions New Orleans Saints was a must-win game for the team. Exciting? Yes. A down to the wire thriller? Yes. A win for the Niners? Unfortunately, no. After a competitive, hard fought match, the Saints managed to squeak by the home team with a last minute field goal to win the game. But it was a big improvement for the Niners as their offense showed a glimpse of their full potential.

Fortunately for the Niners fans, one team in The Stick was at their usual best – the 49ers Gold Rush. These ladies braved the freezing winds and the cold weather just to help the fans cheer on the Niners.

Full album here.

Here’s hoping the Niners improve in the coming weeks so that everyone will have something to cheer about.

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Argos cheerleaders warming up to Moncton

by Jesse Robichaud
Times & Transcript
September 24th, 2010

A city’s friendliness can be judged by many standards, but when your civic congeniality impresses CFL cheerleaders, it doesn’t get much nicer.

On top of being totally pleasant, Moncton is also a little lovelier today after the cheerleaders of the Moncton Argonauts and Edmonton Eskimos touched down at Greater Moncton International Airport yesterday.

“You guys are just the nicest people, you are,” said Rachelle, who at 23 is already a five-year veteran of the Double Blue cheerleading squad.

Truthfully, the Argos cheerleaders weren’t that surprised by Moncton’s cheerfulness considering the fact they have been cheering alongside a Moncton native all year, Stephanie B.

“We stole her from you guys. She is great, she is awesome, she is really excited to come back and she was telling us stories all week before we left about how great you guys are,” she said.

Mystie, a three-year veteran at 22, agreed.

“You know what, you can tell that she is from Moncton, now that I am here and I know her, she has something about her that is so sweet and such a positive energy, and it’s what you get off everyone we have met so far.”

And the squad is looking forward to returning the friendly welcome to Moncton football fans, no matter which team they are cheering.

“It’s all about the experience. Back at home in Toronto the main goal is the fan experience. Even if we win or lose we want our fans to have fun, that’s the main thing,” said Rachelle.

“We try to have a lot of giveaways, a lot of prizes, and we want to try to meet the fans face to face. We’re in the stands walking around meeting people.”

Rachelle said the close proximity between the players, cheerleaders, and fans guarantees spectators will enjoy the CFL experience.

“I hope that’s what you guys get when we come to this game and you guys see us in the stands. Don’t ever be afraid to come up and talk to us,” she said.

“We’re real people, the players are real people. We really want to show you guys you deserve a team here because we really want you to have one.”

In addition to getting the fans fired up at the Stade Moncton 2010 Stadium, they are looking forward to working with six local high school cheerleading teams while they are here.

“That is one of the main things we are going to enjoy doing here,” said Mystie.

“Hopefully someday we will have a team here and those girls will be able to be on that cheerleading team.”

The girls don’t usually travel with the team, although they have had the chance to make a few trips to places like Montreal and Calgary. This, however, takes the cake, said Rachelle.

“New Brunswick is the furthest I’ve been with the team so it’s totally new and it’s probably one of the best trips we’ve ever had so far.”

It didn’t take them long to say what they are looking forward to doing here.

“Eating lobster fresh from the ocean, I’m not going to lie, I love seafood and I can actually smell it right now and it’s actually making me so hungry.”

Like many CFL players, cheerleaders in the league also have day jobs. Most were cheerleaders in high school and football, and this is the apex of their cheering careers.

“If you want to become a professional cheerleader full-time I guess the NFL is where you want to go but we love the CFL and I plan on staying here and retiring as a cheerleader here,” said Rachelle.

“I’m a florist full-time and a wedding planner so that is kind of like my real job. It’s wedding planner by day, cheerleader by night, so once I finish this that will be the end of cheerleading for me.”

Mystie sees cheering as a fun pursuit rather than a career path.

“This is something I do more so for fun, I just enjoy it, it’s something like going out now. I’m a full-time student and I’m looking to start a career as a teacher,” she said.

She says she gets hooked on the adrenaline rush she gets when she runs onto the field each game.

“Game day is like no other, you can’t get that feeling anywhere else where 20,000 people are cheering for you, it’s amazing,” said Mystie.

“Practices can get really tiring but when you get to game day it all pays off, you run out onto the field and it’s great.”

Rachelle said it’s gratifying to perform for the fans.

“Game day is what you live for, nobody likes to do practice, but game day, and promotions, the people we meet and getting to work with kids and getting to help out on occasions like this is amazing.”

Neither Mystie nor Rachelle can say how long they will cheer for, but they want to keep doing it as long as they can, and they’re happy to do it here in Moncton.

“Life takes you in a different direction every day, right, so it’s hard to say I think we would all like to, we all talk about how hard it would be to stop because it’s such an incredible life, but again we have other careers and other dreams,” said Mystie.

The Argonauts have long had a strict policy on protecting the full identities of their cheerleaders from potential stalkers.

One of their cheerleaders was followed from a Toronto Transit bus, raped and murdered just steps from her home back in 1982.

Because Times & Transcript news stories are available online in Toronto and everywhere else, this newspaper has respected the Argonauts’ security measure and not given the cheerleaders’ last names

Argonauts Cheerleader Coming Home for Game

From The Times & Transcript:

Rookie cheerleader from Riverview nervous about performing at Touchdown Atlantic

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Everyone else is calling next weekend’s match-up between the Moncton Argonauts and the Edmonton Eskimos the Scotiabank Touchdown Atlantic game, but for Argos’ cheerleader Jennifer B., it’s the Homecoming Game.

Jennifer is from Riverview, and though she’s come home often since she left town to study dance and musical theatre at George Brown in 2008, she’s never come home like she will this week.

She’ll be joining 14 other Argos cheerleaders at events around Metro Moncton and of course she’ll be performing on game day, when our home team Moncton Argonauts host the Edmonton Eskimos.

Jennifer, who first studied dance at Moncton’s Danceast, is expecting to see lots of family and friends at the game and around the city in the coming days.

“I’ve been going home to Moncton every two months. I love it there.”

Though Jennifer’s full identity may not be a secret in Metro Moncton, it is confidential in Toronto, so a word of explanation is necessary on why her surname is not being printed in this article.

The Toronto Argonauts have long had a strict policy on protecting the full identities of their cheerleaders from potential stalkers, with good reason.

One of their cheerleaders was followed from a Toronto Transit bus, raped and murdered just steps from her home back in 1982.The killer has never been caught and the scar has never healed. Because the Times & Transcript is available online in Toronto and everywhere else, the Argonauts and Jennifer both asked us to respect their security measure.

But trust us, she’s a proud local woman and absolutely ecstatic at the idea of performing in Moncton.

Not that she doesn’t have butterflies.

As she stood on the field perfectly composed as the thousands filed into Toronto’s famous Rogers Centre Sunday, she said being a rookie cheerleader in the big city with the TV cameras rolling is easier than the thought of performing at home.

“I actually think it’s going to be nerve-wracking,” she said of the Touchdown Atlantic game. “My mom’s there, so I’ve got to make sure it’s perfect.”

Because Argos cheerleaders are paid only basic honoraria that barely cover their commutes and parking, they all have day jobs. (They get paid for some of the public appearances they make but most are unpaid visits in support of charities).

Because of that, roughly half the squad will take time away from other commitments to come to Moncton for the Touchdown Atlantic game and half will go the Nov. 28 Grey Cup in Edmonton.

Paola Cimitan, the Argonauts’ manager of team and cheerleader community relations, explained yesterday all the names were put in a hat and drawn randomly to decide which woman was going where – except for Jennifer’s.

“She’s from Moncton, so she has to go to Moncton,” Paola said with a laugh.

“She’s so excited. She’s already been promoting on the social network sites like Facebook.”

Besides having to pass auditions to be on the squad, cheerleaders have to commit to practices two times a week that are mandatory.

“We also have all our home games that we’re at, as well as some away games,” Paola said. “We just went to Hamilton for the Labour Day Classic. And you have to do a minimum of 20 community appearances.”

It’s a hectic schedule.

“Last Tuesday, for instance, we were at seven different events, so between school and work, it’s demanding.”

Paola had nothing but praise for the team’s sole New Brunswicker.

“We’re lucky to have her. She’s an amazing girl, a great girl. Personality is the number one thing and she has it.”

She also has pluck.

“I tried out last year but actually, I got cut,” Jennifer admitted with a laugh. “So I tried again this year.”

Each cheerleader, rookie or veteran, auditions again every year.

“I haven’t decided if I’m staying in Toronto. If I’m here next year, I’d love to do it again. But I’d dearly love to go back to Moncton,” she said.

And with her eyes twinkling beneath her on-field stage make up and false eyelashes, she added, “I hope Moncton gets its own CFL team, because I’d love to dance there.”

[Toronto Argos Cheerleaders]

Mad Ants Announce New Madame Ants Choreographer

logoThe NBDL Fort Wayne Mad Ants announced  that Tiffany Winling, owner and founder of Tiffany and Co. Studio of Dance, has been selected as Choreographer and Coach of the 2010-2011 Madame Ants dance team. The Madame Ants are the official dance team of the Fort Wayne Mad Ants basketball team.

“We are very excited to have Tiffany joining the Mad Ants,” said Mad Ants President Jeff Potter. “When people think of dance in Fort Wayne, they think of Tiffany, and I am excited to see the direction she is going to take our dance team.”

Tiffany began dancing when she was three years old and has since become an accomplished studio owner and instructor of Tiffany and Co. Studio of Dance. In addition to her studio, Tiffany has choreographed for TV commercials, the Fort Wayne Fury dance team of the CBA, IPFW dance team, Huntington College drama department, and several Fort Wayne area high school dance teams.

“Fort Wayne is my hometown, so it will be a pleasure and a joy to be the choreographer for the Madame Ants,” said Tiffany. “I am looking forward to a successful season.”

[Fort Wayne Madame Ants]