Ra Ra for Ta Tas Boosts the Cure
By Kerry O’ Connor
Philadelphia Weekly Press
When Maggie Hammond showed up for tryouts to be an Eagles cheerleader in 1993, the large number of women on the field meant cutthroat competition.
But this past Saturday, the football field full of women with pom poms standing before her meant unwavering support and camaraderie.
Under perfect blue skies, 150 former Eagles cheerleaders from as far back as the 1960’s, and as far away as Scottsdale Arizona, gathered on Central High School’s football field in Northeast Philadelphia to perform a giant dance routine that will be broadcast online in October as a fundraiser for the Philadelphia Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, which is dedicated to curing breast cancer.
Broken up into squads from their respective eras, the cheerleaders—all of which used pink pom poms—performed routines that encompassed the moves common on the sidelines in their heyday. For the finale, the squads come together, falling into unison while dancing, strutting and flashing those patented cheerleader smiles to music from Hip-Hop sensation Jay Sean.
Hammond, an Eagles cheerleader from 1993 till 1999, organized the event after learning that a fellow former Eagles cheerleader from the 1970’s, Marylou Tammaro, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Hammond choreographed the routines in her basement in Media, somehow finding the time between working as a labor & delivery nurse at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and being a mother to 5 year-old son, Brady and a wife to husband, Cory. Hammond would then film the routines and the other participating cheerleaders would watch them online.
“I’m incredibly touched by the turnout,” said Hammond. “This is the first time we’re performing together. These ladies took time out of their own lives and spent their own money to come here to Philly to support this idea of mine, to support Marylou and the other breast cancer survivors who we have in our ranks today. I’m truly thankful to all the ladies here.”
Including Marylou Tammaro.
Tammaro, a cheerleader in the 70’s and a choreographer and director of the squad in the 80’s and early 90’s, was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent surgery and chemotherapy in 2009. She was on the field Saturday, performing with the rest of her cheerleader “sisters” as she called them.
“Once a cheerleader, always a cheerleader,” said Tammaro. “Aside from family, of course, dancing is the love of my life. It’s wonderful to be out here today. All these women here are truly amazing. They are here to support me and the other nine breast cancer survivors who are out here today and are dedicated to finding a cure for breast cancer, to making sure that other women never have to worry about being diagnosed.”
While the mission of raising money and awareness was clearly first and foremost on the cheerleaders’ minds, some were hoping that their efforts to come together for an important cause would also change people’s minds about cheerleaders.
“I think that there are a lot of misconceptions out there about cheerleaders,” said Tawnya Drumm, a cheerleader in 2006 and 2007 who now works for Phadia Diagnostics in South Jersey and lives in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia. “People think that we’re just pretty faces, that the routines we perform don’t require any talent. They sometimes think that we aren’t concerned with what’s going on in the world. You can see by the outcome today, the planning that went into it, that we are so much more than people realize.”
One woman who was not on the field Saturday afternoon was Sue Schick, CEO of United Healthcare of Pennsylvania. She was content to pass out pink towels to the cheerleaders when they broke for lunch. United Healthcare of Pennsylvania underwrote the project, which has come to be known as “Ra Ras for Ta Tas”.
“I was never a cheerleader,” said Schick who sits on the board of the Philadelphia Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen for a Cure. “I think every girl dreams of being a cheerleader or a dancer and these women are all wonderful and talented. I’m just happy to be here, supporting their efforts today. On behalf of the Philadelphia Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen for a Cure, I want to say thank you to them for helping us raise money and awareness for our fight against breast cancer. We, as women, get so busy taking care of everybody else that we never make the time to take care of ourselves. If this video reminds one woman to get a mammogram, if money raised pays for one woman to get a mammogram, it was well worth the effort.”
But the Ra Ra for Ta Tas girls have bigger ambitions than that.
“We’re hoping to raise six figures when the video goes live,” said Hammond. “Money will be donated to the Philly Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen for a Cure every time someone clicks to watch the video.”
