Former Warren County Ben-Gal to be Part of Reunion
By Emiko Moore
Oxford Press
Reliving the “glory days” isn’t something only for former athletes — their ex-cheerleaders are going to have a chance to do that soon.
Deerfield Twp. resident Becky Lipps says she will have the chance of a lifetime Nov. 21 when she and more than 200 former and current Ben-Gals will perform together during halftime when the Cincinnati Bengals take on the Buffalo Bills.
Lipps, 47, was a Ben-Gal for the 1989 and 1990 seasons. She said she is thrilled to be part of the inaugural Ben-Gal alumni reunion.
Mason resident and former Ben-Gal cheerleader during 1989-1990 season, Becky Lipps, center, with daughters Katie, Lynn and Carrie and husband Bernie pictured Sunday, Nov 7, 2010 outside the Five Seasons Family Sports Club near Mason, Ohio
“When do you get a chance in life to go back to do something you loved to do? I am so grateful to the Bengals for this chance,” Lipps said.
She and about 50 other alumni have been practicing once per week since early October.
For the halftime show, all the performers will wear black warm-up suits with orange and white stripes on the sides. The 15-minute routine includes a section in which each decade of Ben-Gals will take the spotlight and cheer with moves and music reflective of their era. Lipps is participating in the combined ’70s and ’80s decade, which is choreographed to Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way.”
A Kettering native, Lipps cheered all through her years at Fairmont West High School. After graduating from the University of Cincinnati, Lipps thought her cheerleading days were behind her. But in 1989, she tried out for the Ben-Gals when a friend asked her to go along.
She made the cut.
Lipps perks up talking about the celebrity-like treatment she received as a Ben-Gal, from seeing her pictures at local restaurants to the fans who stopped her on the streets.
“It was the high point in my life,” Lipps said.
Lipps regrets that she didn’t try out again the next year when she had the chance.
“Here is my chance to go back. It’s even more meaningful today,” she said.
