Mount Olympus Would Have Been a Lot More Fun with Kristen Bickel at the Helm: An Interview with the Coordinator of the AFL’s Cleveland Goddesses

Oh, those gods and goddesses from Greek mythology had such drama-filled existences. They even had a goddess of chaos and discord (Eris, that trouble maker). By comparison, the Cleveland Goddesses seem to be quite happy, enjoying every minute of cheering and dancing for the AFL’s Cleveland Gladiators, and bonding into a close-knit squad. Those Greek goddesses could have used Kristen Bickel, who runs the Cleveland Goddesses, around to rid themselves of all of the chaos and drama. If Kristen was in charge of those goddesses of yore, her background and psychology degree surely would have made Mount Olympus a more harmonious place (suitable for the goddess Harmonia, even).

It is obvious if one spends any time with the Goddesses that Kristen and the squad are having a great time, but you can also hear it from the Goddesses themselves. Goddess Danielle says, “So far the experience has been amazing, I love all the girls on the team.” Elise seconds the motion, “I have never been a part of something that is so much fun with such great people.” Kristie agrees, “The experience has been unforgettable and amazing. I’ve met great groups of girls that are hard working and share the same passion as I do.” There has never been a more joyful group of goddesses than Kristen’s Goddesses.

For a sports lover like Kristen, it is appropriate that she is a native of football crazy Ohio, relating, “I was born and raised in Ohio. For ten years of my life, I lived in a small, rural town in southern Ohio, until high school when I moved back to the Akron, Ohio area.” Sports have provided a foundation in Kristen’s life from early on. Kristen recalls, “My mother told me I was always bouncing around and doing cartwheels down the aisles of groceries stores. I do not think she had a choice but to enroll me in gymnastics. I started that around the age of six or seven. Growing up, I was a very athletic person. I played soccer, softball, and ran track. If there was a girl’s football team, I would probably have done that as well! I am a huge sports fan and that is where my other love lies besides dance.” Sports even entered into Kristen’s field of study, saying, “I attended the University of Akron, and after changing my major many times, I settled on psychology with an emphasis on sports psychology.”

With a gymnastics background, Kristen “added dance to the mix at age 8. From there I knew dance is what I would be doing for a very long time.” Kristen continues, “I was in competition dance from about the age of nine until I graduated high school. I knew I would miss it so much that I still danced for my studio the first year of my freshman year of college.” Some of the highlights of Kristen’s early dance experience include, “At the age of thirteen, I was picked from a national dance competition to attend a summer intensive/performing group in Branson, Missouri, and Las Vegas, Nevada. That was an experience of a lifetime, learning from top choreographers! After that, I knew I had something special to offer the dance world. After graduating high school, I did compete for one more year, but then realized I had to move on and reach out to more opportunities.”

The next step for Kristen was jumping to the big NBA stage of dancing for Cleveland’s Cavalier Girls. Kristen says, “I needed to expand my dance career, and trying out for my college’s dance team just did not interest me. I wanted to do something bigger! I remembered my experience attending a Jr. Cavaliers camp the year before and I thought, what better way to combine my two loves, sports and dance!” When Kristen first participated in the Jr. Cavalier program, she was seventeen, and was immediately encouraged to try-out for the Cavs Girls when she turned eighteen. Kristen eventually took their advice, recalling, “I auditioned when I was nineteen and made the squad! I was so excited but somewhat intimidated as well with a whole new experience I did not know about. I was one of youngest on the team, so I was very shy about half of the first season. Once I felt comfortable, I knew I was in the right place of my career. I never performed in front of that many people before so opening night was quite an experience, but of course I loved it!”

Being part of the Cavalier Girls provided a world of opportunities for Kristen, as she says, “I was a Cavalier Girl for three seasons and a captain for the last two. The memories that stick out the most were when I had the opportunity to travel the world; to Iraq, Kuwait, and China. In September of 2006, we were chosen to go on tour for our troops in Iraq and Kuwait. Of course, our families were hesitant to let us go while there was a war going on, but with enough re-assurance that we were in good hands, everything went very smoothly. For two weeks, we traveled from base to base entertaining and signing autographs for our troops. I cannot explain how much gratitude these men and women showed us. They needed just a little aspect of the States to uplift their spirits while fighting for their country. It was the most fulfilling experience I have had to date and I would go back in a second!”

The whirlwind tour continued once they returned from the Middle East for Kristen and the Cavalier Girls, as she recalls, “We came home from our troop tour for two to three days and had to go right back out there to China! We were exhausted but once again it was an experience of a lifetime. We were out there promoting the NBA and entertaining the crowds of China. The people were all so excited! Even though none of us spoke Chinese, you could tell by the expressions that they were grateful to have us there. Although the cuisine was not to our liking, we still tried all of the dishes put in front of us. They were very interesting to say the least! In our spare time we would go sightseeing and Cheng-Du is known for their pandas so of course we had to check them out!” Those memorable trips continue to motivate Kristen in her new role, as she says, “Both trips were unforgettable and I hope my Goddesses will one day be able to experience something like that as well!”

Kristen not only performed in Ohio and across the world with the Cavalier Girls, but she was also on the cover of the Cavalier Girls calendar, in a photo on a boat on Lake Erie. With wind and water all around, was it tough to get the perfect calendar shot on Lake Erie? Kristen replies, ”This was actually the second calendar I shot as a Cavalier girl, so by the second go around I felt a lot more comfortable shooting. Getting the shot actually was not that hard to get since I was inside and sitting in the ‘captain’s chair.’ I actually was a little bummed at the time because I felt like they did not take as much time on my shot as they did for some of the others, but I guess it went well enough for me to be put on the cover! I was so excited during our calendar release party I cried!”

What was it like for Kristen to walk past a display of calendars and see her photo looking right back? Kristen remembers, “It was a little weird seeing myself on the cover everywhere in the arena, but I am not going to lie and say I did not love it! I think the weirdest part was seeing the life size photo of me in the team shop promoting the calendar. I still have it in my basement today and have no idea what I am going to do with it!”

Arena football and the Cleveland Gladiators provided the next steps in her pro cheer career, and Kristen’s Cavalier Girls days provided the initial experience to eventually run her own AFL Goddesses squad. Kristen says, “I was a captain my last two seasons on the Cavalier Girls so that prepared me for a leadership position in my future. After my last season, I was not really sure which direction to go for my career and my luck brought me the Gladiators to Cleveland! I wanted to expand my sports team dance experience and I was familiar with the dance team director they hired, so I thought, ‘Why not?’ I was a dancer on the 2008 squad and an assistant coordinator/choreographer in 2009 when the league was canceled. The director at this time moved back to her home in California and by the time the AFL came back in 2010, the job was mine! I was a little apprehensive because I had never taken on such a huge role before, but I knew I was up for the challenge. I had a great group of girls with a majority of veterans to assist me.”

Kristen tries to bring to the squad a style that fits the Gladiators enthusiastic fan base, saying, “We have a wide variety of a base in Cleveland, so I like to cater to the whole crowd with both classic rock and more mainstream music. Our style is sexy portrayed in a classy, entertaining way that gets the crowd going. I have some very technical dancers on my team as well, so I like to add some things in as well that display their talent.” Kristen also would like her Goddesses to share some of her own experiences as a pro cheerleader, saying, “My goal for the future of the squad is to have a swimsuit calendar made, because fans of course are asking! Also, I would like them to travel more and get their name out there as the hottest dance team in arena football!”

The Goddesses are more than a game day presence, and are often visible in the community and on-line, where one can order Gladiator tickets from the Goddess of their choice. Such expanding roles, Kristen says, is a big part of finding the right Goddesses, “Personality is just as important as being able to dance. The girls do numerous appearances throughout the community so they have to be able to hold conversations and be personable as well. We cannot send girls out to promote the Gladiators if they are shy and do not like to speak to large groups of people. The Goddesses are the ‘face’ of the Gladiators!”

And the current squad of Goddesses is talented in many ways, as Kristen notes, “I have girls that were on the Cavalier Girls team, a former Ben-Gal, and numerous girls are in school working on their careers. I think the team gets along so well because they all have the same type of hobbies: nights out in Cleveland, catching sporting events, and traveling!”

Those hobbies fit Kristen as well, as when she has some spare time, her interests include, “Sports, sports, sports! I love all of my Cleveland teams! I also travel to different places about three to four times a year to ‘get away’ for a few days to a week. During the summer I am on a sand volleyball team, for fun, and if I have time I like to read books. I am a closet Twilight fan.” Yet, another ‘team’ for Kristen to cheer for.

There is another football team in Cleveland, but they do not have a cheer squad. Based on years of experience with the Cavs and Gladiators, what would Kristen tell those other guys that they are missing, both on and off the field, that they may not realize that a squad would add to their franchise? Kristen replies, “The Cleveland Browns are missing a huge entertainment factor in the organization. Although they do not need to market the games by flaunting attractive women in front of their fans, but they are missing that something extra that most teams have. The Cleveland Browns will sell out every game no matter what, but why not entertain them as well in between quarters and timeouts! On Facebook there has been a page called ‘Cleveland Browns needs cheerleaders’ with many followers, and, of course, the Goddesses were the first in line nominated to take on that role!”

But for now, Kristen and the Goddesses will put all their efforts to support their Gladiators and their passionate fans. When asked about what experiences she took away from her own pro cheer/dance that she would like her Goddesses also to have, Kristen replies, “I would like them to appreciate the following and fan base that Cleveland has to offer. Like I said before, our fan base is like no other city in the country!”

So, Kristen is suitably qualified to be the subject of myths as she reigns over Goddesses in Cleveland: Kristen has an Olympian sized enthusiasm for athletics, she has conquered the waters to earn calendar cover-hood, traveled to the ends of the earth to brighten the days of soldiers, and danced during the era when a king (who took his talents to another coast to the south) held court for the Cavs. No wonder Kristen’s odyssey lead her to being in charge of Goddesses!

We thank Kristen so much for taking time to share her experiences with UltimateCheerleaders.com!